NPI Supports Bipartisan Industries of the Future Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 17, 2020)– The National Photonics Initiative (NPI), a broad-based collaborative alliance among industry, academia, and government to raise awareness of optics, photonics and quantum science and technology, applauds the introduction of the bipartisan Industries of the Future Act in the U.S. Senate. The legislation was introduced by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), along with Sens. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), chair and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Science, Oceans, Fisheries, and Weather, and Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.). The legislation prioritizes funding and planning for advanced technologies like quantum for the coming decade.

“The Industries of the Future Act is an exciting commitment from key members of Congress to keep our country at the forefront of global technology development,” said Ed White, Chair of the NPI Steering Committee and Vice President Test, Assembly and Packaging for AIM Photonics. “We thank Senators Wicker, Gardner, Baldwin and Peters for introducing this legislation and look forward to working with them on it. We are particularly enthused by the emphasis on workforce development. Developing tomorrow’s skilled technical workforce is crucial to U.S. competitiveness in these industries. Commitments like these will benefit our economy, our workforce, our national defense, and keep us at the forefront of global innovation.”

According to Senator Wicker’s office, the legislation would require the executive branch to develop a report on the research and development programs of the federal government that focus on the Industries of the Future including artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, quantum information science, synthetic biology, and next generation wireless networks and infrastructure. Click here to learn more.

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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.