National Medal of Technology

The Technology Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce is accepting nominations for the National Medal of Technology program. The Medal, established by Congress in 1980 as part of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act, is presented annually by the President as the highest honor for technological achievement. While its primary purpose is to recognize the contributions people have made to strengthening America's economy and improving the standard of living, the Medal highlights the creation of new or significantly improved products, processes or services.



Nominations for the 2002 Medal are being accepted in such areas as product and process innovation, technology transfer, advanced manufacturing technology, technology management, human resources development and environmental technology. All nominations should meet the following criteria:

• Meaningful or significant impact on commerce, the environment and the American standard of living;
• Breadth of market penetration as measured by the number of industrial and service sectors involved and/or depth of influence in one or more sectors;
• Impact on U.S. exports;
• Impact on job creation;
• Contribution to U.S. competitiveness;
• Actual and future return on investment;
• Impact of patents, copyrights and trademarks relevant to the achievements;
• The technology's impact on U.S. prestige through worldwide recognition or significant benefits to humankind;
• Degree of public interest in contribution (e.g. newsclips, articles, civic recognition); and
• Promise for serving as a role model.

The nominations are reviewed by the National Evaluation Committee, as well as an independent panel of public and private sector experts. The Committee issues recommendations to the Secretary of Commerce, who sends them to the President for final determination.



Individuals, teams of up to four members, companies and organizations are eligible. The deadline for submissions is August 30, 2001. For additional background on the Awards program, past Medal recipients and access to nomination forms, visit: http://www.ta.doc.gov/MEDAL