Section IV. NTIS - GPO: Federal information disseminators. The National Technical Information Service: A federal resource for health information and services

Abstract

The National Technical Information Service (NTIS) addresses the issue facing all government information providers--justification of the activity on a cost/benefit basis--by being self-supporting. The user pays for the information provided on a cost-recovery basis. Within the NTIS, a new program adds to the resources available to the health professional and/or consumer. The Center for the Utilization of Federal Technology (CUFT) links information, Federal technology resources, and new technologies to new users, including the private sector, to facilitate commercialization and therefore enhance utilization. To bring the Federal research and development (R & D) community together with potential non-Federal users, CUFT provides information products and undertakes networking activities in its Office of Applied Technology. The program initiates the link from the public to private sector for commercialization of newly developed Federal technology in its Office of Federal Patent Licensing. Individual products and examples of successful projects addressing the health community and its concerns are described. The CUFT program is increasing its online availability to deal with the increasing volume of information available and the growing number of users in health-related fields as well as in other areas of Federal scientific and technical information.