Measuring ATP Impact:  2004 Report on Economic Progress Contents The Advanced Technology Program A Message About This Report Executive Summary ATP Invests in America’s Future The Role of Evaluation at ATP ATP Project Management Program Impact on Private Firms Collaboration in ATP Projects Spillovers Profiling ATP Investments Our Most Vital Resource Appendix A: ATP Statistics Appendix B: Significant Recent Studies View Adobe PDF version of our Annual Report.

The Advanced Technology Program (ATP)

The Advanced Technology Program (ATP) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) seeks to benefit the economy and the people of the United States by sharing the cost of research with industry to foster new, innovative technologies. ATP invests in risky, challenging technologies that create opportunities for world-class products, services, and industrial processes for the benefit not just of ATP participants, but of other companies and industries, and, ultimately, consumers and taxpayers. By reducing the early-stage research and development risks of individual companies, ATP enables industry to pursue promising technologies that would have been ignored otherwise or developed too slowly to compete in rapidly changing world markets.

ATP Mission

To accelerate the development of innovative technologies for broad national benefit through partnerships with the private sector.

Mission Specifications

• Add to the nation’s scientific and technical knowledge base
• Foster expanded/accelerated technology development and commercialization by U.S. firms
• Promote collaborative R&D
• Refine manufacturing processes
• Ensure appropriate small business participation
• Increase competitiveness of U.S. firms
• Generate broadly based benefits

Operational Mechanisms and Features

• Cooperative agreements with industry for industry-led, costshared research
• Focus on high-risk research to develop enabling technologies Competitive selection of projects using peer review and published criteria Sunset provisions for all funded projects Requirement that all projects have well-defined goals and identified pathways to technical and economic impacts Reporting requirements for project management Flexibility in the face of change as long as selection criteria still met
• Program evaluation

Date created:  March 15, 2005
Last updated: August 15, 2005

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