Strategic Goal 2

Foster science and technological leadership by protecting intellectual property, enhancing technical standards, and advancing measurement science

STRATEGIC GOAL 2 TOTAL RESOURCES

Fiscal Dollars (Dollars in Millions) FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 FY 2005 $2,153.7 $2,241.3 $2,147.5 $2,456.5

FTE 1 Resources FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 FY 2005 10,068 10,074 10,005 10,022 1. FTE— Full-Time Equivalent ( back)

STRATEGIC GOAL 2 REPORTED RESULTS

Rating	Results
On Target	31
Slightly Below Target	0
Below Target	4
See Appendix A: Performance and Resource Tables for individual reported results.

Working with U.S. industry to develop and apply technology, measurements, and standards, the Department of Commerce is focused on providing the infrastructure necessary to develop innovative breakthroughs and new technologies vital to the nation’s long-term economic growth.

The Department’s laboratories provide the measurement capabilities needed by industry to continually improve products and services. The Department’s measurement and standards work addresses a significant portion of the nation’s modern technology-based economy, from the automotive to the biotechnology sector, from basic materials and manufacturing to information technology (IT), and from companies with a handful of employees to the largest multi-national firms.

Intellectual property (IP) is a potent force in, and a fundamental component of, the global economy. The Department strives to preserve the nation’s competitive edge by protecting IP and encouraging technological innovation. In market-driven economic systems, innovation provides a catalyst for economic prosperity through the accumulation of scientific knowledge, introduction of new products and services, and improvements in the productivity levels of land, labor, and capital resources.

A sample of significant accomplishments that the Department achieved in fiscal year (FY) 2005 includes the following:

• Recommendations from World Trade Center Investigation. The Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) made 30 recommendations for improving the way people design, construct, maintain, and use buildings, especially high-rises, based on the findings of its extensive investigation of the fires and collapses of New York City’s World Trade Center towers following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The recommendations also should lead to safer and more effective building evacuations and emergency responses. Contained within 43 draft investigation reports (totaling some 10,000 pages), the recommendations—and the reports—were released for a six-week public comment period. The recommendations cover specific improvements to building standards, codes and practices; changes to, or the establishment of, evacuation and emergency response procedures; and research and other appropriate actions needed to help prevent future building failures. Organizations that develop building and fire safety codes, standards, and practices, and state and local agencies and building owners will implement these recommendations.
• Presentation of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA). On July 20, 2005, Vice President Cheney and Secretary Gutierrez presented four U.S. organizations with the MBNQA, the nation’s highest Presidential honor for performance excellence and quality achievement. The 2004 Baldrige Award winners are: The Bama Companies, Tulsa, OK (manufacturing category); Texas Nameplate Company, Inc., Dallas, TX (small business category); Kenneth W. Monfort College of Business, Greeley, CO (education category); and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, Hamilton, NJ (health care category). The MBNQA is managed by NIST in conjunction with the private sector.
• The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). USPTO received 380, 9551 Utility, Plant, and Reissue (UPR) patent applications for FY 2005, an increase of 7.2 percent¹ from FY 2004. USPTO published 291,221 pending applications and issued 165,485 UPR and Design patent grants. USPTO received 258,527 trademark applications containing 323,501 classes for registration, an increase of 8.4 percent from 2004. The Office registered 112,445 marks including 142,396 classes. Total office disposals were 205,378 including 252,275 classes. The inventory of total trademark applications under examination increased by 10.5 percent from 450,294 files with more than 590,155 classes at the start of the year, to 497,400 files including 653,000 classes at year end.

The Department has demonstrated successful progress under this strategic goal. Bureaus with programs supporting this strategic goal include the Technology Administration (TA), consisting of the Office of Technology Policy (OTP), NIST, and the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), USPTO, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

SUMMARY OF STRATEGIC GOAL 2 PERFORMANCE GOALS

PERFORMANCE GOAL	STATUS*
Promote innovation, facilitate trade, ensure public safety and security, and help create jobs by strengthening the nation’s measurements and standards infrastructure (TA/NIST)
Accelerate private investment in and development of high-risk, broad-impact technologies (TA/NIST)
Raise the productivity and competitiveness of small manufacturers (TA/NIST)
Enhance public access to worldwide scientific and technical information through improved acquisition and dissemination activities (TA/NTIS)
Improve the quality of patent products and services and optimize patent processing time (USPTO)
Improve the quality of trademark products and services and optimize trademark processing time (USPTO)
Create a more flexible organization through transitioning patent and trademark operations to an e-government environment and advancing intellectual property development worldwide (USPTO)
Ensure that the allocation of radio spectrum provides the greatest benefit to all people (NTIA)
Promote the availability, and support new sources, of advanced telecommunications (NTIA)
* = Met (100%) = Significantly Met (75% - 99%) = Not Met (<75%) (back)