The Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program: Funding Issues and Activities

The Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program: Funding Issues and Activities

Order Code IB10130
CRS Issue Brief for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
The Federal Networking and Information
Technology Research and Development Program:
Funding Issues and Activities
Updated May 4, 2006
Patricia Moloney Figliola
Resources, Science, and Industry Division
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

CONTENTS
SUMMARY
MOST RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
Overview of the Federal NITRD Program
Enabling/Governing Legislation
High-Performance Computing Act of 1991
Next Generation Internet Research Act of 1998
Context of Federal Technology Funding
Recent NCO, PITAC, and Related Activities
Federal Plan for Cyber Security and Information Assurance Research and
Development
NSA Superconducting Technology Assessment
Computational Science: Ensuring America’s Competitiveness
Cyber Security: A Crisis of Prioritization
Issues for Congress
Activity in the 109th Congress
Major Legislation
Hearings
Relevant Laws
LEGISLATION
FOR ADDITIONAL READING

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The Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and
Development Program: Funding Issues and Activities
SUMMARY
In the early 1990s, Congress recognized
Another aspect of government-funded IT
that several federal agencies had ongoing
research is that it often leads to open stan-
high-performance computing programs, but no
dards, something that many perceive as bene-
central coordinating body existed to ensure
ficial, encouraging deployment and further
long-term coordination and planning. To
investment. Industry, on the other hand, is
provide such a framework, Congress passed
more inclined to invest in proprietary products
the High-Performance Computing and Com-
and will diverge from a common standard
munications Program Act of 1991 (P.L. 102-
when there is a potential competitive or finan-
194) to enhance the effectiveness of the vari-
cial advantage to do so.
ous programs. In conjunction with the passage
of the act, the White House Office of Science
Finally, proponents of government sup-
and Technology Policy (OSTP) released
port believe that the outcomes achieved
Grand Challenges: High-Performance Com-
through the various funding programs create a
puting and Communications. That document
synergistic environment in which both funda-
outlined a research and development (R&D)
mental and application-driven research are
strategy for high-performance computing and
conducted, benefitting government, industry,
a framework for a multiagency program, the
academia, and the public. Supporters also
High-Performance Computing and Communi-
believe that such outcomes justify govern-
cations (HPCC) Program.
ment’s role in funding IT R&D, as well as the
growing budget for the NITRD Program.
The HPCC Program has evolved over
time and is now called the Networking and
Critics assert that the government,
Information Technology Research and Devel-
through its funding mechanisms, may be
opment (NITRD) Program, to better reflect its
picking “winners and losers” in technological
expanded mission. The NITRD Program is
development, a role more properly residing
composed of 12 agencies; its members work
with the private sector. For example, the size
in collaboration to increase the overall effec-
of the NITRD Program may encourage indus-
tiveness and productivity of federal informa-
try to follow the government’s lead on re-
tion technology (IT) R&D. A National Coor-
search directions rather than selecting those
dinating Office coordinates the activities of
directions itself.
the NITRD Program and reports to OSTP and
the National Science and Technology Council.
The FY2007 budget calls for $3.074
billion for the NITRD Program, an increase of
Proponents assert that federal support of
$0.21 billion over the FY2006 budget estimate
IT R&D has produced positive outcomes for
of $2.855 billion.
the country and played a crucial role in sup-
porting long-term research into fundamental
In the 109th Congress, one NITRD-spe-
aspects of computing. Such fundamentals
cific bill, H.R. 28, was introduced and passed
provide broad practical benefits, but generally
in the House; the bill was received in the
take years to realize. Additionally, the unan-
Senate and referred to the Committee on
ticipated results of research are often as im-
Commerce, Science, and Transportation on
portant as the anticipated results.
April 27, 2005.
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

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MOST RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
The President’s FY2007 budget calls for $3.07 billion for the Networking and
Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program,1 a $0.21 billion
increase (approximately 8%) over the FY2006 $2.86 billion estimate.2 The Administration’s
recently announced American Competitiveness Initiative has increased the NITRD budgets
of agencies that are part of the Initiative. The Initiative calls for a doubling over 10 years of
the investment in three Federal agencies that support basic research programs in the physical
sciences and engineering: the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of
Energy’s Office of Science (DOE/SC), and the National Institute of Science and Technology
(NIST) — are NITRD Program member agencies. All three received FY2007 NITRD budget
increases that exceed the percentage increase in the overall Program budget, as follows: NSF,
12%; DOE/SC, 35%; and NIST, 10%. The aggregated NITRD budget increase for these
three agencies from 2006 estimates to 2007 request is $186 million (17% above 2006
estimates), which accounts for over 85% of the overall NITRD Program budget increase for
2007.3
In the first session of the 109th Congress, one NITRD-specific bill, H.R. 28, was
introduced and passed in the House; the bill was received in the Senate and referred to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on April 27, 2005. The House
Committee on Science held two related hearings during the first session. There has been no
activity related to the NITRD Program thus far in the second session of the 109th Congress.
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
The federal government has long played a key role in the country’s information
technology (IT) research and development (R&D) activities. The Government’s support of
IT R&D began because it had an important interest in creating computers that would be
capable of addressing the problems and issues the government needed to solve and study.
One of the first such problems was planning the trajectories of artillery and bombs; more
recently such problems include simulations of nuclear testing, cryptanalysis, and weather
modeling. That interest continues today. That complexity requires there be adequate
coordination to ensure the government’s evolving needs (e.g., homeland security) will
continue to be met in the most effective manner possible.
1 The main website of the NITRD Program is [http://www.nitrd.gov].
2 The NITRD Program is funded out of each member agency’s individual budget, rather than in a
single appropriations bill (e.g., NITRD Program activities conducted by the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA) are funded through the NASA appropriations bill).
3 The NITRD Supplement to the President’s Budget for FY2007 is available online at
[http://www.nitrd.gov/pubs/2007supplement/].
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Overview of the Federal NITRD Program
The NITRD Program is a collaborative effort in which 12 agencies coordinate and
cooperate to help increase the overall effectiveness and productivity of federal IT R&D.4 Of
those 12 members, the majority of funding, in descending order, goes to the National Science
Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science,
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and DOE National Nuclear
Security Administration. Figure 1 illustrates the organizational structure of the NITRD
Program.
Figure 1: Management Structure of the NITRD Program5
4 The members of the NITRD Program, as listed in the FY2006 Supplement to the President’s
Budget, are: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ); Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency (DARPA); Office of the Secretary of Defense, Office of the Director, Defense
Research & Engineering; Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration
(DOE/NNSA); Department of Energy, Office of Science (DOE/SC); Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); National Institutes of
Health (NIH); National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); National Security Agency (NSA); and National Science
Foundation (NSF). The history of agency participation can be found online at
[http://www.nitrd.gov/about/history/agency-participants.pdf].
5 This diagram is available on the NITRD Program website, [http://www.nitrd.gov].
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The National Coordinating Office (NCO) coordinates the activities of the NITRD
Program. On July 1, 2005, the NCO became the “National Coordination Office for
Networking and Information Technology Research and Development.” The Director of the
NCO reports to the Director of OSTP. The NCO supports the Subcommittee on NITRD
(also called the NITRD Subcommittee)6 and the President’s Information Technology
Advisory Committee (PITAC)7:
! The NITRD Subcommittee provides policy, program, and budget planning
for the NITRD Program and is composed of representatives from each of the
participating agencies, OSTP, Office of Management and Budget, and the
NCO. Two Interagency Working Groups and five Coordination Groups
reporting to the NITRD Subcommittee focus their work in eight Program
Component Areas (PCAs).8
! The PITAC is composed of representatives of private industry and academia
who are appointed by the President. The group provides expert independent
advice to the President on the federal role in maintaining U.S. preeminence
in advanced IT and works with the NITRD Program agencies and the
NITRD Subcommittee.
6 The NITRD Subcommittee was previously called the Interagency Working Group for IT R&D
(IWG/IT R&D).
7 The PITAC was established on February 11, 1997, to provide the President, OSTP, and the federal
agencies involved in IT R&D with guidance and advice on all areas of high performance computing,
communications, and information technologies. Representing the research, education, and library
communities and including network providers and representatives from critical industries, the
committee advises the Administration’s effort to accelerate development and adoption of information
technologies. Additional information about the PITAC is available online at
[http://www.nitrd.gov/pitac]. The most recent PITAC Executive Order expired on June 1, 2005.
8 The eight PCAs are: (1) High-End Computing Infrastructure and Applications (HEC I&A) — to
extend the state of the art in high-end computing systems, applications, and infrastructure; (2) High-
End Computing R&D (HEC R&D) — to optimize the performance of today’s high-end computing
systems and develop future generations of high-end computing systems; (3) Cyber Security and
Information Assurance — to perform fundamental and applied R&D to improve the security and
assurance of information systems; (4) Human Computer Interaction and Information Management
(HCI&IM) — to develop new user interaction technologies, cognitive systems, information systems,
and robotics that benefit humans; (5) Large Scale Networking (LSN) — to develop leading-edge
network technologies, services, and techniques to enhance performance, security, and scalability;
(6) Software Design and Productivity (SDP) — to advance concepts, methods, techniques, and tools
that improve software design, development, and maintenance to produce more usable, dependable
and cost-effective software-based systems; (7) High Confidence Software and Systems (HCSS) —
to develop the scientific foundations and IT to achieve affordable and predictable high levels of
safety, security, reliability, and survivability, especially in U.S. national security and safety-critical
systems; and (8) Social, Economic, and Workforce Implications of IT and IT Workforce Development
(SEW) — to study the impact of IT on people and social and economic systems; develop the IT
workforce; and develop innovative IT applications in education and training. Additional information
about the program component areas is available online at [http://www.nitrd.gov/iwg/index.html].
HEC R&D and HEC I&A are both covered by the HEC Interagency Working Group. A diagram
illustrating the evolution of the PCAs, 1992-present, is available online at
[http://www.nitrd.gov/about/history/new-pca-names.pdf].
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! The NITRD Program is funded out of each member agency’s individual
budget, rather than in a single appropriations bill (e.g., NITRD Program
activities conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are funded
through the NIH appropriations bill). The program’s NCO is not explicitly
funded; rather, the NITRD member agencies contribute toward NCO
operations.
The NITRD Program has undergone a series of structural changes since its inception
in 1991 and both it and the NCO have had a number of different names over the years. When
the Program was created in December 1991, it was named the High Performance Computing
and Communications (HPCC) Program, and when the NCO was created in September 1992,
it was named the NCO for HPCC. The name was changed to the National Coordination
Office for Computing, Information, and Communications per the FY1997 Supplement to the
President’s Budget (also known at that time as the “Blue Book”). The name was changed to
the National Coordination Office for Information Technology Research and Development
per the FY2001 Blue Book (that change was effective October 2000). Most recently, on July
1, 2005, the name was changed to the current name, the National Coordination Office for
Networking and Information Technology Research and Development. These changes were
made to reflect the evolution of the program as it came to encompass a broader range of
related topics. The chronology of funding since the NITRD Program was created as the
HPCC Program in 1991 is detailed in Figure 2.
Figure 2. History of NITRD Program Funding9
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Enabling/Governing Legislation
The NITRD Program is governed by two laws. The first, the High-Performance
Computing Act of 1991, P.L. 102-194,9 expanded federal support for high-performance
computing R&D and called for increased interagency planning and coordination. The
second, the Next Generation Internet Research Act of 1998, P.L. 105-305,10 amended the
original law to expand the mission of the NITRD Program to cover Internet-related research,
among other goals.
High-Performance Computing Act of 1991. This law was the original enabling
legislation for what is now the NITRD Program. Among other requirements, it called for:
! Setting goals and priorities for federal high-performance computing
research, development, and networking
! Technical support and research and development of software and hardware
needed to address fundamental problems in science and engineering
! Educating undergraduate and graduate students
! Fostering and maintaining competition and private sector investment in
high-speed data networking within the telecommunications industry
! Promoting the development of commercial data communications and
telecommunications standards
! Providing security, including protecting intellectual property rights
! Developing accounting mechanisms allowing users to be charged for the use
of copyrighted materials.
This law also requires an annual report to Congress on grants and cooperative R&D
agreements and procurements involving foreign entities.11
Next Generation Internet Research Act of 1998. This law amended the High-
Performance Computing Act of 1991. The act had two overarching purposes. The first was
to authorize research programs related to high-end computing and computation, human-
centered systems, high confidence systems, and education, training, and human resources.
The second was to provide for the development and coordination of a comprehensive and
integrated U.S. research program to focus on (1) computer network infrastructure that would
promote interoperability among advanced federal computer networks, (2) economic high-
speed data access that does not impose a “geographic penalty”, and (3) flexible and
extensible networking technology.
9 High Performance Computing Act of 1991, P.L. 102-194, 15 U.S.C. 5501, 105 Stat. 1595,
December 9, 1991. The full text of this law is available online at
[http://www.nitrd.gov/congressional /laws/pl_102-194.html].
10 Next Generation Internet Research Act of 1998, P.L. 105-305, 15 U.S.C. 5501, 112 Stat. 2919,
October 28, 1998. The full text of this law is available online at
[http://www.nitrd.gov/ congressional/laws/pl_h_105-305.html].
11 The first report mandated information on the “Supercomputer Agreement” between the United
States and Japan be included in this report. A separate one-time only report was required on network
funding, including user fees, industry support, and federal investment.
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Context of Federal Technology Funding
In the early 1990s, Congress recognized that several federal agencies had ongoing high-
performance computing programs,12 but no central coordinating body existed to ensure long-
term coordination and planning. To provide such a framework, Congress passed the High-
Performance Computing Program Act of 1991 to improve the interagency coordination,
cooperation, and planning of agencies with high performance computing programs
In conjunction with the passage of the act, OSTP released, “Grand Challenges: High-
Performance Computing and Communications.” That document outlined an R&D strategy
for high-performance computing and communications and a framework for a multi-agency
program, the HPCC Program.
The NITRD Program is part of the larger federal effort to promote fundamental and
applied IT R&D. The government sponsors such research through a number of channels,
including:
! Federally-funded research and development laboratories, such as Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory
! Single-agency programs
! Multi-agency programs, including the NITRD Program, but also programs
focusing on nanotechnology R&D and combating terrorism
! Funding grants to academic institutions
! Funding grants to industry.
In general, supporters contend that federal funding of IT R&D has produced positive
results. In 2003, the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) of the
National Research Council (NRC) released a “synthesis report” based on eight previously
released reports that examined “how innovation occurs in IT, what the most promising
research directions are, and what impacts such innovation might have on society.”13 One of
the most significant of the CSTB’s observations was that the unanticipated results of research
are often as important as the anticipated results. For example, electronic mail and instant
messaging were by-products of [government-funded] research in the 1960s that was aimed
at making it possible to share expensive computing resources among multiple simultaneous
interactive users.
12 “High-performance” computing is a term that encompasses both “supercomputing” and “grid
computing.” In general, high-performance computers are defined as stand-alone or networked
computers that can perform “very complex computations very quickly.” Supercomputing involves
a single, stand-alone computer located in a single location. Grid computing involves a group of
computers, in either the same location or spread over a number of locations, that are networked
together (e.g., via the Internet or a local network). House of Representatives, Committee on Science,
Supercomputing: Is the United States on the Right Path (Hearing Transcript),
[http://commdocs.house.gov/committees/science/hsy88231.000/hsy88231_0f.htm], 2003, p. 5-6.
13 National Research Council, Innovation in Information Technology, 2003, p. 1. This report
discusses all federal funding for R&D, not only the NITRD Program.
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Additionally, the report noted that federally funded programs have played a crucial role
in supporting long-term research into fundamental aspects of computing. Such
“fundamentals” provide broad practical benefits, but generally take years to realize.
Furthermore, supporters state that the nature and underlying importance of fundamental
research makes it less likely that industry would invest in and conduct more fundamental
research on its own. As noted by the CSTB, “companies have little incentive to invest
significantly in activities whose benefits will spread quickly to their rivals.”14 Further, in the
Board’s opinion:
government sponsorship of research, especially in universities, helps develop the IT talent
used by industry, universities, and other parts of the economy. When companies create
products using the ideas and workforce that result from federally-sponsored research,
they repay the nation in jobs, tax revenues, productivity increases, and world leadership.15
Another aspect of government-funded IT R&D is that it often leads to open standards,
something that many perceive as beneficial, encouraging deployment and further investment.
Industry, on the other hand, is more likely to invest in proprietary products and will diverge
from a common standard if it is sees a potential competitive or financial advantage; this has
happened, for example with standards for instant messaging.16
Finally, proponents of government R&D support believe that the outcomes achieved
through the various funding programs create a synergistic environment in which both
fundamental and application-driven research are conducted, benefitting government,
industry, academia, and the public. Supporters also believe that such outcomes justify
government’s role in funding IT R&D, as well as the growing budget for the NITRD
Program.
Critics assert that the government, through its funding mechanisms, may be setting itself
up to pick “winners and losers” in technological development, a role more properly residing
with the private sector.17 For example, the size of the NITRD Program may encourage
industry to follow the government’s lead on research directions rather than selecting those
directions itself.
Overall, CSTB states that, government funding appears to have allowed research on a
larger scale and with greater diversity, vision, and flexibility than would have been possible
without government involvement.18
14 Ibid, p. 4.
15 Ibid, p. 4.
16 Ibid, p. 18.
17 Cato Institute, Encouraging Research: Taking Politics Out of R&D, September 13, 1999,
[http://www.cato.org/pubs/wtpapers/990913catord.html].
18 National Research Council, Innovation in Information Technology, 2003, p. 22.
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Recent NCO, PITAC, and Related Activities
As explained earlier, the NCO provides technical and administrative support to the
NITRD Program, the NITRD Subcommittee, and the PITAC. This includes supporting
meetings and workshops and preparing reports. The NCO interacts with OSTP and OMB
on NITRD Program and PITAC matters.
Federal Plan for Cyber Security and Information Assurance Research and
Development. In April 2006, the NITRD Subcommittee released its “Federal Plan for
Cyber Security and Information Assurance Research and Development.”19 This report sets
out a framework for multi-agency coordination of federal R&D investments in technologies
that can better secure the interconnected computing systems, networks, and information that
together make up the U.S. IT infrastructure. The plan outlines strategic objectives for
coordinated federal R&D in cyber security and information assurance (CSIA) and presents
a broad range of CSIA R&D technical topics, identifying those topics that are multi-agency
technical and funding priorities. The plan’s findings and recommendations address R&D
priority setting, coordination, fundamental R&D, emerging technologies, roadmapping, and
metrics.
NSA Superconducting Technology Assessment. In August 2005, NSA
released its “Superconducting Technology Assessment”20 as part of its participation in the
High-End Computing PCA of the NITRD Program. NSA had been concerned about
projected limitations of conventional technology and wanted to explore possible alternatives
to meet its future mission-critical computational needs. This report presented the results of
the technology assessment, which found that
! government investment is necessary, because private industry currently has
no compelling financial reason to develop alternative technologies for
mainstream commercial applications.
! with aggressive federal investment (estimated between $372 and $437
million over five years), by 2010 next generation technologies would be
sufficiently mature to allow the initiation of the design and construction of
an operational petaflops-scale system.
! although significant risks exist, the panel has developed a roadmap that
identifies the needed technology developments with milestones and
demonstration vehicles.
Computational Science: Ensuring America’s Competitiveness . In June
2005, the PITAC released “Computational Science: Ensuring America’s Competitiveness.”21
The report identified obstacles to progress in this field, including “rigid disciplinary silos in
academia that are mirrored in Federal research and development agency organizational
structures.” According to the report, these “silos stifle the development of multi-disciplinary
19 This report is available online at [http://www.nitrd.gov/pubs/csia/csia_federal_plan.pdf].
20 This report is available online at [http://www.nitrd.gov/pubs/nsa/sta.pdf].
21 This report is available online at [http://www.nitrd.gov/pitac/reports/20050609_computational/
computational.pdf].
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research and educational approaches essential to computational science.” The report
recommends that
! both academia and government fundamentally change their organizational
structures so that they promote and reward collaborative research.
! the NSTC commission the National Academies to convene one or more task
forces to develop and maintain a multi-decade roadmap for computational
science, with a goal of assuring continuing U.S. leadership in science,
engineering, and the humanities.
! the Federal government establish national software sustainability centers to
harden, document, support, and maintain long-term vital computational
science software.
! the Federal government provide long-term support for computational
science community data repositories. These should include defined
frameworks, metadata structures, algorithms, data sets, applications, and
review and validation infrastructure. It should also require funded
researchers to deposit their data and research software in these repositories
or with other approved access providers.
! the Federal government provide long-term funding for national high-end
computing centers at levels sufficient to ensure the regularly scheduled
deployment and operation of the fastest and most capable high-end
computing systems that address the most demanding computational
problems.
! the Federal government implement coordinated, long-term computational
science programs that include funding for interconnecting the software
sustainability centers, national data and software repositories, and national
high-end leadership centers with the researchers who use those resources.
! the Federal government should rebalance its R&D investments to: (a) create
a new generation of well-engineered, scalable, easy-to-use software suitable
for computational science that can reduce the complexity and time to
solution for today’s challenging scientific applications and can create
accurate simulations that answer new questions; (b) design, prototype, and
evaluate new hardware architectures that can deliver larger fractions of peak
hardware performance on scientific applications; and (c) focus on sensor-
and data-intensive computational science applications in light of the
explosive growth of data.
Cyber Security: A Crisis of Prioritization. In February 2005, the PITAC released
“Cyber Security: A Crisis of Prioritization.”22 That report outlined four key findings and
22 This report is available online at [http://www.nitrd.gov/pitac/reports/20050301_cybersecurity/
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recommendations on how the Federal government could “foster new architectures and
technologies to secure the Nation’s IT infrastructure.” Specifically, the PITAC urged the
government to
! significantly increase support for fundamental research in civilian cyber
security in 10 priority areas
! intensify Federal efforts to promote the recruitment and retention of cyber
security researchers and students at research universities
! increase support for the rapid transfer of federally-developed cybersecurity
technologies to the private sector
! strengthen the coordination of Federal cybersecurity R&D activities.
Also in February 2005, the NCO released the FY2006 Supplement to the President’s
Budget.23 The supplement provides a brief technical outline of the FY2006 budget request
for the NITRD Program. The FY2007 Supplement has not yet been released.
Issues for Congress
Federal IT R&D is a multi-dimensional issue, involving many government agencies
working together towards shared and complementary goals. Most observers believe that
success in this arena requires ongoing coordination among government, academia, and
industry.
Through recent hearings, the House Committee on Science has been investigating issues
related to U.S. competitiveness in high-performance computing and the direction the IT R&D
community has been taking. Those issues and others remain salient and may merit further
investigation if the United States is to implement a comprehensive IT R&D policy. Included
among the possible issues Congress may wish to pursue are: the United States’ status as the
global leader in high-performance computing research; the apparent bifurcation of the federal
IT R&D research agenda between grid computing and supercomputing capabilities; the
possible over-reliance on commercially available hardware to satisfy U.S. research needs;
and the potential impact of deficit cutting on IT R&D funding.
Many Members of Congress as well as those in the research community have expressed
concern over whether the United States is maintaining its position as the global leader in
high-performance computing R&D. That concern was highlighted in 2003 when Japan
briefly surpassed the United States in possessing the fastest and most efficient supercomputer
in the world.24 While this was a reason for some concern, it was also viewed by some as an
22 (...continued)
cybersecurity.pdf].
23 This report is available online at [http://www.nitrd.gov/pubs/2006supplement].
24 House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Supercomputing: Is the United States on the
(continued...)
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indicator of how the United States’ research agenda had become bifurcated, with some in the
R&D community focusing on traditional supercomputing capabilities and others focusing
more on cluster computing or grid computing. Each type of computing has its advantages,
based on its application. Stand-alone supercomputers are often faster and are generally used
to work on a specific problem. For example, cryptanalysis and climate modeling
applications require significant computing power and are best accomplished using
specialized, stand-alone computers. Cluster computing, however, allows the use of
commercially available hardware, which helps contain costs. The cluster configuration is
useful for applications in which a problem can be broken into smaller independent
components.25 Therefore, one possible course for Congress could be to monitor closely the
work that was begun by the High-End Computing Revitalization Task Force and is now
being performed by the NITRD Program’s High-End Computing Interagency Working Group
and provide ongoing feedback and guidance.
Without a clear plan as to how to proceed, pursuing two disparate research agendas
(with goals that could be viewed as being at odds with each other) could split the research
community even further, damaging its ability to provide leadership in either area. The
NITRD Program already is working on a “roadmap” for future directions in supercomputing;
therefore, one possible course for Congress at this time would be to monitor closely the work
of the High-End Computing Revitalization Task Force and provide input or a more visible
forum for discussion (i.e., additional hearings involving task force participants). Congress
may wish to conduct its own inquiry into the debate over grid versus stand-alone computing.
For example, at the July 2003 hearing, one of the overarching questions the panelists were
asked to address was whether federal agencies were pursuing conflicting R&D goals and, if
so, what should and could be done to ensure they moved toward a more coordinated, unified
goal.
Another issue is whether the United States is relying too heavily on commercially
available hardware to satisfy its R&D needs. While use of computers designed for mass-
market commercial applications can certainly be a part of a successful high-end computing
R&D plan, Congress may wish to monitor how this reliance may be driving the new
emphasis on grid computing.
As noted earlier, critics of IT R&D funding often state that industry should conduct
more fundamental R&D on their own, without government backing, and that fiscal restraint
dictates that less funding should be made available. Conversely, supporters of government
funding would point out that IT R&D has a very long cycle from inception to application and
that any reductions in funding now could have a significant negative impact for many years
to come in terms of innovation and training of researchers. Therefore, Congress may monitor
and assess the potential impact of deficit-cutting plans on progress in IT R&D.
24 (...continued)
Right Path? (Hearing Transcript), [http://commdocs.house.gov/committees/science/
hsy88231.000/hsy88231_0f.htm], 2003, p. 13.
25 Ibid, p. 6-7.
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Activity in the 109th Congress
To date, the 109th Congress has introduced one bill and held two hearings related to the
NITRD Program.
Major Legislation. Representative Judy Biggert introduced H.R. 28, the High-
Performance Computing Revitalization Act on January 4, 2005. The bill would amend the
High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 and further delineate the responsibilities of the
NITRD Program, including setting the goals and priorities for federal high-performance
computing research, development, networking, and other activities and providing more
specific definitions for the responsibilities of the PCAs. The bill was referred to the House
Committee on Science, which approved the bill on March 17, 2005.26 The committee also
approved, by voice vote, an amendment that stated that the results and benefits of federal
supercomputing research should be shared with the private sector. The committee rejected,
by a vote of 17-19, an amendment offered by Representative Brad Sherman that would have
directed the National Science Foundation to investigate the societal, ethical, legal, and
economic implications of computers that one day might be capable of mimicking human
abilities to learn, reason, and make decisions. H.R. 28 was agreed to by voice vote in the
House on April 26, 2005, and received in the Senate and where it was read twice and referred
to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, on April 27, 2005.
Hearings. On February 16, 2005, the House Committee on Science held a hearing to
discuss the Federal R&D Budget for FY2006.27 This hearing covered the entire R&D budget
and included an overview of NITRD activities by Dr. John Marburger, the Director of OSTP.
On May 12, 2005, the House Committee on Science held a hearing entitled, “The Future
of Computer Science Research in the U.S.”28 That hearing focused on three primary areas
of investigation:
! What effects are shifts in federal support for computer science (e.g., shifts
in the balance between short- and long-term research, shifts in the roles of
different agencies) having on academic and industrial computer science
research and development? What impacts will these changes have on the
future of the U.S. information technology industry and on innovation in this
field?
! Are the federal government’s current priorities related to computer science
research appropriate? If not, how should they be changed?
! What should the federal government be doing to implement the
recommendations of the recent PITAC report on cybersecurity?
26 See H.Rept. 109-36.
27 The charter and submitted testimony for this hearing is available online at
[http://www.house.gov/science/hearings/full05/index.htm].
28 The charter and submitted testimony for this hearing is available online at
[http://www.house.gov/science/press/109/109-71.htm].
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At this hearing, the committee heard testimony from Dr. Marburger, OSTP; Dr.
Anthony J. Tether; DARPA; Dr. William A. Wulf, National Academy of Engineering; and
Dr. Tom Leighton, Akamai Technologies and member of the PITAC. Testimony from Drs.
Marburger and Tether stressed the growing budget of computer research and their belief that
the overall health of the U.S. science and technology research community remains strong.
However, Dr. Wulf and Leighton, representing the research community, stated that they
believed government needed to provide even more funding, as industry was not willing to
fund the levels of fundamental research they believed necessary to sustain the United States’
research needs.
Relevant Laws
P.L. 102-194, the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991, expanded federal support
for research, development, and application of high-performance computing; and called for
improving the interagency planning and coordination of federal research and development
on high-performance computing and maximizing the effectiveness of the federal
government’s high-performance computing efforts.
P.L. 105-305, the Next Generation Internet Research Act of 1998, amended the High-
Performance Computing Act of 1991 to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 1999 and
2000 for the Next Generation Internet program; and required the President’s Information
Technology Advisory Committee to monitor and give advice concerning the development
and implementation of the Next Generation Internet program and report to the President and
the Congress on its activities.
P.L. 108-423, the Department of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act,
requires the Secretary of Energy to develop and deploy high-end computing systems for
advanced scientific and engineering applications. Among other specific requirements, the law
requires that the Department of Energy’s high-end computing program support individual
investigators and multi-disciplinary teams of investigators; conduct research on multiple
computing architectures; conduct research on algorithms, programming environments, tools,
languages, and operating systems; support technology transfer to the private sector; and
coordinate with industry and other Federal agencies. Further, it requires the Secretary to
establish and operate Leadership Systems facilities that would provide the U.S. research
community with sustained access to high-performance computing resources and to establish
at least one High-End Software Development Center to concentrate efforts to develop, test,
maintain, and support optimized software tools for HEC.
LEGISLATION
H.R. 28 (Biggert)
High-Performance Computing Revitalization Act. The bill would amend the High-
Performance Computing Act of 1991 and further delineate the responsibilities of the NITRD
Program, including setting the goals and priorities for federal high-performance computing
research, development, networking, and other activities and providing more specific
definitions for the responsibilities of the PCAs. The bill was referred to the House
Committee on Science on January 4, 2005; it was approved on March 17, 2005. The
committee also approved, by voice vote, an amendment that stated that the results and
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benefits of federal supercomputing research should be shared with the private sector. The
committee rejected, by a vote of 17-19, an amendment offered by Representative Brad
Sherman that would have directed the National Science Foundation to investigate the
societal, ethical, legal, and economic implications of computers that one day might be
capable of mimicking human abilities to learn, reason, and make decisions. H.R. 28 was
agreed to by voice vote in the House on April 26, 2005, and received in the Senate and where
it was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
on April 27, 2005.29
FOR ADDITIONAL READING
CRS Reports
CRS Report RL32799, Federal Research and Development Funding: FY2006, by Michael
E. Davey.
CRS Issue Brief IB10088, Federal Research and Development: Budgeting and Priority-
Setting Issues, 108th Congress, by Genevieve J. Knezo.
CRS Report RL31175, High Performance Computers and Export Control Policy: Issues for
Congress, by Glenn J. McLoughlin and Ian F. Fergusson.
Websites
The National Coordination Office for Networking and Information Technology Research and
Development, [http://www.nitrd.gov/].
T h e P r e s i d e n t ’ s I n f o r m a t i o n T e c h n o l o g y A d v i s o r y C o m m i t t e e ,
[http://www.nitrd.gov/pitac/index.html].
The Subcommittee on Networking Information Technology Research and Development and
i t s I n t e r a g e n c y W o r k i n g G r o u p s a n d C o o r d i n a t i n g G r o u p s ,
[http://www.nitrd.gov/iwg/index.html].
Reports and Documents
“Federal Plan for Cyber Security and Information Assurance Research and Development,”
S u b c o m m i t t e e o n N I T R D , A p r i l 2 0 0 6 , a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e a t
[http://www.nitrd.gov/pubs/csia/csia_federal_plan.pdf].
“Networking and Information Technology Research and Development: FY2007 Supplement
to the President’s Budget,” Subcommittee on Networking and Information Technology
Research and Development, National Science and Technology Council, February 2006,
available online at [http://www.nitrd.gov/pubs/2007supplement/]
29 See H. Rep. 109-36.
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“Superconducting Technology Assessment,” National Security Agency, August 2005,
available online at [http://www.nitrd.gov/pubs/nsa/sta.pdf].
“Computational Science: Ensuring America’s Competitiveness,” President’s Information
Technology Advisory Committee, June 2005, available online at [http://www.nitrd.gov/
pitac/reports/20050609_computational/computational.pdf].
“Networking and Information Technology Research and Development: FY2006 Supplement
to the President’s Budget,” Subcommittee on Networking and Information Technology
Research and Development, National Science and Technology Council, February 2005,
available online at [http://www.nitrd.gov/pubs/2006supplement/].
“Cyber Security: A Crisis of Prioritization,” President’s Information Technology Advisory
Committee, February 2005, available online at [http://www.nitrd.gov/pitac/reports/
20050301_cybersecurity/cybersecurity.pdf].
“Networking and Information Technology Research and Development: FY2006 Supplement
to the President’s Budget,” Subcommittee on Networking and Information Technology
Research and Development, National Science and Technology Council, December 2004,
available online at [http://www.nitrd.gov/pubs/bluebooks/2005/index.html].
“Revolutionizing Health Care Through Information Technology,” President’s Information
Technol ogy Advi s o ry C ommittee, J uly 2004, avail abl e onl i ne at
[http://www.nitrd.gov/pitac/reports/20040721_hit_report.pdf].
“Federal Plan for High-End Computing,” Office of Science and Technology Policy,
Executive Office of the President, May 2004, available online at
[http://www.nitrd.gov/pubs/2004_hecrtf/20040702_hecrtf.pdf].
“The Technology Industry at an Innovation Crossroads,” Electronic Industries Association,
May 2004, [http://www.eia.org/docs/innovation_playbook.pdf].
“Workshop on the Roadmap for the Revitalization of High-End Computing,” Computing
R e s e a r c h A s s o c i a t e s , 2 0 0 4 , [ h t t p : / / w w w . n i t r d . g o v / h e c r t f - o u t r e a c h /
20040112_cra_hecrtf_report.pdf].
“Federal Plan for High-End Computing,” High-End Computing Revitalization Task Force,
2004, [http://www.nitrd.gov/pubs/2004_hecrtf/20040702_hecrtf.pdf].
“Getting Up to Speed: The Future of Supercomputing,” National Research Council,
C o m p u t e r S c i e n c e a n d T e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s B o a r d , 2 0 0 3 ,
[http://www7.nationalacademies.org/cstb/pub_supercomp.html].
“Innovation in Information Technology,” National Research Council, Computer Science and
Telecommunications Board, 2003, [http://www7.nationalacademies.org/
cstb/pub_itinnovation.html].
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“Future of Supercomputing: An Interim Report,” National Research Council, Computer
Science and Telecommunications Board, 2003, [htp:/www7.nationalacademies.org/cstb/pub_supercomp_int.html].
“Human Computer Interaction and Information Management Research Needs,” HCI&IM
Coordinating Group of the Interagency Working Group on Information Research and
Development, 2003 [http://www.nitrd.gov/pubs/hci-im_research_needs_final.pdf].
“Grand Challenges: Science, Engineering, and Societal Advances Requiring Networking and
Information Technology Research and Development,” NITRD Program National
Coordinating Office, 2003, [http://www.nitrd.gov/pubs/200311_grand_challenges.pdf].
“Supercomputing: Is the United States on the Right Path?,” House of Representatives,
Committee on Science (Hearing Transcript), 2003 [http://commdocs.house.gov
/committees/science/ hsy88231.000/hsy88231_0f.htm].
“Funding a Revolution: Government Support for Computing Research,” National Research
Council, Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, 1999,
[http://www7.nationalacademies.org/cstb/pub_revolution.html].
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