NPI Supports CHIPS-Plus Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 26, 2022) – The National Photonics Initiative, a broad-based collaborative alliance among industry, academia, and government to raise awareness of optics, photonics and quantum science and technology, offered strong support for the bipartisan CHIPS-Plus legislation moving through the U.S. Congress this week. In addition to critical funding and support for the semiconductor industry, the CHIPS-Plus package includes key provisions related to the science community including provisions supporting scientific research and development within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

“This is a strongly pro-science bill,” NPI Steering Committee Chairman Ed White said. “It’s gratifying to see the Congress come together in a bipartisan, bicameral way to provide the scientific community with additional resources and support. In today’s global economy, it is critical that our scientific community, particularly the optics and photonics communities, be able grow and invest in new technologies and applications. The CHIPS-Plus package demonstrates a clear commitment to expanding the impact of U.S.-based scientific research and development and growing a workforce to support these important efforts.”

The CHIPS-Plus legislation directs the Department of Commerce to establish 20 geographically distributed “regional technology hubs” that will focus on technology development, job creation, and expanding U.S. innovation capacity. The legislation also includes authorization for the establishment of a high-intensity laser research initiative to advance laser technologies relevant to future facility needs in discovery science and to support a user network of academic and national laboratory high-intensity laser facilities. In addition, the legislation authorizes funding for STEM education including scholarships, fellowships, and traineeships to create workers in critical fields related to microelectronics and other critical science-related fields.

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About the NPI: The National Photonics Initiative (NPI) is a collaborative alliance among industry, academia and government to raise awareness of photonics and the impact of photonics on our everyday lives; increase cooperation and coordination among US industry, government and academia to advance photonics-driven fields; and drive US funding and investment in areas of photonics critical to maintaining US economic competitiveness and national security. The initiative is being led by top scientific societies including the American Physical Society (APS), the IEEE Photonics Society, the Laser Institute of America (LIA), The Optical Society (OSA) and SPIE, the International Society for Optics and Photonics. For more information visit www.lightourfuture.org.