The Chemical Connection: Onshoring PCB Production—Daunting but Certainly Possible
It’s Only Common Sense: The Phone Is Still Mightier Than the Keyboard
National Instruments Fund to Support COVID-19 Relief and STEM Education
April 6, 2020 | National InstrumentsEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
NI today announced that $2.5 million will be immediately deployed from the National Instruments Fund, a donor advised fund established by NI in 2019 with the Austin Community Foundation, to support global and local COVID-19 relief efforts. The remainder of the $7 million donor advised fund is expected to be invested in STEM education and community development programs for underserved and underrepresented groups to promote opportunity and prosperity.
Enabling engineers to innovate quickly, ambitiously and successfully is at the core of NI’s business. And increasing equity in STEM education and the workforce is at the core of NI’s giving strategy. The company’s donation brings these two core elements together, helping community partners create solutions to some of the biggest challenges our world is facing.
“Our purpose as a company has never been more relevant. We are here to help our employees, customers, partners and the communities in which we work and live, thrive,” said Eric Starkloff, chief executive officer, NI. “We are a company with a 100-year plan, so we are deeply invested in the long-term health and stability of not just our company, but also our society.”
The $2.5 million is to be immediately deployed to COVID-19 relief efforts in the Austin metro area and other countries where NI operates, as follows:
-
$1 million to be made available as a matching grant to the All Together ATX Fund, created by Austin Community Foundation and United Way for Greater Austin. The fund will provide flexible resources to nonprofit organizations working with communities who are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and the economic consequences of the outbreak. The grant will match individual and corporate donations, up to a total of $1 million.
-
$1.5 million to be deployed to nonprofit organizations that serve the other communities where NI has major global operations.
“We are honored to contribute to the All Together ATX Fund,” said Tabitha Upshaw, head of corporate responsibility, NI. “As the name suggests, we are all in this together. So, we hope our matching grant will bring even more people together and encourage them to give in support of our community during this unprecedented time.”
The remainder of the fund is expected to be deployed over time to programs that increase diversity and equity in STEM education and the workforce, and that promote community development. The COVID-19 outbreak has had a disproportionate impact on low-income and minority communities. By funding targeted STEM programs in these communities, NI aims to prevent existing opportunity gaps from widening even further.
“In the long-term, STEM education, and the field’s high-paying careers, can provide a path to economic prosperity,” said Upshaw. “Growing and diversifying the STEM talent pool is essential to our collective future.”
Share on:
Testimonial
"Advertising in PCB007 Magazine has been a great way to showcase our bare board testers to the right audience. The I-Connect007 team makes the process smooth and professional. We’re proud to be featured in such a trusted publication."
Klaus Koziol - atgSuggested Items
Firefly Aerospace Announces Strategic Acquisition of SciTec to Advance National Security Capabilities
10/07/2025 | Firefly AerospaceFirefly Aerospace, a market leading space and defense technology company, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire SciTec, Inc., a leader in advanced national security technologies, for approximately $855 million through a combination of $300 million in cash and $555 million in Firefly shares issued to SciTec owners at a price of $50 per share.
High-Tech Hill Technology Park Opens: Four New Factories Launched
09/26/2025 | TeltonikaThe ambitious vision announced in late 2020 to build a world-class technology park in Liepkalnis, Vilnius, has become a reality. AGP Investments, led by entrepreneur Arvydas Paukštys, together with high-tech leaders Teltonika and TLT, today inaugurated four new factories at the Vilnius High-Tech Hill Technology Park.
U.S. Manufacturing Jobs Decline Amid Tariffs and Immigration Crackdown
09/17/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamManufacturers in the U.S. are cutting jobs even as President Donald Trump pushes policies he says will revitalize the industry. Employers shed 12,000 manufacturing jobs in August, while payrolls in the sector have fallen by 42,000 since April, according to a new analysis from the Center for American Progress (CAP) based on government labor data.
Defense Speak Interpreted: If CHIPS Cuts Back, What Happens to Electronics Packaging Funds?
09/02/2025 | Dennis Fritz -- Column: Defense Speak InterpretedIn my May column, I examined the topic of the CHIPS Act and its current status as a U.S. government program. I found that CHIPS activities continue, but some corporations have delayed or canceled them because of budget cuts or corporation-specific problems. However, CHIPS integrated circuits—mostly administered by the Department of Commerce—don’t fully drive the electronics interconnection activity being funded by the government. Let’s cover the progress/status of other programs:
Ecolab to Acquire Ovivo’s Electronics Ultra-Pure Water Business
08/15/2025 | EcolabEcolab Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Ovivo’s Electronics business, a leading and fast-growing global provider of breakthrough ultra-pure water technologies for semiconductor manufacturing.