National Photonics Initiative Commends Senate Commerce Committee for passage of the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act

Bill includes a provision that calls for increased collaboration in optics and photonics
 
Washington, DC – December 5, 2016 – The National Photonics Initiative, an alliance of top scientific societies uniting industry and academia to raise awareness of photonics, today applauded the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee for passing S. 3084, the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act – a bill to invest in innovation and improve United States competitiveness through research and development. The bill includes a provision that calls on federal science agencies, industry, and academia to seek partnerships to advance optics and photonics technologies and capabilities.
 
“On behalf of the NPI, I thank Chairman Thune (R-SD) and Ranking Member Nelson (D-FL), as well as the bill’s other co-sponsors, Sens. Gardner (R-CO) and Peters (D-MI), for their work on this bipartisan legislation which celebrates and supports our nation’s commitment to competitiveness in the 21^st century,” said Alan Willner, chairman of the National Photonics Initiative Steering Committee. “Our community is thrilled to see the Committee recognize the important role of optics and photonics in US commercialization, innovation and technology transfer. We strongly encourage the full Senate to approve this vital legislation when it reaches the floor later this month.”
  
US industry, academia and government recognize the fundamental role that optics and photonics — the science and application of light — plays in national security, economic competitiveness, and personal and environmental health. Future defense and commercial opportunities arising from the development of photonics technologies include the growth of the Internet, next generation high performance computing, nuclear threat identification, cancer detection and breakthroughs in neuroscience, offering the potential for even greater societal impact within the next few decades. The bill seeks to encourage partnerships between academia and industry to promote improvement in the education of optics and photonics technicians at the secondary school level, undergraduate, and two-year college.
A floor vote on the bill has yet to be scheduled.
 

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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.