Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Advanced Technology Program (ATP), focusing on: (1) its short-term results; and (2) NIST future plans for evaluating ATP.

GAO found that as a result of ATP: (1) total U.S. research on advanced technologies for printed wiring boards has quadrupled; (2) participants have pursued research that they otherwise could not have pursued and have forged new relationships with companies, government, and academic laboratories; and (3) the number of joint research and development ventures in private industry has increased. GAO also found that: (1) the short-term results that NIST identified have limitations and some are overstated or lack adequate support; (2) although NIST plans to evaluate the number of technical milestones completed and joint ventures formed, these indicators may not reflect the long-term success of ATP; and (3) other NIST evaluation efforts under way include engaging the advice and services of leading economists in impact assessment and evaluation, but the results of such efforts are unknown.