The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) unveiled its required review of the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program, a pivotal federal initiative designed to bolster US leadership in netting and information technology research and development (R&D).
The review lauded NITRD’s continuous effectiveness in fostering innovation and contributing to economic growth in the computing and communication technology sectors, underscoring its role as a national asset.
To further boost the program’s effectiveness, PCAST provided seven primary recommendations aimed at refining NITRD’s coordination, reporting, and strategic direction:
Enhancing Reporting: Review and modify the structure and timing of NITRD’s reports to better serve users’ and stakeholders’ needs.
Broadening Stakeholder Engagement: Create a strategy to expand the program’s user and stakeholder audience.
Expanding Institutional Memory: Explore opportunities to enhance institutional memory and raise R&D awareness through activities involving officials from federal agencies.
Updating Program Component Areas (PCAs): Redefine and future-proof PCAs to concentrate on advanced technologies and enhance their effectiveness as budget-reporting categories.
Refining Budget Reporting: Distinguish between the deployment and research of technologies in the budget reports of federal agencies.
Adaptive Convening Activities: Decouple PCA definitions from convening activities, ensuring that such engagements remain flexible, user-centered, and responsive to changing needs.
With technology’s rapid evolution, NITRD should firmly prioritize artificial intelligence in its strategic initiatives and increase its involvement with emerging federal AI projects.
These suggestions are intended to significantly enhance NITRD’s capacity to efficiently coordinate networking and information technology R&D while supporting public and private sector innovation.
PCAST is the President’s leading advisory group for science, technology, and innovation policy, comprised of experts outside the federal government. Its most recent report highlights the importance of sustaining US leadership in cruUS technology domains.