VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

2022 Annual Report

Visiting Committee on Advanced 

Technology

of the

National Institute of Standards and 

Technology

U.S. Department of Commerce

March 2023
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

2 

Preface

The Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology (VCAT or the Committee) of the National Institute of 

Standards and Technology (NIST or the Institute) was established in its present form by the Omnibus 

Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 and updated by the America COMPETES Act in 2007 and the 

American Innovation and Competitiveness Act of 2017. The VCAT is a Federal Advisory Committee Act 

(FACA) committee, and its charter includes reviewing and making recommendations regarding general 

policy for NIST, its organization, budget, and programs within the framework of applicable national 

policies as set forth by the president and the Congress. This 2022 annual report covers the period from 

March 2022 through February 2023. 

The VCAT reviews and makes recommendations regarding general policy for the National Institute of 

Standards and Technology, its organization, its budget, and its programs, within the framework of 

applicable national policies as set forth by the President and the Congress, and submits an annual report 

to the Secretary of Commerce for submission to the Congress. At the first meeting of each year, the 

Director of NIST proposes areas of focus to the Committee and agreement is reached on a program for 

the year. 

The Committee reviews a significant portion of NIST programs through direct discussion with NIST

leaders, scientists, and engineers. Committee members present candid feedback to NIST senior 

management and other attendees at each meeting and encourage continuous dialogue. This feedback 

encourages continuous improvement in key areas in the overall operation of the Institute. The 

Committee normally visits various NIST laboratories and satellite facilities to discuss research projects 

directly with NIST technical staff. These laboratory tours help the Committee to assess the impact of 

NIST research, progress towards achieving research goals, the quality of the staff, institutional culture – 

especially related to safety and security – and how effectively the existing facility infrastructure meets 

the needs of the NIST mission. During this period of performance, meetings were both in-person and 

virtual. 

Under the Committee charter, the Director of NIST appoints the VCAT members. Members are selected 

on a transparent, standardized basis, in accordance with applicable Department of Commerce (DOC) 

guidance. Members are selected solely on the basis of established records of distinguished service; 

provide representation of a cross-section of traditional and emerging U.S. industries; and are eminent in 

fields such as business, research, new product development, engineering, labor, education, 

management consulting, environment, and international relations; and shall be selected in accordance 

with applicable DOC guidance. No employee of the Federal Government can serve as a member of the 

Committee. Members are appointed for staggered three-year terms.

During this reporting period, two VCAT members completed their two consecutive three-year terms: Dr. 

Gail Folena-Wasserman (AstraZeneca/MedImmune) and Mr. David Vasko (Rockwell Automation). During 

this reporting period, one new VCAT member, Mr. Jason Matusow (Corporate Standards Group at 

Microsoft Corporation) was appointed.

This report highlights the Committee’s observations, findings, and recommendations. Detailed meeting 

minutes and presentation materials are available on the NIST website at www.nist.gov/director/vcat. 
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

3

VCAT Members during the Period Covered by this Report

Dr. Mehmood Khan, Chair

Hevolution Foundation

Term: November 13, 2018 – November 12, 2024

Dr. Dana (Keoki) Jackson, Vice Chair

MITRE Corporation

Term: May 22, 2018 – May 21, 2024

Dr. Vinton G. Cerf

Google

Term: December 21, 2018 – December 20, 2024

Mr. Jason Matusow

Microsoft 

Term: September 14, 2022 – September 13, 2025

Mr. George Fischer

T-Mobile

Term: May 22, 2018 – May 21, 2024

Dr. Anthony M. Johnson

University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)

Term: October 4, 2021 – October 3, 2024

Dr. Michelle Parker

Boeing

Term: January 14, 2022 – January 13, 2025

Mr. David Vasko

Rockwell Automation

Term: February 2, 2017 – February 1, 2023

Dr. Eric Kaler

Case Western Reserve University

Term: December 21, 2018 – December 20, 2024

Ms. Katharine Ku

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati 

Term: May 22, 2018 - May 21, 2024

Dr. Gail Folena-Wasserman

AstraZeneca

Term: January 30, 2017 – January 29, 2023
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Table of Contents

Preface 2

Table of Contents 3

Executive Summary 4

1. VCAT Focus in 2022 6

2. NIST: Supporting America’s Competitiveness in the Global Economy 7

3. Bolstering NIST’s Essential Role in the Development, Manufacture, and Adoption of Critical and 

Emerging Technologies 7

3.1. Health and Biological Systems Measurements 7

3.2. Cybersecurity and Privacy 8

3.3. Critical and Emerging Technologies 8

3.4. Recommendations 9

4. Ensuring U.S. leadership in International Standards for Critical and Emerging Technologies 10

4.1. Recommendations 10

5. Manufacturing Leadership 11

5.1. Recommendations 11

6. Ensuring NIST is Fully Resourced to Deliver on its Mission 12

6.1. Mission Delivery 12

6.2. Facilities 13

6.3. Visibility 14

6.4. Resources 15

6.5. Recommendations 15

7. Building a Community Where Everyone is Safe, Valued, Supported, Engaged, and Empowered 16

7.1. Safety 16

7.2. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility 16

7.3. Community Building 16

7.4. Workforce 17

7.5. Recommendations 17

8. NIST Budget 17

8.1. Recommendations 19
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

4 

Executive Summary

Over the past year, NIST has continued to demonstrate that it is a world-class, one-of-a-kind asset for the 

Nation. The institute continues to make impressive progress on measurement science, standards, and 

technology. 

Dr. Laurie Locascio was sworn in as the 17th NIST Director on April 7, 2022. A longtime NIST scientist, she 

has experience conducting research and serving in leadership roles at the Institute, including as the acting 

NIST Associate Director for Laboratory Programs. Most recently, Dr. Locascio served as the Vice President 

of Research at the University of Maryland College Park and University of Maryland Baltimore. In our June 

meeting, Dr. Locascio emphasized her vision for NIST to support America’s competitiveness in the global 

economy. The VCAT fully supports her emphasis on five key themes: 

1. Bolstering NIST’s essential role in the development, manufacture, and adoption of critical and 

emerging technologies. 

2. Ensuring U.S. leadership in international standards. 

3. Manufacturing leadership executed by NIST programs including CHIPS, the MEP, Manufacturing 

USA, and the research efforts of the NIST laboratories. 

4. Ensuring NIST is fully resourced to deliver on its mission, including its facilities. 

5. Building a community where everyone is safe, valued, supported, engaged, and empowered. 

The passage in August 2022 of the CHIPS and Science Act ushered in a new era at NIST. Implementing the 

CHIPS and Science Act is an unprecedented task for NIST that brings great opportunity to develop 

partnerships with the semiconductor industry, develop innovative measurements and technologies in 

support of the semiconductor industry, and support the U.S. manufacturing and supply chain landscape. 

However, it also creates great challenges that include balancing the immense efforts of the CHIPS Office 

with maintaining the health of other NIST mission priorities while quickly growing the NIST workforce. 

The VCAT is pleased that NIST has been trusted to implement the CHIPS and Science Act, but also 

cautions that it is important to maintain the health of all other mission-critical activities at NIST. The VCAT 

likes the growth in the FY 2023 budget but is concerned about the increases related to CHIPS Act-directed 

appropriations and external earmarks. Implementing the earmarks increases the administrative workload 

without additional funding and can distract staff from implementing the core NIST mission. Ideally,

should the earmarks continue, more resources (budget and staff) would be provided for dealing with the 

earmark administrative workload. However, the VCAT is most concerned about providing robust funding 

for intramural NIST labs and special programs in FY 2024 and beyond so that the Institute can continue to 

achieve its core mission for the Nation. 

The VCAT believes that the following issues deserve immediate attention:

● Significant new investment in the NIST facilities is absolutely required for NIST to meet its critical 

mission to support U.S. industry and innovation. This issue has been repeatedly noted by VCAT in 

past reports. VCAT supports the findings and recommendations of the recent assessment of NIST 

facilities undertaken by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. The 
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

5

Academies report found that NIST is already suffering productivity losses of between 10 % and 40

% due to rework, repairs, and workaround efforts by the researchers.

● NIST must be adequately resourced to meet the growing list of responsibilities that they are

called upon to address—from CHIPS-related metrology, supply chain security, to advancing 

quantum science and trustworthy AI, to strengthening U.S. leadership in international standards

and conducting post-disaster investigations that result in improved building codes.

● VCAT notes that if the Institute is not receiving adequate funding to meet the needs for facilities 

and to implement directed programs, NIST and the Department of Commerce must be prepared 

to halt key services and programs. The current mode of expecting staff to push through and do 

more with less is not sustainable. 

● The Director’s emphasis on community building is essential for NIST, and her efforts to reinforce 

a safety culture throughout the organization come at a time when the organization is facing 

extreme challenges as they continue to emerge from the COVID-19 campus restrictions.

The VCAT has high expectations of NIST delivering strong results in high-priority areas such as those 

outlined in the CHIPS and Science Act, manufacturing, and in Critical and Emerging Technologies (CETs).

The Committee encourages NIST to continue its robust engagement with other bureaus in the 

Department, including the Bureau of Industry and Security, the International Trade Administration, and 

the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, to ensure essential connectivity of 

those entities with foundational NIST work. 

Finally, we note with sadness that on September 26, 2022, an engineering technician in the NIST 

Engineering Laboratory’s National Fire Research Laboratory died in a tragic accident while deconstructing 

an experimental test structure. The VCAT extends its deepest condolences to the family of the late 

colleague and to the entire NIST community. 
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

6 

1. VCAT Focus in 2022 

In 2022, the VCAT focused their efforts on the following priority themes to ensure NIST is fully supporting 

America’s competitiveness in the global economy: 

1. Bolstering NIST’s essential role in the development, manufacture, and adoption of critical and 

emerging technologies. 

2. Ensuring U.S. leadership in international standards. 

3. Executing leadership in Manufacturing by NIST programs including CHIPS, the MEP, 

Manufacturing USA, and the research efforts of the NIST laboratories. 

4. Ensuring NIST is fully resourced to deliver on its mission, including its scientific research facilities 

such as the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR). 

5. Building a community where everyone is safe, valued, supported, engaged, and empowered. 

In support of priorities 3, 4, and 5, Dr. Locascio established three VCAT subcommittees (priorities 1 and 2 

are being addressed with internal efforts): 

Alignment of Manufacturing Efforts, Chaired by Mr. David Vasko. This subcommittee was charged 

with examining the alignment of NIST laboratory outputs, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership 

(MEP), and the Manufacturing USA program. Some areas of exploration included strategic use of the 

CHIPS and Science Act to establish alignment, benchmarking against Germany’s Fraunhofer and other 

similar organizations for best practices, as well as development of a matching concierge service to 

make connections between the NIST laboratories, Manufacturing USA, and MEP.

Visibility Improvement, Chaired by Dr. Vinton Cerf. This subcommittee was charged with examining 

the advancement of NIST’s mission, as well as the improvement of visibility and awareness of NIST, 

including development of clear messaging to communicate NIST’s value most effectively across 

stakeholder groups, mechanisms for the strategic delivery of NIST’s messaging, and approaches for 

increasing the exposure of key stakeholders to NIST’s critical work driving American innovation.

Workforce Development Efforts, Chaired by Dr. Gail Folena-Wasserman. This subcommittee was

charged with examining internal efforts to strengthen diversity, equity, inclusivity, and accessibility 

(DEIA) among the NIST workforce, as well as NIST’s role in external-facing workforce development 

programs. This included, for example, academic programs for pipeline development, expansion of 

Manufacturing USA Institute training efforts, and pilot programs to help women return to the 

workforce after a prolonged absence.

Table 1. NIST VCAT Meetings and Topics Covered in this Report

June 14, 2022 (hybrid) October 25, 2022 (virtual) February 8-9, 2023 (hybrid)

NIST Director’s Update NIST Director’s Update NIST Director’s Update

Safety Update Safety Update Safety Update

Budget Update Budget Update Budget Update

Re-entry to Campus Safety Incident NIST Safety Commission

NCNR CHIPS and Science Act NASEM Assessment of NIST Facilities 

Surfside Investigation Subcommittee Readouts CHIPS Program Update

NIST Director’s Priorities Community Building 

Subcommittees Established Subcommittee Recommendations
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

7 

Additionally, the VCAT was briefed throughout the year on NIST’s budget outlook and the condition of 

facilities and infrastructure. The VCAT received detailed programmatic briefings in all these areas. This 

report summarizes the VCAT’s work, observations, and recommendations related to these topics. 

2. NIST: Supporting America’s Competitiveness in the Global Economy

To succeed in its role as the Federal leader, entrusted with ensuring U.S. leadership in international 

standards for critical and emerging technologies, NIST must continue to make significant discoveries and 

technical progress in the underpinning research and development in these areas. Similarly, if the capital 

facility needs of the Institute are not addressed, NIST will not be able to successfully fulfill its mission in 

leading measurement, calibration, and standards. Without world-class facilities, NIST will not be able to 

attract and retain the top talent needed to accomplish these technical advances. The Academies supports 

the need for annual construction and major renovations (CMR) investments of $300-$400 million (2022 

dollars) over 12 years for a total CMR investment of $5.125 billion (2022 dollars). Meeting NIST’s DEIA

and community-building goals is also key to attracting and sustaining a productive workforce during this 

time of growth for NIST. The growth is largely driven by the CHIPS and Science Act work, the success of 

which is now key to achieving NIST’s priority of U.S. manufacturing leadership. The interconnection of all 

themes demands a holistic and robust response across all the key issues prioritized by the NIST Director. 

The VCAT finds that the priorities defined by the NIST Director are aligned with these requirements for 

success. Moreover, these priority themes cannot be achieved in isolation, as success relies on fulfilling all 

noted priorities. This report presents our recommendations to NIST to achieve these goals. 

3. Bolstering NIST’s Essential Role in the Development, Manufacture, and Adoption of 

Critical and Emerging Technologies

Throughout the past year, VCAT was briefed by NIST on several significant contributions that the NIST 

laboratories made in the advancement of critical and emerging technologies. These are important 

accomplishments for the Nation and VCAT notes that NIST plays a unique role in America’s economic 

competitiveness. Noteworthy examples include the following: 

3.1. Health and Biological Systems Measurements

NIST’s rapid development of a research grade test material (RGTM) for Mpox (monkeypox) in 30 days 

deserves acknowledgement for speed and utility. Using technologies stemming from fundamental 

measurement research at NIST, staff scientists were able to rapidly respond to the national need for a 

positive control material to ensure quality control of Mpox testing kits. With this material, accurate and 

rapid testing could be conducted, allowing health professionals to isolate the disease and help slow the 

spread of a dangerous virus. 
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

8 

3.2. Cybersecurity and Privacy

NIST has made continuous progress on how stakeholders should quantitatively assess security levels of 

software-based systems while delivering needed guidelines for information technology and 

cybersecurity. For example: 

• NIST released a draft of Revision 4 of NIST Special Publication 800-63, Digital Identity Guidelines 

for public comment in December 2022. Last updated in 2017, the new guidance is intended to 

help government systems with risk-management for digital identity while also supporting privacy, 

equity, and accessibility. 

• Additionally, in July 2022, NIST selected four encryption algorithms to be part of NIST’s postquantum encryption standard. NIST aims to finalize the post-quantum cryptography standard in 

two years, and when produced, will be used to protect digital systems from attacks from 

quantum computers in the future.

• NIST has continued its efforts towards revising the Cybersecurity Framework (CSF). Originally 

produced in 2014, the CSF is intended to help organizations manage cybersecurity risk in the 

changing technology landscape. NIST has taken several steps to develop “CSF 2.0”, including 

hosting a workshop in August 2022 with attendance from over 3,900 attendees from 100 

counties. NIST also released a concept paper for public comment that outlines the potential 

major changes in the new Framework in January 2023. These community engagement efforts will 

result in the final CSF 2.0, anticipated in winter 2024.

3.3. Critical and Emerging Technologies

NIST has worked extensively to maintain U.S. leadership and ensure both economic and national security 

in advanced communications technologies and systems and is playing a lead role in the measurement 

and standardization in this area. For example, in August 2022, the Communications Technology 

Laboratory (CTL) deployed and commissioned the Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) for 5G Spectrum 

Sharing Test Bed on the Public Safety Communica�ons Research Demonstra�on Network. This new 

system presents new tes�ng and valida�on opportuni�es for equipment vendors. And in November 2022, 

NIST joined the O-RAN Alliance, a nonprofit organiza�on made up of mobile network operators, vendors, 

and academic and government ins�tu�ons working to make radio access network technologies more 

open, intelligent, and interoperable. By joining the O-RAN Alliance, NIST will enhance U.S. leadership in 

wireless technologies and promote stable and diverse supply chains, which are a priority for the 

administra�on. Addi�onally, NIST’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) is collaborating 

with 11 technology partners/collaborators through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement 

to create practical solutions for addressing 5G security.

In January 2023, NIST released the AI Risk Management Framework (RMF) 1.0. The document was 

drafted after extensive community engagement, including representatives from industry and entities 

worldwide. In the coming year, NIST will be working to ensure that the framework drives responsible AI 

practices by helping those who use AI systems to increase the trustworthiness of these systems while 

mitigating risks. In addition to the AI RMF, NIST’s technical work on bias in AI and biometrics 

technologies, such as facial recognition, is foundational to the successful implementation of trustworthy 

AI systems. 
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

9

NIST researchers continue to advance both the technologies and the fundamental science needed for 

quantum applications. NIST recently demonstrated a new device on a single microchip that integrated a 

quantum emitter single-photon source and a low-loss photonic circuit. This is an important step towards 

chip-integrated photonic quantum information systems. NIST continues to support the quantum 

ecosystem through engagement with the quantum community through the Quantum Economic 

Development Consortium (QED-C) and the Quantum Systems through Entangled Science and Engineering 

(Q-SEnSE) Institute. NIST staff also continue to contribute to the U.S. quantum strategy – a NIST and JILA 

fellow was appointed as a member of the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee to counsel the 

administration on ways to ensure continued American leadership in quantum information science. NIST 

also contributes to the whole-of-government initiative by detailing a staff member to the National 

Quantum Coordination Office (NQCO).

3.4. Recommendations

The VCAT recommends the Institute prioritize the following areas where NIST has the expertise and 

capability to make significant contributions: 

• Data frameworks and structures: There is great power in collecting and aggregating publicly 

available data. NIST has the capability to provide guidance via framework(s) that can make such 

aggregations broadly useful to governments, academia, civil society, and the private sector. 

• Supply chain transformation: NIST can play a vital role in software development, such as creating 

ways to improve software testing, verification, and development. A use case for such piloting 

could be addressing the need to re-platform software to support supply chain logistics. The 

supply chain could also be revolutionized by taking advantage of the power of 5G and advanced 

communications to enhance the global supply chain.

• Cloud computing: Our society is increasingly reliant on cloud computing to store, access, and 

manipulate data. We encourage NIST to consider updating foundational guidance produced in 

2011-2012 to reflect modern cloud architectures and technologies and increasing their work in 

this area to meet future challenges. 

• Non-personal data (NPD): While information that permits the identity of an individual to be 

inferred (Personal Identifiable Information, PII) is regulated by state laws, NPD generated from 

IoT sensor data, aerospace sensors, etc. are far less regulated, yet hold the potential to drive 

nefarious or prosocial usage. VCAT suggests that NIST could help address key aspects in this area. 

• NIST frameworks: NIST should consider continuing to develop efforts to maintain the progression 

of AI, CSF, and Privacy frameworks to ensure they are “living” documents that remain valuable 

and relevant in these rapidly advancing fields. 

• Power consumption: As critical and emerging technologies progress, power consumption is likely 

to increase. Current technologies both for computing power and bioreactors require increased 

energy demands for the areas where centers are established. Measurement of these increased 

demands is needed, as well as R&D to develop more energetically sustainable technologies. 
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

10

4. Ensuring U.S. leadership in International Standards for Critical and Emerging 

Technologies

NIST has an opportunity to bolster private sector and academic participation in international standards 

development for CETs. As a primary actor in national and international standards, NIST can exercise its

convening authority to increase collaborative engagement in support of U.S. national and economic 

security.

The VCAT notes that NIST has made U.S. participation in international standards development activities a 

top priority and supports increased NIST engagement on technical standards in international bilateral and 

multilateral for a, including the G7, the U.S.-E.U. Trade and Technology Council (TTC), and the 

Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. 

Many CET technologies are still premature and not ready for standardization; however, their innovation 

and development cycles are increasingly more rapid. Therefore, many Standards Developing 

Organizations (SDOs) are proactively establishing technical working groups at a much earlier stage in the 

CET innovation cycle. Strategic competitors, that employ a top-down government-led approach, are 

currently leveraging their resources to establish a foothold in certain SDOs for CETs.

Exercising strong U.S. standards development leadership requires thoughtful U.S. government 

engagement. The ability to lead U.S. standards development on the international stage rests on the U.S. 

government’s ability to encourage private sector engagement. Standards development activities require 

long-term strategies and coordination across multiple stakeholder groups. NIST is in a prime position to 

support standards coordination activities; for example, NIST plays an internationally well-recognized and 

critical role in the selection of post-quantum encryption and digital signature standards. This approach 

can be modeled and scaled for other CET areas. 

4.1. Recommendations

• NIST’s approach to international standards engagement and leadership must rest on its core 

strengths—scientific and technical rigor in support of measurement science. Through new, 

innovative public-private partnerships, NIST can convene stakeholders across government, 

industry, academia, and civil society with the shared goal of supporting U.S. competitiveness and 

innovation. 

• In close coordination with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), NIST should

establish new ways to assert U.S. leadership and actively promote U.S. standards in the 

international fora. This includes formal SDOs such as ISO, IEC, and the ITU as well as industry 

consortia such as 3GPP, O-RAN, IETF, and many more. . 

• The U.S. government has increasingly viewed international CET standards development as an 

issue of national and economic security. NIST needs to facilitate additional multistakeholder 

engagement (private sector, government, civil society) in support of U.S. national and economic 

security. 
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

11

5. Manufacturing Leadership 

A partner to the U.S. manufacturing sector for more than a century, NIST has a proven track record in 

delivering useful tools and technical assistance that existing manufacturers and aspiring start-ups need. 

Timely technical assistance from NIST can help the nation’s manufacturers to invent, innovate and create 

new products and services more rapidly and more efficiently than their competitors around the world. 

NIST’s manufacturing programs include research efforts in the NIST laboratories, the Hollings 

Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), Manufacturing USA, the CHIPS Program Office, and the 

CHIPS R&D Office: 

• NIST laboratory programs continue to support the underpinning research, measurements, and 

standards to advance manufacturing. For example, the Institute’s work on additive 

manufacturing includes a benchmarking test system, AM-Bench, that engages other federal 

agencies, universities, and private sector participants to solve technical challenges. 

• MEP facilitates and accelerates the transfer of manufacturing technology in partnership with 

industry, universities and educational institutions, state governments, NIST laboratories, and 

other federal research laboratories and agencies. The VCAT recommends continuation of the new 

MEP National Network Strategic Plan for FY 2023-2027 focus on supply chain, workforce, and 

innovation/technology adoption. 

• NIST continues to play a critical role in coordinating the Manufacturing USA network of institutes, 

including providing pandemic response awards under the NIST Rapid Assistance for Coronavirus 

Economic Response (RACER) Competition that funded 13 projects at 8 institutes, involving more 

than 80 partner organizations. 

• The NIST-sponsored institute NIIMBL (the National Institute for Innovation in Biomanufacturing 

Pharmaceuticals) is making substantial progress. A NIIMBL report published in October 

established a new set of “biomanufacturing readiness levels” that provides a common approach 

to classify biomanufacturing developments throughout their life cycle, to provide a structure for 

assessing these new technologies. 

The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 provides the U.S. Department of Commerce with $50 billion for a suite 

of programs to strengthen and revitalize the U.S. position in semiconductor research, development, and 

manufacturing. The CHIPS Program Office released its first funding opportunity, which seeks applications 

for projects for the construction, expansion, or modernization of commercial facilities for the front- and 

back-end fabrication of leading-edge, current-generation, and mature-node semiconductors, in February 

2023. Later in 2023, the CHIPS Program Office will release separate funding opportunities for 

semiconductor materials and manufacturing equipment facilities, and for R&D facilities. These 

investments will be key to restoring U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, supporting goodpaying jobs across the semiconductor supply chain, and advancing U.S. economic and national security.

5.1. Recommendations

The VCAT supports the NIST’s focus on advanced manufacturing and provides the following suggestions 

to strengthen the ongoing efforts: 
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

12

• NIST should consider better leveraging the workforce development initiatives in MEP and 

Manufacturing USA by, for example, integrating them into an MEP Center’s 

“staging-up” program that each center undergoes when designated as an MEP Center. 

• VCAT supports the MEP Advanced Tech Team concept of staff that act as an “easy button” 

solution of resources available to MEP Center field staff and encourages the expansion of the 

Advanced Tech Team to include more champions in centers across the U.S. 

• VCAT encourages NIST to evolve the Manufacturing USA program into a fulsome network model 

that allows more shared resources than the current operational structure can accommodate. 

• VCAT notes that the CHIPS and Science Act will also usher a significant technology transfer 

program at NIST by providing significant funds for Small Business Innovation Research and Small 

Business Technology Transfer programs. VCAT recommends leveraging these investments, 

including through both intramural research and external manufacturing programs, as a 

tremendous opportunity for NIST to stimulate U.S. innovation.

• NIST laboratories should continue coordinating and leveraging efforts with MEP and 

Manufacturing USA. 

6. Ensuring NIST is Fully Resourced to Deliver on its Mission 

NIST’s success relies on its people, first and foremost, but it also needs world-class facilities. For NIST to 

excel, it must be fully resourced to address its failing infrastructure, be competitive when recruiting and 

retaining talent, and fully executing mission projects. While specific examples in need of full resourcing 

are noted below, VCAT recommendations for sufficient resources are not limited to this list.

6.1. Mission Delivery 

The NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) is a national resource for research using thermal and cold 

neutrons that has enabled an enormous body of research and has trained many hundreds of Ph.D. 

students. It is one of the nation’s premier neutron research facilities serving over 2,500 researchers from 

165 organizations and labs. 

The National Construction Safety Team (NCST) Act was signed into law in 2022 and authorizes NIST to 

establish teams to investigate building failures. NIST is currently investigating the effects of Hurricane 

Maria on Puerto Rico, with a progress report released in January 2021, as well as a technical investigation 

on the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Florida. 

iEdison (or interagency Edison) is an online, relational database designed around the reporting 

requirements of the Bayh-Dole Act and its implementing regulations. It allows recipients of federal 

research funding to report subject inventions and patents to the federal funding agency that issued the 

funding award. A new system was launched on August 9, 2022, with significantly improved capabilities, 

functions, and usability. Since the relaunch, over 5000 inventions and over 9000 patents have been 

logged. More agencies are now using iEdison as well. In 2023, the development team (NIST, USPTO, NIH, 

and others) were recognized with the Interagency Partnership Award for Technology Transfer from the 

Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC). 
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

13

6.2. Facilities 

VCAT recognizes that the state of NIST’s facilities has become a critical problem that is materially harming 

the agency's ability to deliver on its mission. The VCAT recommends increases in appropriations to halt 

and reverse the accelerating breakdown of NIST’s facilities and physical plant capabilities. As requested in 

the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (P.L. 116-260), NIST’s Office of Facilities and Property 

Management (OFPM) contracted with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s 

(NASEM’s) Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed Environment to examine the state of NIST’s 

facilities and utilities infrastructure (e.g., power, water, steam) and to determine which are impacting 

NIST’s mission the most and/or are in greatest need of repair. The study also was tasked to assess what 

would be needed to restore NIST’s facilities and utilities to current standards of acceptable performance. 

The NASEM committee conducted an extensive review of NIST facilities and visited NIST’s Gaithersburg 

and Boulder sites to tour a variety of laboratory facilities in each location. The committee members also 

met with representatives from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and with 

representatives of three government agencies: the National Institutes of Health, the Army Corps of 

Engineers’ Engineer Research and Development Center, and the Department of the Interior. After 

publishing their report on February 7, 2023, representatives of the NASEM committee briefed the VCAT 

on its contents during the VCAT’s February meeting. 

The alarming main point of the presentation to the VCAT is captured in the following quote from the 

report’s executive summary: 

“The committee’s investigations have found that facility issues are preventing NIST from 

achieving its mission, that valuable researcher time is being wasted due to inadequate facilities, 

and that in many cases NIST facilities are no longer world class.” 

Furthermore, the poor condition of NIST’s facilities and utilities is reducing NIST staff productivity by an 

estimated 10 % to 40 %. Utility failures such as water and steam line leaks have damaged or destroyed 

high-precision laboratory equipment costing millions of dollars, including the Kibble balance that was 

used to help redefine the kilogram. Additionally, NIST projects have been put on hold for as long as 18

months, as was the case of the quantum entanglement work that Physics World named the 2021 

Breakthrough of the Year. 

NIST currently has a deferred maintenance backlog of over $800 million. Without sustained and sufficient 

investment, NIST faces an increased probability of catastrophic infrastructure failure, which will escalate 

overall operational costs, decrease efficiency and lower productivity of the research laboratories, and 

could endanger the health and life safety of the NIST staff. As stated in the NASEM report: 

“The root cause of this troubling situation is at least 20 years of inadequate federal government 

funding for the sustainment, restoration, and modernization of NIST’s aging and outdated 

facilities. Correcting the situation now requires $5 billion over at least 12 years, not counting 

inflation.” 

NIST staff have worked extensively to compensate for and work around their facilities and utilities issues. 

While this “going above and beyond” work is admirable, it should not be the primary focus of NIST 

scientists and engineers, it has masked the breadth and depth of the problem, and it is not sustainable. 

Degraded facilities create health and safety issues; for example, NIST staff have been forced to construct 

ad-hoc systems to catch rainwater that intrudes into office and lab spaces from leaking roofs. 
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

14

Ubiquitous and obvious signs of decay such as these hamper NIST’s ability to recruit and retain the highly 

skilled talent that it needs to fulfill its critical mission. The job market in CET sectors is incredibly 

competitive. Without state-of-the-art facilities to match cutting-edge research, NIST will be unable to 

attract talent and maintain U.S. leadership in CETs.

6.3. Visibility 

Because NIST’s work covers a very broad range of scientific and engineering fields, affecting many sectors 

of the U.S. economy, and involves partnerships with academia and other government agencies, NIST 

needs to interact with a large and diverse set of stakeholder groups. In addition, NIST needs the 

engagement and support of the public and its representatives in the U.S. Congress to ensure that it has 

the necessary resources to carry out its mission.

The issues with NIST’s facilities and the need for increased resources require NIST to convey the 

importance of NIST’s mission, the threat to that mission from the poor condition of NIST’s facilities, and 

the urgent need for increased funding to address the problem, to decision makers in the U.S. Congress.

Increasing and improving NIST’s visibility will be central to this effort. Because NIST’s work advancing 

measurement science touches on so many varied technical disciplines and affects many sectors of the 

U.S. economy, the agency must deal with an exceptionally large and diverse set of stakeholders that 

includes multiple industries, standards development organizations, legislative bodies, other government 

agencies, academic institutions, and the U.S. public. 

The VCAT acknowledges the significant efforts of NIST to conduct outreach and spread information about 

NIST programs, such as: 

• The Public Affairs Office (PAO) deals exclusively with outreach and its goal is to help the NIST 

Director focus on agency priorities. The PAO manages NIST branding and provides resources for 

presentations, provides promotional print materials (e.g., the Measurement League comics), and 

provides workshops for NIST staff on how to interact with the media. The PAO recently 

completed a multi-year process to simplify NIST’s branding and is actively engaging with social 

media. 

• The Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs Office (CLA) outreach is focused on 

interactions with members of Congress and their staff, as well as government affairs 

representatives for standards development, university, and industry associations. 

• NIST’s operating units, including its laboratories, MEP, and Manufacturing USA, pursue their own 

outreach efforts aimed at their respective constituencies.

NIST has previously explored the creation of a foundation, similar to the Foundation for the National 

Institutes of Health (FNIH), which is a non-profit, 501 charitable organization that the U.S. Congress 

created in 1990. A NIST analog to the FNIH could serve as a grant-giving entity that also supports 

educational programs, along with awards and other events that would raise NIST’s profile with 

legislators, their staffs, and the public. 
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

15

6.4. Resources 

The NIST budget does not include full resources to address the needs of the Institute in accomplishing its 

mission. While VCAT applauds the funding increases provided by Congress in the FY 2023 Omnibus 

Appropriations bill (see Budget section), the presence of significant directed external funding (earmarks) 

puts NIST at risk. These earmarks dramatically increased from FY 2022 to FY 2023 with no significant 

accompanying increase in appropriations for NIST base funding. The costs for administering and 

overseeing these externally directed projects, some of which have little to no relevance to NIST’s mission, 

cannot be adequately accommodated in the current budget without a decrease in grants management 

capacity for other (NIST-mission driven) awards. 

Due to failing infrastructure, increased external earmarks, and increased competition for workforce, NIST 

will need to make deliberate decisions about what programs to halt to continue to deliver on mission 

priorities. We recognize the difficulties in such decisions, particularly because NIST staff are highly 

specialized and cannot easily transition to other subject areas. However, with failing infrastructure and 

insufficient funding, these tough choices will have to be made more increasingly unless the funding gaps 

are addressed. This will have major consequences to the NIST mission delivery unless additional funding 

and staff can be secured. 

6.5. Recommendations

• VCAT applauds the significant NIST effort to implement necessary corrective actions, effectively 

and swiftly, following the safety incident at the NCNR on February 3, 2021. VCAT recommends 

continued support for the NCNR to maintain operations and to provide resources for critically 

needed repairs and new staff to revitalize operations.

• VCAT recommends that NIST work with the Department of Commerce and relevant House and 

Senate appropriators to attain sufficient base funding for NCST Act investigations, so that the 

Engineering Laboratory will not have to redirect its staff from ongoing research and operations. 

Further, given the increasing prevalence of natural disasters, NIST’s measurement and analytic 

capabilities should be expanded to assist in the development of modern building standards 

considering safety threats posed by violent windstorms, fires, and coastal flooding. 

• VCAT recommends that NIST work with the Department of Commerce and relevant House and 

Senate appropriators to attain sustained funding for iEdison to maintain its current operations 

and expand its capabilities to better support stakeholders and the U.S. taxpayers. 

• The NASEM report on NIST’s facilities proposed a series of recommendations for NIST to clear its 

maintenance backlog, and to restore its facilities and utilities to a state that will ensure that the 

United States has a world-leading National Measurement Institute well into the future. The VCAT 

endorses these recommendations and encourages the leadership at NIST, DOC, Congress, and 

the Administration to move forward with the implementation of the recommended recovery plan 

expeditiously.

• The VCAT recommends any future external earmarks should include budget support for their 

management, such as appropriations that allow for up to 5 % “tax” holdback for managing the 

earmarks.

• VCAT recommends that NIST continue to engage with prominent content generators with large 

numbers of subscribers, such as the Veritasium channel on YouTube, to leverage internal work to 

a broader audience. For example, two videos on NIST’s work that resulted from a visit by a film 
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

16

crew for that channel pulled in millions of views in just a few days, with uniformly positive 

comments from the viewers.

• The VCAT encourages NIST to pursue the establishment of a foundation, as an additional tool 

that would lead to greater awareness of, and support for, the agency and its mission.

7. Building a Community Where Everyone is Safe, Valued, Supported, Engaged, and 

Empowered

NIST needs its people more than ever to deliver on critical mission efforts, and it needs to create an 

environment where they can thrive. Employees must feel safe, both physically and mentally, in the office 

and laboratory. Employees of all backgrounds must be valued. A sense of community, whether virtual or 

in-person, is vital to the engagement and health of the workforce. 

7.1. Safety

NIST continues to provide regular updates on safety at the beginning of every VCAT meeting, including 

performance metrics and the status of recent incidents, as well as forward-looking efforts to build a NIST 

Safety Culture Program. The Institute is embarking on a safety culture development journey that will be 

essential for the future of the organization. NIST is currently undergoing significant actions to address its 

physical safety culture by collecting expert recommendations and data, for example by the NIST 

Director’s establishment of a NIST Safety Commission and by administering a staff-wide survey. The 

Office of Safety, Health, and Environment (OSHE) is implementing a substantial communications plan that 

includes weekly emails, videos, and a newsletter. 

7.2. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility 

The Executive Orders related to diversity and equity highlight the need for NIST to continue working on 

developing equity and inclusion within the Institute and ensuring that NIST’s population represents the 

American people. The FY 2022-2024 NIST DEIA Strategic Plan lays out five priority areas – diversity, 

equity, inclusion, accessibility, and inclusive economy. Internal work was recently completed with over 

200 staff volunteering their time to create action items and milestones under the priority areas. The NIST 

DEIA Strategic Plan requires support from the highest level of the agency to meet mission goals. Efforts

such as the new recruitment and outreach strategies and the DEIA Dashboard to increase participation 

and track progress metrics should continue to be supported. 

7.3. Community Building 

NIST, like every other organization, is facing the challenge of post-pandemic operations. Staff are not 

returning to their offices for many reasons which include failing infrastructure, the lack of amenities on 

campus, and concerns about health and safety – both physical and emotional. NIST started a community 

building group to develop and help execute a plan of actions that fosters workplace interactions with the 

purpose of improving the work culture. Actions will include the creation of events, spaces, practices, and 

wellness programs aimed specifically at fostering positive workplace aspects. VCAT recommends using 
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

17

this as an opportunity to foster leadership in its staff, identifying individuals who can bring people 

together to lead the way to the new working environment. This new workplace may have elements of the 

past but will need to meet people where they can contribute most effectively to the NIST mission. 

7.4. Workforce

With global emphasis on semiconductors, AI, cybersecurity, and biotechnology, the competition for 

talent is dramatically increasing. For NIST to compete with the private sector, additional hiring and pay 

authorities may be needed to recruit the level of talent needed to support NIST’s major research efforts

and to sustain strong operational capacity. 

7.5. Recommendations

• VCAT recommends that NIST look systemically across safety investigations to identify holistic

changes to safety procedures and the culture that could benefit a wider population. VCAT 

acknowledges the comprehensive approach that NIST is undertaking to ascertain and address 

vulnerabilities in the safety culture and applauds the Director’s swift actions to date. 

• VCAT recommends that NIST develop strategies and programs to continue to expand the 

diversity of recruitment to include populations such as people who have paused their careers or 

mid- and late-career people who desire a career change. NIST should also explore ways to 

revitalize the workplace environment to attract new talent in the CETs and in the services that 

keep an organization running such as administrative, procedural, and facilities staff.

• The VCAT recommends exploring critical pay authority and other tools to recruit talent in critical 

and emerging technologies for NIST to support the needs of the U.S. through mission delivery.

• The VCAT recommends that NIST establish or partner with programs that strengthen the studentto-hire pipeline, building on efforts that will be initiated with new funds in FY 2023. 

• VCAT notes that there are currently gaps between the skills needed in manufacturing and the 

skills that students gain in their education/training, and suggests that NIST programs like MEP 

and Manufacturing USA are uniquely positioned to help address these gaps. 

8. NIST Budget 

The passage of the CHIPS and Science Act included significant programmatic growth for NIST and set 

authorization levels that increase in each of the coming years. The NIST for the Future Act (the Act), 

included as part of the CHIPS and Science Act authorizes and codifies the NIST role in many areas 

including bioscience and biotechnology, cybersecurity and privacy, greenhouse gas measurements, 

advanced communications, and international standards development. The Act also provides additional 

NIST flexibilities for hiring and operations and calls on NIST to work with the National Science Foundation, 

Department of Energy, and other Departments and Agencies. The Act authorizes funding levels that 

gradually increase over five years to $2.28 B and nearly doubles the total budget for NIST (see Figure 1). 
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

18

Figure 1. Figure showing CHIPS and Science Act authorizations for NIST, as presented to VCAT in October 2022. Earmarks are not included. This 

show a 50 % growth in Scientific and Technical Research Services, a 358 % growth in Industrial Technology Services, and -3 % growth in 

Construction of Research Facilities

VCAT recognizes overall increases to NIST programs in the FY 2023 enacted budget, including the 

Scientific and Technical Research and Services (laboratories, +$78.1 M); the Innovation and Industry 

Services programs MEP (+$17.0 M) and Manufacturing USA (+$20.5 M); and Construction of Research 

Facilities (+$50.0 M)1

. Congress provided funding for laboratory increases including to support standards 

for critical and emerging technologies, cybersecurity and privacy, artificial intelligence, and climate and 

energy measurement tools and test beds. Supplemental funding (one-time) was also provided for NIST to 

continue ongoing disaster investigations ($40.0 M), and to support new authorities and directions to MEP 

and Manufacturing USA enumerated in the CHIPS and Science Act ($13.0 M and $14.0M respectively). 

Nonetheless, the funding is insufficient given the expansion of NIST’s mission and need for substantial 

facilities improvements.

However, the process of including external earmarks in the NIST laboratories and construction accounts, 

which restarted in FY 2022, puts the Institute at risk. These “community projects” are directed by 

Congress and do not increase the base funding for NIST; when the administrative burden is taken into 

account, these external projects have a net negative impact on base NIST funding. For NIST to sustain, let 

alone grow, their scientific capabilities, base funding must be increased to ensure continued delivery of 

services and research. In FY 2023, the laboratories appropriated budget (Scientific and Technical 

Research and Services) includes $62.5M in 34 projects. The facilities appropriated budget (Construction 

of Research Facilities) contained 31 projects totaling $332.2 M. 

As shown in the table below, the FY 2024 President's Budget Request increases NIST funding across the 

institute’s programs. After accounting for Congressionally directed spending in the FY 2023 budget, the 

President’s FY 2024 budget request for NIST provides an increase of $358.5 million (+29%) to support 

1 The FY 202 3 budget allocation has not yet been finalized with Congress at the time of writing. 
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

19

mission critical programs at NIST including a substantial increase to begin addressing critical NIST facility

needs, expand cutting-edge research, ensure NIST’s manufacturing programs strengthen domestic supply 

chains, and address critical workforce gaps. The increase positions NIST to address priorities in advanced 

research for critical and emerging technologies, cybersecurity and privacy, climate and the environment, 

and trustworthy supply chains, while ensuring exceptional mission delivery. 

Table 2. NIST Budget (dollars in millions) 

* Excludes one-time supplemental funds.

The FY 2024 President’s Budget targets increased funding for mission-essential projects: 

• Ensures a strong foundation for future standards development by investing in critical and 

emerging technologies research, measurements, and data. 

• Provides resources for NIST to meet increased industry and government demands for 

cybersecurity and privacy-related standards and guidelines. 

• Supports new technology solutions, data, and measurements to mitigate climate change. 

• Enhances and improves NIST mission delivery and stakeholder engagement. 

The FY 2024 President’s Budget includes modernization to the Gaithersburg Central Utility Plant (CUP) to 

install sustainable systems, increase capacity, and enhance centralized control and monitoring. NIST will 

also address maintenance backlogs, modernize IT networks, and replace multiple heating, ventilation, 

and air conditioning (HVAC) units/systems.

The FY 2024 President’s Budget includes increases for Manufacturing USA (+$60.3 M) to provide critical 

support for the network’s institutes and the creation and operation of testbeds, support for technology 

transfer in emerging priority areas, and engagement with underserved communities. MEP funding 

(+$100.9 M) is requested to accelerate progress for supporting a focused, national effort that strengthens 

U.S. manufacturing and empowers small and medium-sized manufacturers by narrowing the workforce 

gap, mitigating supply chain vulnerabilities, and leveraging advanced technology.

8.1. Recommendations

The VCAT notes the increases to NIST programs in the FY 2023 appropriated budget, and proposed 

growth in the President’s FY 2024 Budget Request. However, we note the following: 

• VCAT has serious concerns about the negative effects of increased external earmarks on NIST’s 

operations and instead recommends that the external earmark funding be re-directed to base 

Activity FY 2022 Enacted FY 2023 Enacted FY 2024

President's Request

Scientific & Technical Research 

Services (STRS)

$850.0 $953.0 $995.0

Industrial Technology Services (ITS) $174.5 $212.0 $374.9

Construction of Research Facilities 

(CRF)

$205.6 $462.2 $262.1

Total, NIST Discretionary $1,230.1* $1,627.3* $1,632.0
VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

20

NIST funding in both the Scientific and Technical Research and Services and Construction of 

Research Facilities accounts so that NIST can continue to meet its critical mission for the United 

States. 

• VCAT recommends growth in the NIST budget consistent with, or greater than, the authorizations 

passed as part of the CHIPS and Science Act.