The Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology (VCAT) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the agency's primary private-sector advisory group, has sent its 2008 annual report to Congress.
The VCAT was established by Congress in 1988 to review and make recommendations on NIST's policies, organization, budget and programs. The 2008 report includes specific recommendations on NIST's efforts to promote and support U.S. technological innovation and industrial competitiveness in areas such as partnerships, planning and research directions.
The report also emphasizes NIST's important role in the economic well-being of the nation and expresses the Committee's strong support for NIST's investment priority areas in energy, information technology, health care, environment, manufacturing and physical infrastructure.
For the full text of the VCAT report, see www.nist.gov/director/vcat/report08.pdf (requires Acrobat Reader, a free download).
The next NIST VCAT meeting will be held on Oct. 14-15 in Boulder, Colo. VCAT meetings are open to the public. For more information, see www.nist.gov/director/vcat/.
