The Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) program consists of a group of
U.S. federal agencies to research and develop
information technology
Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology syste ...
(IT) capabilities to empower Federal missions; support U.S. science, engineering, and technology leadership; and bolster U.S. economic competitiveness.
Organization
The NITRD Program is managed by the NITRD Subcommittee of the
National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Committee on Technology and supported by the NITRD National Coordination Office (NCO).
Working Groups
NITRD Program’s member agencies coordinate their NITRD research activities and plans by Interagency Working Groups (IWGs). For each IWG, agency representatives meet to exchange information and collaborate on research plans and activities such as testbeds, workshops, and cooperative proposal solicitations.
Program Component Areas
The annual NITRD Supplement to the President’s Budget is organized by Program Component Areas (PCAs), where the PCAs are major subject areas for federal IT R&D. PCAs are intended to facilitate budgetary comparisons from year to year in each area. The PCA set evolves over time, reflecting changes in IT R&D activities at federal agencies and IT R&D priorities of the Administration.
In its first annual report to Congress, the Supplement to the President’s Fiscal Year 1992 Budget, HPCC reported a FY 1991 base budget of $489 million, with eight federal agencies participating, and four R&D components. The FY 2019 NITRD Supplement to the President’s Budget reports to Congress an estimated budget of $5.2B billion across 24 Federal agencies and 11 R&D focus areas.
Participating agencies
The following federal agencies report their IT research budgets in the NITRD "crosscut" and provide proportional funding to support NITRD's operations:
Department of Commerce
*
National Institute of Standards and Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into physical s ...
(NIST)
*
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditi ...
(NOAA)
Department of Defense
*
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military.
Originally known as the Adv ...
(DARPA)
*
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collecti ...
(NSA)
*
Office of the Secretary of Defense
The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) is a headquarters-level staff of the United States Department of Defense. It is the principal civilian staff element of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and it assists the Secretary in carrying out aut ...
(OSD) and Service Research Organizations
*
Air Force Office of Scientific Research
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is a scientific research organization operated by the United States Air Force Materiel Command dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of aerospace warfighting technologies, p ...
(AFOSR)
*
Air Force Research Laboratory
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is a scientific research organization operated by the United States Air Force Materiel Command dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of aerospace warfighting technologies, pl ...
(AFRL)
*
Army Research Laboratory
The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory (DEVCOM ARL) is the U.S. Army's foundational research laboratory. ARL is headquartered at the Adelphi Laboratory Center (ALC) in Adelphi, Maryland. Its largest sing ...
(ARL)
*
Office of Naval Research
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is an organization within the United States Department of the Navy responsible for the science and technology programs of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Established by Congress in 1946, its mission is to pl ...
(ONR)
Department of Energy
*
National Nuclear Security Administration
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is a United States federal agency responsible for safeguarding national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, and ef ...
(DOE/NNSA)
* Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (DOE/CESER)
*
Office of Science
The Office of Science is a component of the United States Department of Energy (DOE). The Office of Science is the lead federal agency supporting fundamental scientific research for energy and the Nation’s largest supporter of basic research in t ...
(DOE/SC)
Department of Health and Human Services
*
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
*
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the lat ...
(NIH)
*
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH, ) is the United States federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. NIOSH is part of the C ...
(NIOSH)
*
(ONC)
Department of Homeland Security
*
Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T)
Department of the Interior
*
U.S. Geological Survey
Department of Justice
*
National Institute of Justice
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research, development and evaluation agency of the United States Department of Justice. NIJ, along with the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Juvenil ...
(NIJ)
Department of State
*
Department of State (DOS)
Independent Agencies
*
Environmental Protection Agency
A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale ...
(EPA)
*
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding ...
(NASA)
*
National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...
(NARA)
*
National Reconnaissance Office
The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is a member of the United States Intelligence Community and an agency of the United States Department of Defense which designs, builds, launches, and operates the reconnaissance satellites of the U.S. fe ...
(NRO)
*
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...
(NSF)
Representatives of other agencies also participate.
Coordination
NITRD's National Coordination Office (NCO) supports NITRD's planning, budget, and assessment activities. The NCO also supports the NITRD Subcommittee, which coordinates the NITRD Program, and the organizations that report to the Subcommittee.
The NCO's director is appointed by the Director of the White House
Office of Science and Technology Policy
An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific d ...
.
The NCO works with the NITRD agencies, IWGs, CGs and the White House
Office of Management and Budget
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...
to prepare, publish, and disseminate the Program's annual supplement to the President's Budget, Federal networking and IT R&D plans, and networking and IT research needs reports.
The NCO provides technical support for the activities of the Networking and Information Technology Subcommittee of the
President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, a panel of experts from industry and academia, in assessing the NITRD Program and preparing associated reports.
The NCO maintains the NITRD Web site â€
The Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program– which contains information about the Program and electronic versions of NITRD documents
History and legal background
The Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program (formerly known as High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) Program) was created by the
High Performance Computing Act of 1991
The High Performance Computing Act of 1991 (HPCA) is an Act of Congress promulgated in the 102nd United States Congress as (Pub.L. 102–194) on December 9, 1991. Often referred to as the Gore Bill, it was created and introduced by then Senator Al ...
, (P.L. 102-194) and amended by the Next Generation Internet Research Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-305), and the America COMPETES (Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science) Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-69). NITRD was reauthorized by Congress in the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act of 2017 (P.L. 114-329).
Dr.
Donald A.B. Lindberg was the founding Director of the National Coordination Office (NCO) for NITRD, formerly the NCO for High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC). The High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 called for the coordination of activities in high-performance computing and the establishment of a National Research and Education Network (NREN) across Federal agencies. Dr. Lindberg led this effort from 1992 to 1995 while serving concurrently as the Director of the National Library of Medicine (NLM).
Directors
Publications
* The Annual Supplement to the President's Budget, which is required by law, summarizes the program activities.
Supplements to the President's Budget
at nitrd.gov
The National Artificial Intelligence Research And Development Strategic Plan
(October 2016)
National Privacy Research Strategy
(July 2016)
The Federal Big Data Research and Development Strategic Plan
(May 2016)
Trustworthy Cyberspace: Strategic Plan for the Federal Cybersecurity Research and Development Program
(December 2011)
CSIA IWG Cybersecurity R&D Recommendations
(May 2010)
Harnessing the Power of Digital Data for Science and Society – Report of the Interagency Working Group on Digital Data to the Committee on Science of the National Science and Technology Council
(January 2009)
Federal Plan for Advanced Networking Research and Development
(September 2008 )
Federal Plan for Cyber Security and Information Assurance Research and Development
(April 2006)
Federal Plan for High-End Computing
(Second Printing – July 2004)
Five-Year Strategic Plan for FY 2002-FY 2006
References
{{Authority control
Information technology research institutes
Government research
United States federal computing legislation