GOVERNMENT

The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is slated for $535 million for its laboratory research and facility upgrades under President George W. Bush’s American Competitiveness Initiative, according to the FY 2007 budget request submitted to the Congress today. That budget proposal includes an additional $104 million—more than 24 percent—increase for the NIST laboratory programs and facilities. This would be the largest dollar increase ever for NIST’s laboratory research. “NIST is positioned to play a key role in advancing our nation’s innovation and competitiveness,” said NIST Director William Jeffrey. “The research initiatives in this budget reflect that and will strongly support the President’s competitiveness initiative.” NIST is a part of the Technology Administration, which also includes the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). Below is a more detailed breakdown of the TA budget. Office of the Under Secretary: $1.5 million TA will prioritize its analysis and policy development efforts. It will remain an effective advocate for technology within the Department of Commerce, while streamlining administrative and policy operations. National Institute of Standards and Technology The NIST budget is divided into three appropriations: * $467 million for Scientific and Technical Research and Services (STRS), including $459.4 million for NIST’s laboratory research and $7.6 million for the Baldrige National Quality Program. This category includes a major research initiative with 12 main components: * Enabling Nanotechnology from Discovery to Manufacture (+$20M), * NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) Expansion and Reliability Improvements: A National Need (+$10M), Enabling the Hydrogen Economy (+$10M), * Manufacturing Innovation through Supply Chain Integration (+$2M), * Quantum Information Science: Infrastructure for 21st-Century Innovation (+$9M), * Structural Safety in Hurricanes, Fires, and Earthquakes (+$2M), * Synchrotron Measurement Science and Technology: Enabling Next Generation Materials Innovation (+$5M), * International Standards and Innovation: Opening Markets for American Workers and Exporters (+$2M), * Innovations in Measurement Science (+$4M), * Bioimaging: A 21st-Century Toolbox for Medical Technology (+$4M), * Cyber Security: Innovative Technologies for National Security (+$2M), and * Biometrics: Identifying Friend or Foe (+$2M). * $68 million for Construction of Research Facilities (CRF) including resources for safety, maintenance, repair, and facilities upgrades. The CRF request would fund: * Construction and renovations at the NIST Center for Neutron Research, tied in with the parallel R&D initiative in STRS ($12M), * Increases for the NIST safety, capacity, maintenance and major repairs (SCMMR) budget to repair aging facilities ($10M), and * Building renovations at the agency’s Boulder, Colo., site ($10.1M). NIST Core (subtotal): $535 million $46.3 million for Industrial Technology Services (ITS) to fund the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership program. This reduction of $58.3 million from the FY 2006 level would be made in order to address the nation’s most pressing needs in an austere fiscal environment. NIST will focus the FY 2007 funding to maintain an effective network of centers with an emphasis on activities that promote innovation and competitiveness in small manufacturers. The FY 2006 appropriations and estimated recoveries will be sufficient to meet all existing obligations of the Advanced Technology Program and to phase it out; no FY 2007 funds are requested. NIST Total: $581.3 million National Technical Information Service (NTIS): fee supported NTIS is a repository of much of the government’s technical information that is used by the science and technical communities. NTIS maintains, sells and distributes a collection of scientific and technical information from various federal agencies. NTIS covers its operating costs through fees for its products and services; in keeping with past practice, there is no FY 2007 appropriation request for the function.