[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 131 (Friday, September 26, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1877]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            THE ATP PROGRAM

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                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 26, 1997

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the ATP Program is 
important to our economy because it facilitates a partnership between 
research and commercialization. ATP's mission is that technology should 
benefit the U.S. economy. As a result, ATP's sole aim is to develop 
high-risk, potentially high-payoff enabling technologies that otherwise 
would not be pursued because of obstacles and risks that discourage 
private investments.
  This partnership is crucial to the private sector because it gives 
them the opportunity to succeed without crippling risks that may 
preempt them from marketing necessary technological patents. ATP is 
industry driven--research priorities are set by the industry, not the 
Government. This enables organizations to share costs, risks, and 
technology expertise in competitive research and development projects.
  Partnership programs like the ATP Program help bridge the gap between 
the lab bench and the marketplace, and help spawn new innovations and 
industries. This freedom allows researchers and industry to work 
together toward a common goal. ATP works through rigorous, open 
competition and is accessible to all businesses. This has proven to be 
an effective mechanism for motivating companies to look farther out 
onto the technology horizon. In addition, ATP is a competitive, peer-
reviewed, cost-shared program.
  In closing, ATP-sponsored research fuels economic growth by 
introducing future products and industrial processes. I fully support 
the ATP Program because disabling this program would discourage 
research and development which is key to strengthening our economy and 
international commerce.

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