To promote the industrial competitiveness and economic growth of the United States by strengthening and expanding the civilian technology programs of the Department of Commerce, amending the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to enhance the development and nationwide deployment of manufacturing technologies, and authorizing appropriations for the Technology Administration of the Department of Commerce, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and for other purposes.
The purposes of this Act are to--
(1) strengthen and expand the ability of Federal technology programs, particularly those of the Department of Commerce, to support industry-led efforts to improve the technological capabilities, manufacturing performance, information infrastructure, and employment opportunities of the United States;
(2) promote and facilitate, particularly through the Advanced Technology Program of the Department of Commerce the creation, development, and adoption of technologies that will contribute significantly to United States economic competitiveness, employment, and prosperity;
(3) develop a nationwide network of sources of technological advice for manufacturers, particularly small- and medium-sized firms, and to provide high quality, current information to that network;
(4) encourage the development and rapid application of advanced manufacturing technologies and processes;
(5) create pilot programs to stimulate and supplement the flow of capital to business concerns engaged principally in development or utilization of critical civilian and other advanced technologies;
(6) ensure the widest possible application of high-performance computing and high-speed networking and to aid United States industry to develop an advanced national information infrastructure; and
(7) enhance and expand the core programs of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.