[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 75 (Wednesday, April 18, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23224-23226]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-9254]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket No. 120322215-2213-01]


Request for Technical Input--Standards in Trade Workshops

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Request for Workshop Recommendations.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 
invites all interested parties, including U.S.-based manufacturers, 
U.S. industry and trade associations and federal government agencies, 
to submit recommendations and suggestions for workshops covering 
specific sectors and targeted countries or regions of the world where 
training in the U.S. approaches to development and use of standards, 
including assessment of conformity to standards, may facilitate trade, 
increase U.S. exports, and/or benefit U.S. industry. Standards in Trade 
(SIT) workshops are designed to introduce U.S. stakeholders to emerging 
standards and conformity assessment issues in other countries and 
regions; identify regulatory information and market access issues; and 
provide timely information to foreign officials on U.S. practices in 
standards, metrology and conformity assessment. Interested parties must 
consider Administration priorities outlined in the current National 
Export Strategy. NIST will offer a limited number of workshops each 
year. Most workshops will be scheduled for a 3 to 5 day period at NIST 
in Gaithersburg, Maryland. NIST will evaluate all recommendations and 
may use the suggested topics in planning its workshops, subject to the 
availability of resources. Additional guidance is available on the NIST 
Standards in Trade (SIT) workshop program Web page. This notice is not 
an invitation for proposals to fund grants, contracts or cooperative 
agreements of any kind.

DATES: Recommendations may be submitted at any time and will be 
considered on a quarterly basis.

ADDRESSES: All recommendations must be submitted to the Standards in 
Trade Workshop Program through a webform at http://gsi.nist.gov/global/index.cfm/L1-4/L2-14. The National Export Strategy: Powering the 
National Export Initiative is available at http://trade.gov/publications/pdfs/nes2011FINAL.pdf. NIST's Three-Year Programmatic Plan 
is available at http://www.nist.gov/director/upload/nist-master-3-year-plan-fy2012-fy2014.pdf. Additional information about the NIST Standards 
in Trade Workshop Program is available at http://gsi.nist.gov/global/index.cfm/L1-4/L2-14.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Standards in Trade Workshop Program 
Coordinator, Mary Jo DiBernardo, (301) 975-5503, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d2a1bba692bcbba1a6fcb5bda4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="85f6ecf1c5ebecf6f1abe2eaf3">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In June 2011, the Secretary of Commerce 
released the National Export Strategy: Powering the National Export 
Initiative. The report reinforces the importance of U.S. exports of 
goods and services, which in 2010 totaled $1.84 trillion, an

[[Page 23225]]

increase of nearly 17% over 2009 levels, and supported more than 9 
million jobs in the United States. In March 2010, President Obama 
issued an executive order creating the National Export Initiative, 
which calls for the doubling of U.S. exports by the end of 2014.
    NIST's mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial 
competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and 
technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our 
quality of life. NIST's Three-Year Programmatic Plan for fiscal years 
2012-2014 summarizes the current focus and priorities of the NIST 
programs.
    Since 1995, U.S. industry has looked to the NIST Standards in Trade 
(SIT) program to provide opportunities for cooperation on important 
topics related to standards, conformity assessment and trade that are 
vital to the success of their businesses. SIT workshops are designed to 
introduce U.S. stakeholders to emerging standards and conformity 
assessment issues in other countries and regions; identify regulatory 
information and market access issues; and provide timely information to 
foreign officials on U.S. practices in standards, metrology, and 
conformity assessment. Improved understanding of U.S. standards, 
conformity assessment and regulatory practices by foreign governments 
and private sector officials helps to provide an important basis for 
improving trade opportunities in key foreign markets, particularly 
those where standards and conformity assessment practices differ 
substantially from those in the United States. Each SIT workshop is 
targeted to aid U.S. industry in becoming more competitive in foreign 
markets through increased transparency of market and regulatory 
requirements and/or promotion and use of international standards, U.S. 
approaches and information exchange, thus increasing trade 
opportunities and exports. The goals of the program are directly 
aligned with the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and NIST missions.
    In 2003, NIST began soliciting public input on topics for SIT 
workshops via the Federal Register. The SIT program criteria have since 
been updated to reflect the current priorities and initiatives of the 
Administration, DOC, and NIST. The process for submitting 
recommendations has also been updated.
    To better inform NIST of timely topics for workshops, NIST solicits 
recommendations and suggestions from the public. To assist the public 
in formulating their suggestions, NIST poses the following questions to 
the public for their consideration in developing their workshop 
recommendations:

1. Recommending Organization and Primary Contact Information

    Provide a primary point of contact, including the contact's name, 
organization, title, mailing address, telephone number and email 
address. Include a description of the recommending organization(s).

2. Recommended Workshop(s) and Principal Topics

    What is the subject of the recommended workshop? Provide a 
description of the recommended workshop theme(s), industry sector(s) of 
focus, and targeted country or region. Provide a list of the suggested 
topics for the workshop and a description of each topic.

3. Goals and Objectives of Recommended Workshop

    What are the recommended workshop goals and objectives to be 
attained? Include why they are important to U.S. industry and how they 
support new U.S. exports or sustain or expand current U.S. exports. 
Include a detailed list outlining the specific workshop objectives. 
Demonstrate the possibility of significant progress during and 
immediately after the recommended workshop(s), as well as lasting 
benefits extending beyond the recommended workshop(s).

4. U.S. Stakeholders

    Who will likely participate at the recommended workshop and support 
the recommended workshop? Include a list of interested U.S. 
stakeholders, including U.S.-based manufacturers, U.S. industry trade 
associations, and federal, state and local government agencies. 
Additional stakeholders may include standards organizations, academia, 
professional societies, testing and certification organizations, etc.

5. Link to NIST and/or Other Federal Agencies

    How is the recommended workshop linked to NIST activities and/or 
research and/or activities and/or research at other federal agencies, 
and what are the appropriate NIST or other agency organizational units, 
laboratories or programs? What is the relevance of the activity to NIST 
and/or other federal agencies? If known, identify the specific staff 
who could serve as the point of contact for each agency included in the 
recommendation and experts who could provide technical expertise and 
participate at the workshop.

6. Suggested Timing for Workshop(s)

    What are some possible timeframes in which the recommended workshop 
might take place (e.g. fall 20XX, April-May 20XX)? Indicate if the 
workshop recommendation is time sensitive and, if so, provide an 
explanation (e.g. Is there a proposed regulation in another country 
that will have a significant bearing on U.S industry and U.S. exports? 
Is there a window of opportunity that will close by a certain date? Is 
there a relevant event that coincides with the recommended workshop?) 
How many workshops may need to occur over a defined period of time, if 
more than one, to achieve the stated goals and objectives outlined in 
Point 3? The recommended workshop should be not expected to start 
earlier than 6 months from the date the recommendation is submitted.

7. Expected Outcomes/Measures of Success

    What are the expected outcomes and measures of the recommended 
workshop's success? Include a description of the following, including 
data and the sources of the data, where applicable:
    a. Anticipated short and long-term benefits of the recommended 
workshop to U.S. industry for trade and market access;
    b. Potential for future opportunities for collaboration and trade 
as a result of the recommended workshop; and
    c. Desired short and long-term results of the recommended workshop 
and appropriate short and long-term measures for evaluating the success 
of the recommended workshop, including a suggested timeline.

All recommendations must address each of the above seven points. 
Applicants should also consider and may provide additional information 
on the following 2 points:

8. Additional Resources

    What external funding, including cost share capability and in-kind 
cost sharing, is available to support the recommended workshop, and 
what is the source of this funding? Identify possible in-country 
partners if recommended workshop is to take place outside of the U.S.

9. Related Site Visits and Events

    Workshops can include visits to relevant business sites or events. 
Provide a list of suggested site visit locations, events or other areas 
of interest and discuss the relevance of

[[Page 23226]]

each to the overall purpose of the recommended workshop's goals. NIST 
will consider the following when developing the workshops that it will 
offer: Does the recommended workshop align with the Administration and/
or NIST priorities? Is the workshop recommendation compatible with or 
complementary to these priorities? Is the recommended country, 
countries or region of focus identified in the National Export Strategy 
as a key market (target market, next tier market or mature market)? Is 
the product sector export-intensive and/or have the potential to 
enhance U.S. export opportunities? Is the recommended country/region 
developing infrastructure? Is there a need for standards and conformity 
assessment to support the changes? Have or will new regulations be 
proposed that will impact market entry for U.S. industry? Is there a 
market access issue in a specific sector, country or region? If 
appropriate, is there support from a regulatory or other federal agency 
for the workshop recommendation? Is there a significant and possible 
long-term commitment from U.S. industry stakeholders to support the 
recommendation and the goals and objectives of the recommended 
workshop?
    All recommendations must be submitted through the webform at http://gsi.nist.gov/global/index.cfm/L1-4/L2-14.

    Dated: April 6, 2012.
Willie E. May,
Associate Director for Laboratory Programs.
[FR Doc. 2012-9254 Filed 4-17-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P


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