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NIST’s Kammer Says Government/Industry/University Partnerships are Central to Federal Science and Technology Policy
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Chicago, Ill · June 23, 1998 · At a roadmapping workshop of the the National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (NEMI), Raymond Kammer, Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), today said that government, industry and university partnerships · once a ‘novel experiment’ · have matured to become a central feature of this nation’s R&D picture.
Kammer pointed to the value of roadmapping, such as the current effort being coordinated by NEMI. "Roadmaps help us to guide our investments and to allocate our resources in accordance with U.S. industry’s priorities."
Still, he said, there is a need for ‘topsight’ · a big-picture view of activities underway government-wide. "The need for sectorwide, two-way communication has not subsided. Technology and science are moving too fast. Global competitive conditions are too fluid. Opportunities are too fleeting, and the technology gaps that we must bridge are too wide to leave communication to chance, or even to individual initiative. Both government and industry stand to gain from a more systematic and more proactive approach to surveying the technology landscape in electronics."
"NEMI is now in its third roadmapping ‘cycle,’ and this process has proven to be invaluable for establishing industry direction," said David Lando, Chairman of NEMI and Engineering and Environment Technologies Vice President for Lucent Technologies. "NEMI’s roadmapping efforts are closely coordinated with those covering other sectors of the electronics industry, such as the Semiconductor Industry Association and SEMATECH. Together, our efforts serve to identify gaps in the technology infrastructure for more focused, effective investment of R&D dollars, both by industry and government."
Kammer commented that there are many factors to consider when charting a new policy course. Among these, he said that federal science and technology policy "should reckon with changes in the way industry spends its R&D dollars . . . and factor in the consequences of shortening product cycles and intensifying global competition."
Kammer specifically noted that industry research is, increasingly, tied more directly to the bottom line but, at the same time, industries must prospect for discoveries and developments across a much broader territory. He also pointed to the need to develop component suppliers as well as semiconductor manufacturers, noting that as you "move down the food chain" from semiconductors to the supporting components, R&D spending drops significantly · from more than 10 percent of sales to about 1 percent.
"This fragmentation is part of the new reality that federal science and technology policy must better recognize and address," said Kammer. "It seems clear that maintaining vital, high-technology industries · and all the jobs and wealth they create · will require paying sustained attention to the health of the nation’s manufacturing infrastructure. It will require public investments, to be sure. But making the most effective use of federal dollars will require innovative partnerships · a leveraging of public and private resources."
Kammer called on industry for commitment and forward thinking. "Industrial commitment and forward thinking are necessary ingredients of efforts that will be required to sustain a globally competitive electronic manufacturing sector in the century ahead."
About NEMI
The National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative was formed in November 1994 to facilitate long-term North American leadership in electronics. The industry-led consortium is made up of more than 50 electronic equipment manufacturers, suppliers, associations, government agencies and universities. NEMI member companies represent 1997 revenues of $247 billion and employ more than 946,000 workers. NEMI's goal is to help its member companies become global leaders in volume electronics manufacturing. NEMI also works with government, universities, and other funding agencies to identify infrastructure weaknesses and set priorities for future industry needs and R&D initiatives.
NEMI was conducting technical workshops in the Chicago area this week as part of its 1998 roadmapping effort.
For more information, please contact:
Cynthia Williams
207-871-1260
cwilliams@nemi.org
Ron Gedney
NEMI
703-834-2084
rgedney@nemi.org