Technology Innovation and Manufacturing Stimulation Act of 2007

The Technology Innovation and Manufacturing Stimulation Act of 2007 (H.R. 1868) is a bill intended to provide funding for fiscal years 2008 through 2010 for research in manufacturing technology advancements.

Bill status
On May 7, 2007, the bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.



Bill details
The bill specifically authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Commerce for FY2008-FY2010 for:
 * Scientific and technical research and services laboratory activities of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
 * The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award program.
 * Construction and maintenance of NIST facilities.
 * NIST Industrial Technology Services activities.

The bill also establishes a Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Advisory Board. The secretary and the director of the board would be authorized to accept funds from other federal departments and agencies and from the private sector to strengthen U.S. manufacturing.

The director would be required to establish within the MEP program a program to award competitive grants among the Regional Centers for the Transfer of Manufacturing Technology, or a consortium of such Centers, for the development of projects to solve new or emerging manufacturing problems.

The bill would also abolish the Advanced Technology Program and replace it with the Technology Innovation Program (TIP) to assist U.S. businesses and institutions of higher education to accelerate development and application of challenging, high-risk technologies that promise widespread economic benefits. This program would increase funding for research fellowships and other financial assistance to students at institutions of higher education within the United States and to U.S. citizens for research and technical activities on NIST programs.

The bill would require the director of TIP to establish:
 * A manufacturing research pilot grants program to make awards to partnerships to foster cost-shared collaborations among firms, educational and research institutions, state agencies, and nonprofit organizations in the development of innovative, multidisciplinary manufacturing technologies.
 * A manufacturing fellowship program for postdoctoral studies and research activities related to manufacturing sciences.

The bill is estimated to cost $417 million in 2008 and $2.5 billion from 2008-2012.

Cosponsors
On April 17, 2007, Rep. David Wu (R-Ore.) introduced the bill. It was cosponsored by:

Passage
On May 3, 2007, the House passed the bill in a 385-23 vote.



External resources

 * OpenCongress page on H.R. 1868, OpenCongress, May 3, 2007.
 * THOMAS page on H.R. 1868, THOMAS, May 3, 2007.