The Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program continues to effectively support commercial growth and innovation in U.S. computing and communication technology, according to a review of the initiative recently carried out by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

PCAST went on to say on Thursday that, based on the review, which is mandated by Congress, the NITRD Program continues to be a valuable tool for the U.S., although the council did offer several recommendations to bolster the efforts under the program.

The council's recommendations include the NITRD Coordination Office updating its program component areas, or PCAs, so that they are future-oriented and aimed at encouraging agencies to support R&D on relevant technologies. At the same time, the PCAs should be updated in a way that they become more useful as budget-reporting categories for policymakers.

PCAST also recommends that NITRD Program entities specifically address artificial intelligence in their activities. The NITRD National Coordination Office should should also become more involved with various federal AI-related activities.

The NITRD Program works to coordinate efforts by various federal agencies that tackle R&D needs, including those concerning advanced information technologies in computing, networking and software. The program was established by the High Performance Computing Act of 1991 and has been reauthorized and expanded by Congress three times since then, most recently via the 2017 American Innovation and Competitiveness Act.

The program invests about $11.2 billion annually in R&D. It involves over 100 member and participating agencies.