§ 5201. — Findings and purposes.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 15USC5201]
TITLE 15--COMMERCE AND TRADE
CHAPTER 78--SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND COMPETITIVENESS
Sec. 5201. Findings and purposes
(a) Findings
The Congress finds that--
(1) recent discoveries of high-temperature superconducting
materials could result in significant new applications of these
materials in such areas as microelectronics, computers, power
systems, transportation, medical imaging, and nuclear fusion, yet
most potential applications may well lie beyond our ability to
predict them;
(2) full application of the new superconductors is expected to
require 10 to 20 years, thus calling for long-term commitments by
the public and private sector to appropriate research and
development programs;
(3) the Nation's economic competitiveness and strategic well-
being depend greatly on the development and application of critical
advanced technologies such as those anticipated to evolve from the
new superconducting materials;
(4) the United States manufacturing industries confront strong
competition in both domestic and world markets as other countries
are increasingly taking advantage of modern technology and
production techniques and innovative management focused on quality;
(5) whereas we have as a Nation been highly successful in the
conduct of basic research in a variety of scientific areas,
including superconductivity, other nations have been highly
successful in the commercial and military application of the results
of such fundamental research;
(6) if the United States is to begin its competitive advantage,
it must commit sufficient long-term resources to solving processing
and manufacturing problems in parallel with basic research and
development;
(7) Federal agencies have responded aggressively to this
exciting challenge by reprogramming funds to basic superconductivity
research while informally coordinating their efforts to avoid
unnecessary duplication; and further commitment of Federal funding
and efforts directed to developing manufacturing, materials
processing, and fabrication technologies is essential so that these
activities may be conducted in parallel;
(8) successful development and application of the new
superconducting materials will require close collaboration between
the Federal Government and the industrial and academic components of
the private sector, as well as coordinating among the Federal
departments and agencies involved in research and development on
superconductors;
(9) a committed Federal program effort with appropriate long-
term goals, priorities, and adequate resources is necessary for the
rapid development and application of the new superconducting
materials; and
(10) a national program should serve as a test of new agency
authorities directed at technological competitiveness such as those
provided to the Department of Energy.
(b) Purposes
The purposes of this chapter are--
(1) to establish a 5-year national action plan to research and
develop new high-temperature superconducting materials with
appropriate goals and priorities; \1\
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\1\ So in original. Probably should be followed by ``and''.
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(2) to designate the appropriate roles, mechanisms, and
responsibilities of various Federal departments and agencies in
implementing such a national research and development action plan.
(Pub. L. 100-697, Sec. 2, Nov. 19, 1988, 102 Stat. 4613.)
Short Title
Section 1 of Pub. L. 100-697 provided that: ``This Act [enacting
this chapter] may be cited as the `National Superconductivity and
Competitiveness Act of 1988'.''
