About
the Advanced Technology Program
The Advanced Technology Program (ATP) is a partnership between government
and private industry to conduct high-risk research to develop enabling
technologies that promise significant commercial payoffs and widespread
benefits for the economy. The ATP provides a mechanism for industry
to extend its technological reach and push the envelope beyond what
it otherwise would attempt.
Promising
future technologies are the domain of ATP:
- Enabling
technologies that are essential to the development
of future new and substantially improved
projects, processes, and services across
diverse application areas
- Technologies
for which there are challenging technical
issues standing in the way of success
- Technologies
where the development often involves complex “systems” problems
requiring a collaborative effort by multiple
organizations
- Technologies
that will go undeveloped and/or proceed too
slowly to be competitive in global markets
without ATP
The
ATP funds technical research, but it does not
fund product development. That is the domain
of the company partners. The ATP is industry
driven, and that keeps it grounded in real-world
needs. For-profit companies conceive, propose,
co-fund, and execute all of the projects cost-shared
by ATP.
Smaller companies working on single company projects pay a minimum
of all the indirect costs associated with the project. Large,Fortune-500
companies participating as a single firm pay at least 60 percent
of total project costs. Joint ventures pay at least half of total
project costs. Single company projects can last up to three years,
and joint venture prejects can last as long as five years. Companies
of all sizes participate in ATP-funded projects. To date, more
than half of the ATP awards have gone to individual small businesses
or to joint ventures led by a small business.
Each
project has specific goals, funding allocations,
and completion dates established at the outset.
Projects are monitored and can be terminated
for cause before completion. All projects are
selected in rigorous competitions that use peer
review to identify those that score highest against
technical and economic criteria. Contact ATP
for more information:
- On
the Internet: http://www.atp.nist.gov
- By
e-mail: atp@nist.gov
- By
phone: 1-800-ATP-FUND (1-800-287-3863)
- By
writing: Advanced Technology Program, National
Institute of Standards and Technology, 100
Bureau Drive, Stop 4701, Gaithersburg, MD
20899-4701
About
the Author
Dr. Thomas Pelsoci is the managing director of Delta Research
Co., specializing in the economic assessment of new technologies
and manufacturing processes, including prospective economic impact
studies during the early stage proof of concept and demonstration
phases. His industrial experience includes positions as R&D
engineer at TRW and as management consultant in the high technology
practice of KPMG Peat Marwick. Subsequently, Dr. Pelsoci held
senior banking positions at First National Bank of Chicago and
at Sanwa Bank, specializing in financing information systems
and technology projects. He received a degree in Mechanical Engineering
from Case Western Reserve University and a Ph.D. in Public Policy
and Administration from the University of Minnesota. |
