Technology Administration
MISSION

MISSION: The Technology Administration seeks to maximize technology's contribution to economic growth, high-wage job creation, and the social well being of the United States.

The Technology Administration carries out this mission by:

• Advocating for technological innovation in the government policy arena, and other key national and international organizations.

• Analyzing factors that affect U.S. technological innovation and competitiveness, including R&D investment, business climate, technology infrastructure, and workforce technical skills.

• Developing and promoting measurements, standards, and technology to enhance productivity, trade, and the quality of life. This includes conducting research to advance the U.S. technology infrastructure, promoting excellence and quality achievement in U.S. business and other organizations, providing technical and business assistance to the nation's smaller manufacturers, and supporting the development of technologies for broad national benefit.

• Providing access to information that stimulates innovation and discovery. This includes serving as the largest central resource for government-funded scientific, technical, engineering, and business related information.

Brief History: In 1988, Congress established the Technology Administration in the Department of Commerce, recognizing that technology and industrial innovation are central to the economic, environmental, and social well being of citizens of the United States. As set forth in the National Institute of Standards and Technology Authorization Act (Public Law 100-519), an Under Secretary for Technology oversees the three agencies of the Technology Administration: the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), and an Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy who serves as policy analyst to the Under Secretary and who directs an Office of Technology Policy (OTP).

NIST: Around 1900, the lack of effective standards became a national issue. There was confusion in commerce, it was difficult to conduct fair transactions, and it was hard to get parts to fit together properly. In 1901, Congress established the National Bureau of Standards, the Federal government's first physical science research laboratory, to help establish the standards and measures needed for the conduct of commerce. It was renamed the National Institute of Standards and Technology in 1988.

NTIS: The evolution of NTIS as the premier source of Federal government scientific, technical, and engineering information began by Executive Order in 1945 which ordered the collection of German and Japanese technical reports and patents captured during World War II, and the provision of potentially valuable technical information to U.S. industry. In the 1950s, NTIS' role was expanded when Public Law 64-823 charged the Secretary of Commerce with establishing a clearinghouse for the collection and dissemination of scientific and technical information to make the results of research and development more readily available to industry, business, and the general public. Today, NTIS provides public access to more than 2 million publications covering more than 350 subject areas.

OTP: The Department of Commerce has served as a focal point for technology policy since 1962. The Stevenson-Wydler Technology and Innovation Act of 1980 elevated that role by creating an Assistant Secretary for Productivity, Technology and Innovation to whom a policy office and OTP's direct predecessor-the Office of Productivity, Technology, and Innovation-reported. The Stevenson-Wydler Act gave the Assistant Secretary authority to examine a wide range of factors affecting technological innovation-including economic and labor conditions, industrial structure and management, government policies, capital, and technical resources-and to consider government measures with the potential of advancing U.S. technology innovation. When Congress established the Technology Administration, it transformed this organization into OTP. Today, an Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy and OTP continue to fulfill the broad policy analysis and development role assigned in the Stevenson-Wydler Act.

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Date created: September 18, 2002