Subcommittee Questions Funding Cuts for Two NIST Programs

The President’s plan to slash two highly successful National Institute of Standards and Technology programs drew the ire of Subcommittee members during a hearing on NIST’s FY 2009 budget request yesterday. Members of the House Committee on Science and Technology’s Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation questioned NIST Acting Director Dr. James Turner on why he supported the request to zero funding for the Technology Innovation Program (TIP) and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), two programs that support small businesses working towards commercializing new technology and research.

Subcommittee Chairman David Wu (D-OR) chastised the request for falling short of the appropriations mandated for NIST in the COMPETES Act and the American Competitiveness Initiative. He pointed out that NIST was the only agency highlighted in the COMPETES Act that received less funding in 2009 then in the previous year. Rep. Vernon Elhers (R-MI) praised NIST for its work and hoped Congress would reinstate both the TIP and MEP programs.

Dr. Turner tried to defend the MEP and TIP cuts, saying the agency decision proved difficult, but that it had to prioritize its core programs under tight budgetary restrictions. Chairman Wu disagreed, saying previous laws both prioritized and provided the appropriate funding for the two beleaguered programs. Dr. Turner went on to explain the agency’s future plans, which include starting five new programs in 2009 and focusing on nanotechnology, quantum computing, biosciences, and cybersecurity.

Dr. James Serum, Chairman of NIST’s Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology, praised the high-quality work of the agency, but felt it was dramatically underfunded. He advised the agency to focus on developing standards to measure the broadband capabilities and availability in the U.S. (Current broadband measurements, Mark Lloyd argued in a previous column, are grossly inadequate.)

Dr. Peter Fiske, Vice President for Research and Development at PAX Scientific, spoke about his startup company, which was able to bridge the so called “valley of death” by bringing new technology out of the lab and into marketplace with the assistance of TIP. The program provides Federal funds to small businesses for early-stage investments to accelerate the development of high risk, high reward technologies. Dr. Fiske mentioned how venture capitalists shy away from cutting-edge technology in its early stages and that Federal programs help to fill the gap. According to Dr. Fiske, without the support of TIP, which he called the best Federal agency to support technology commercialization, his company would never have gotten off the ground.

Michael Coast, President of Michigan’s Manufacturing Technology Center, spoke in support of the MEP program. The program helps small and medium-sized manufacturers modernize their operations and improve competitiveness. Manufacturers who received support from MEP created 52,000 jobs and saved $1.1 billion in 2006, he said during his testimony.

Tags: funding, Innovation, legislation

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