We are pleased to be here today to discuss the Advanced Technology Program (ATP), which is administered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) within the Department of Commerce. ATP is a competitive, cost-sharing program designed for the federal government to work in partnership with industry to foster the development and broad dissemination of challenging, high-risk technologies that offer the potential for significant, broad-based economic benefits for the nation. On September 29, 1997, NIST provided the Committee with a list of projects that had been selected to receive awards under the fiscal year 1997 ATF competitions. In a cover sheet attached to this list, NIST stated that ATP rejected project proposals when it concluded that (1) the applicants could probably find funding elsewhere or (2) a delay in project progress would not be a serious national economic concern. In our report released today, we identified the information that ATP used to make these determinations.