Development, commercialization, and diffusion of enabling technologies:

The Advanced Technology Program (ATP), administered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, partners with U.S. industry to develop high risk and enabling technologies, with significant potential for stimulating U.S. economic growth. Industry submits proposals containing a research plan for the work to be performed, an explanation of how the nation broadly will benefit from the new technical capability, a business plan for future commercialization of goods and services that may derive from the technology, plans for diffusing the technology beyond the innovators, and a project budget indicating the proposed cost-share arrangement. In a highly competitive process, a peer review panel, involving a mix of technical experts and business and economic experts, selects projects for funding. Once the projects are selected, the ATP staff monitors them and evaluates progress and impacts. An important component of ATP’s economic evaluation plan for tracking project progress and outcomes is the administration of an electronic survey on a regular basis to all project participants funded since 1993 to determine progress of projects compared with business plans and projected economic benefit goals outlined in their proposals. The resulting Business Reporting System (BRS) database is intended for use for ATP project management, as well as for evaluation research. This report summarizes BRS data covering periods through December 31, 1996, filed by 480 companies in 210 ATP projects, funded in 19 competitions during FY 1993-1995. The report provides an overview of pathways to achieving targeted commercial and broader economic goals; a status report of completed R&D; an analysis of commercialization and technology diffusion activities; and analyses of other effects of ATP funding, such as stimulation of R&D collaborations, and increased private sector investment in high risk and enabling R&D.