The U.S. Senate has taken a first step toward explicit congressional endorsement of optics and photonics as a vital enabling technology for the economy--a major goal of the National Photonics Initiative (NPI). The language is part of a bill from the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, chaired by Senator John (Jay) Rockefeller (D, New York), and states that “optics and photonics research and technologies promote U.S. global competitiveness in industry sectors, including telecommunications and information technology, energy, healthcare and medicine, manufacturing, and defense.”
The bill--which still faces legislative hurdles and possible revisions before becoming law--is known as the America COMPETES (Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science) Reauthorization Act of 2014. It recommends that federal agencies work with optics and photonics industry and research partners and support internal programs to leverage knowledge and resources and to promote innovation. The America COMPETES Act first became law in 2007, and was reauthorized in 2010. It was intended to drive investment in innovation through R&D, and to improve the global competitiveness of the U.S.
“We are gratified and delighted to see support for optics and photonics in this legislation. This recognition underscores the vital roles that applications of these technologies play in the lives of people everywhere,” said SPIE CEO Eugene Arthurs. “Senator Rockefeller and the committee are to be commended for this sound inclusion, and the membership and partners of SPIE are grateful for their vision.”
The technology was specified by the Department of Defense in its recent request for information on focus areas for new proposed Institutes for Manufacturing Innovation, and was identified by the National Science Foundation as a key area of interest for research and education. A report titled Building a Brighter Future with Optics and Photonics was issued this spring by the Fast-Track Action Committee on Optics and Photonics for the Committee on Science of the National Science and Technology Council.