Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    IT Budget Busters?

    By
    Caron Carlson
    -
    February 16, 2004
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Working with the largest deficit in U.S. history, the Bush administration is proposing spending boosts on IT and research for 2005. The lions share of the budget increase is directed at defense and security, including a doubling of the Department of Homeland Securitys funds from its creation in 2001, but it would leave some civilian research and development initiatives looking at cuts.

      Technology and science programs at the Department of Energy and Department of Commerce would take major hits. The White House would eliminate two technology grant initiatives from Commerce: the ATP (Advanced Technology Program), run by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the TOP (Technology Opportunities Program), run by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

      The ATP loss would be a blow to cutting-edge R&D, industry experts warned. The program was designed to promote public and private partnerships to spread the costs and risks of research that transcends immediate commercialization. As Wall Street pressures corporations to focus on short-term profitability, the ATP is critical for long-range projects, said David Peyton, director of technology policy at the National Association of Manufacturers, in Washington. “We certainly are happy to see money going into research and development at DHS and DOD [Department of Defense]. But in the middle of the picture, weve got one area that continues to be shortchanged,” Peyton said, noting the cuts in advanced-technology funding.

      If Congress does not reinstate the ATP for 2005, some long-range IT research projects already under way will likely be curtailed. Starthis Inc., in Arlington Heights, Ill., may not be able to complete a three-year project supported by a $2 million grant awarded by ATP last year. “This grant is vital for the activities that were performing,” said David Naylor, Starthis president and CEO. “Projects that get funded tend to be longer-term activities than people would typically fund from other sources of capital. The payoff is going to come two, three or four years down the road.”

      Starthis is developing software that will let engineers at manufacturing plants reconfigure their operations quickly for changing project lines. Typically, a plant is configured to perform a single set of operations, and plant engineers are trained to use one kind of control program, Naylor said. Part of the project would design a testbed to give manufacturers more confidence in new ways of reconfiguring plants.

      NTIAs TOP typically supports smaller-scale efforts, often at universities, but beneficiaries said they are no less reliant on the funding.

      The University of Alaska Museum, in Fairbanks, has received two TOP awards, totaling more than $800 million, to create an electronic catalog of museum objects that will be linked to resources in the universitys library and archives. One goal is to bring better educational opportunities, based on visual learning skills, to some of Alaskas most remote villages, said Terry Dickey, museum education coordinator. “The funding from the Department of Commerce is absolutely critical to the kind of work that we are trying to do here in Fairbanks,” Dickey said. “TOP has been very supportive in trying to solve the urban and rural technology divide. Technology can help us bridge this gap if we have the right tools.”

      The White House plan to cut the Commerce Departments ATP and TOP programs—and to emphasize technology R&D at defense and security agencies—reflects the administrations preoccupation with the threat of terrorism. At DHS, much of the increased funding on research would go toward biotechnology, but disproportionate spending on biotechnology in comparison with IT is nothing new, sources said.

      “Weve had a situation develop over 20 to 25 years where Congress has been willing to fund biomedicine generously and has not been willing to fund other endeavors,” Peyton said. “Many of us do think that an imbalance has grown up over time.”

      This is not the first time the Bush administration has sought to cut the ATP, and longtime observers said there will likely be a battle in Congress to retain it.

      Caron Carlson
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×