In 1987, the state legislature appropriated funds for applied research to diversify the state’s economy through the Texas Advanced Technology Program (ATP). These funds targeted projects to educate the state’s scientists and engineers, create new products and production processes, and contribute to the application of science and technology to state businesses. One component of the ATP – the Technology Development and Transfer (TDT) program begun in 1995 – funded technology development and the transfer of that technology to the private sector in Texas. The Bureau of Business Research reviewed hundreds of ATP/TDT projects in order to determine the long-term economic repercussions.
