Thursday June 14 STAMFORD, Conn.-- Xerox Corporation has been selected to receive the U.S. National Medal of Technology, "recognizing over fifty years of innovation in marking, materials, electronics, communications and software that created the modern reprographics, electronic printing, and print on demand industries." The award will be presented at the White House next month.
 
The National Medal of Technology is the highest honor awarded by the President of the United States to America's leading innovators. The medal is given to individuals, teams, and/or companies/divisions for their outstanding contributions to the nation's economic, environmental and social well-being through the development and commercialization of technology products, processes and concepts; technological innovation; and development of the nation's technological manpower.

"Xerox has been, and continues to be, a leading innovator and a key architect of the Information Age: from the first plain-paper copier to today's document processes that are revolutionizing the productivity of people and businesses worldwide. This is a fantastic recognition of the top-notch work of the scientists and engineers who are at Xerox today; as well as the many Xerox people across our company who have contributed to these innovations over the past 60 years," said Sophie Vandebroek, chief technology officer and president of the Xerox Innovation Group.

The purpose of the National Medal of Technology is to recognize those who have made lasting contributions to America's competitiveness, standard of living, and quality of life through technological innovation, and to recognize those who have made substantial contributions to strengthening the nation's technological workforce. By highlighting the national importance of technological innovation, the Medal also seeks to inspire future generations of Americans to prepare for and pursue technical careers to keep America at the forefront of global technology and economic leadership.

The National Medal of Technology Evaluation Committee reviews and evaluates all nominations for the Medal of Technology. The committee makes its recommendations for medal candidates to the Secretary of Commerce, who in turn makes recommendations to the President for final selection.

Xerox joins an illustrious group of past individuals and corporations including IBM, Bell Labs, DuPont and Dow Chemical. The presentation of the Medal of Technology will take place July 27 at the White House.

Xerox's investment in innovation generates a steady stream of advanced technology. The company holds more than 8,000 active patents and invests about 6 percent of its revenue in research, development and engineering activities.