Innovation & Technology

I am a strong believer that innovation is what America does best. And that technology and science-driven policies are how we can best meet many of our 21st century challenges.

New Mexico — with our national labs, universities, and military installations — holds much promise to lead the nation in innovation and technology. The very character of our state has been shaped by hard work and a history of innovation. The technology industry, both public and private, supports nearly 50,000 jobs, at over 2,000 technology establishments throughout New Mexico.

No area of innovation and science will be more important than in our nation’s ability to tackle climate change and to lead the world in clean energy technology. The frontiers of human knowledge can be boundless, and if we harness them, will continue to fuel our nation’s prosperity. 

Latest

  • Udall, Heinrich Praise Enactment of American Innovation and Competitiveness Act

    WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich praised the enactment of S. 3084, the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (AICA), a major science bill that includes a number of significant provisions Udall and Heinrich championed to help boost New Mexico's economy. The bill, which passed both houses of Congress last month and was signed into law by President Obama today, contains measures to boost technology transfer initiatives, strengthen and grow manufacturing, and encourage private-sector innovation.  Read More

  • Heinrich Announces Funding For Innovative STEM Education Program At KAFB And Other Key Advancements In Annual Defense Authorization

    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Dec. 20, 2016) -- Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced $25 million in authorized funding for the continuation of the nationwide STARBASE program, which motivates fifth grade students to explore Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) through hands-on learning in collaboration with military installations. The program in New Mexico is based at Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) La Luz Academy where scientists, engineers, and military volunteers from AFRL and other Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) organizations apply abstract principles to real world situations by giving students interactive demonstrations on the use of STEM in different settings and careers. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich, Lujan Grisham Comment on Sandia National Laboratories Contract Decision

    WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham responded to the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) decision to award the management and operating contract for Sandia National Laboratories to National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia (NTESS), a subsidiary of Honeywell International. Udall is a member of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee overseeing the Department of Energy's budget, and Heinrich serves on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Lujan Grisham represents the 1st Congressional District, which is home to Sandia and most of its 10,500 employees. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich Welcome Critical Funding to Combat Opioid Epidemic in New Mexico

    Washington - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich joined the Senate in voting 94-5 for a bill that includes critically needed new resources for New Mexico and other states struggling to treat and prevent the growing prescription opioid abuse epidemic. The funding was included in bipartisan health care legislation called the 21st Century Cures Act and now will be sent to the president's desk to be signed into law. Read More

  • Heinrich Welcomes Senate Passage Of Bill To Expand Innovative UNM Rural Tele-Health Program

    - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) welcomed the Senate's passage of S. 2873, the Expanding Capacity for Health Outcomes (ECHO) Act, a bill to boost access to high-quality health care in hard-to-reach regions. Senator Heinrich cosponsored the bill, which aims to better integrate the University of New Mexico School of Medicine’s groundbreaking Project ECHO telehealth model into health systems across the country. Read More

  • ICYMI: Internet Nonprofit Mozilla Backs Senators' Call for President to Strengthen Cybersecurity Networks

    - In case you missed it, Mozilla, a global, nonprofit organization dedicated to defending a free and open web, applauded U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) for their letter earlier this week calling on President Barack Obama to work with Congress to strengthen the federal government's ability to detect and repair cyber-vulnerabilities within U.S. networks. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich Announce Over $18.6 Million for STEM Education at Hispanic-Serving NM Universities

    WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced that five New Mexico universities will receive more than $18.6 million to support Hispanic and low-income students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The University of New Mexico Valencia Branch Campus, New Mexico Highlands University, Eastern New Mexico University–Roswell, New Mexico State University–Carlsbad, and Eastern New Mexico University-main campus will receive grants through the U.S. Department of Education Hispanic-Serving Institutions STEM Program. The schools will receive $3.7 million in total funding this year, and it is anticipated that each grant will be renewed for the next four years, for a total of $18.6 million over the next five years. Read More

  • King, Heinrich Urge President to Strengthen Cybersecurity Networks

    In the wake of a complex cyber-attack that disrupted service to Twitter, Spotify, The New York Times and other major websites, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) today called on President Barack Obama to work with Congress to strengthen the federal government's ability to detect and repair cyber-vulnerabilities within U.S. networks. In a letter sent today, the two members of the Senate Intelligence Committee urged the President to help establish uniform policies across the government that would secure U.S. networks and establish a comprehensive process that would relay any detected vulnerabilities to private sector companies for repair. Read More