George Heilmeier was the director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in the 1970s (he left DARPA to join Texas Instruments in 1977 and eventually became the CEO of Bellcore). The IEEE Spectrum magazine published a profile of Heilmeier (PDF) in the June 1994 issue.
The "Heilmeier Catechism" are the questions that should be answered when writing a research proposal for a funding agency. Or, for that matter, when you write a business plan for venture capital funding. I've noticed that there are several versions of the Heilmeier Catechism floating around the web. I am an IEEE member, so I will assume that IEEE Spectrum got it right when the quoted Heilmeier. I've included this version below. I originally found this version on Dana Dahlstrom's web site at UC San Diego (my alma mater).
Heilmeier's Catechism
by George H. Heilmeier, President and CEO of Bellcore