Comments on ATP Sought

As part of a review of the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) ordered by Commerce Secretary William Daley, public input is being sought on the operations and direction of the program. The outcome of the review is to be incorporated in the Department's recommendations to the Secretary on possible program modifications.

The department is particularly interested in receiving comments on specific questions in four topic areas. The four topics and some of the questions are:

Company participation

• Should large companies only participate as members of joint ventures?
• What are the appropriate criteria to judge whether greater benefit would accrue by extending an existing focused program or by initiating a new one?

Private Capital Markets

• What are the possible sources of private funding available for such projects and how could those sources be made available to potential program applicants?

Regional Distribution of Awards

• Are there mechanisms that should be explored to foster high quality proposals from companies in states that lack large numbers of R&D intensive companies?
• Should a separate program be set up specifically to aid states that are under represented in the ATP, and should it also apply to under represented states in other federal R&D programs?

Other Assistance to Applicants

• What additional information could ATP provide to potential applicants, particularly smaller companies, that would assist them in developing proposals?
• Should the ATP provide information to unsuccessful applicants about other possible sources of financial assistance to pursue R&D that is judged meritorious?

Comments are due by May 5. A copy of the Federal Register notice can be obtained on the Web at http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/docs/atp_fr970404.htm or by calling SSTI at 614/421-SSTI (7784).