Washington, DC – March 1, 2007 – CEOs from the nation’s leading technology companies today unveiled its competitiveness agenda and called on the White House and Congress to enact key initiatives that promotes technology research, fixes our broken patent system and develops, attracts and retains the best and brightest workers.

The Technology CEO Council’s “Seven for 07” program includes many initiatives that have a clear bipartisan consensus. The agenda includes:

• Increase funding for proven programs and incentives for math teacher recruitment and professional development.
• Double basic research budgets at the NSF, NIST, DOE’s Office of Science, and DOD.
• Renew Presidential Trade Promotion Authority with an expanded Trade Adjustment Assistance program to include service sector employees and more effectively assist workers in transition.
• Pass immigration reform that ensures the best and brightest can study and work in the United States.
• Enable accelerated use of information technology in health care services.
• Make a strengthened, modernized R&D tax credit permanent.
• Reform the patent system to address unjustified lawsuits, patent quality and global protection of intellectual property.

“The rest of the world has raised its game, and we must do so as well. America possesses all of the strengths we will need to thrive in the 21st century, again leading the world to a more prosperous and secure future – if we leverage our strengths. By contrast, if we act out of fear or inertia – if we fail to press our advantages and close our minds or our markets – we will fall behind. Passing these key competitiveness initiatives is an essential step in the right direction,” said Edward Zander, chairman and CEO of Motorola, Inc. and Chairman of the Technology CEO Council.

During White House and Congressional meetings over the last two days, the technology leaders told policymakers that U.S. economic leadership cannot be taken for granted and steps must be taken to foster a new generation of entrepreneurs and innovators while attracting and retaining the best and brightest workers.

“A new Congress must move past the political divisions of recent years to advance an agenda that has bipartisan consensus,” said Bruce Mehlman, Executive Director of the Technology CEO Council. “Republicans and Democrats agree that our future as a global economic leader depends on our ability to remain the world’s greatest innovators and risk-takers. Today may not be the day that we lose our competitive edge, but that day will come someday unless we have the will to act.”

Technology CEO Council companies generate over $300 billion in annual revenues and employ over 800,000 workers. Founded in 1989 and formerly known as the Computer Systems Policy Project, its members include Mr. Zander; Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO of Dell Inc; Mark V. Hurd, Chairman, President and CEO of Hewlett-Packard Company; Joseph McGrath, President and CEO of Unisys Corporation; William Nuti, President and CEO of NCR Corporation; Paul Otellini, President and CEO, Intel; Samuel J. Palmisano, Chairman, President and CEO of IBM Corporation; Michael R. Splinter, President and CEO of Applied Materials, Inc.; and, Joseph M. Tucci, Chairman, President and CEO of EMC Corporation.

About the Technology CEO Council
The Technology CEO Council is a CEO policy advocacy group focused on ensuring U.S. competitiveness through technology leadership. The CEOs visit Washington twice annually to meet with lawmakers about policy issues of importance to the high-tech industry and work throughout the year to promote education, analysis and recommendations. For more information, please visit www.techceocouncil.org.