FY 2021 Administration R&D Budget 

Priorities – NIST Alignment

VCAT

October 29th, 2019
NIST Programmatic Priorities

Advanced 

Manufacturing Cybersecurity Disaster Resilience

Documentary 

Standards

Technology 

Transfer

Engineering 

Biology

Internet of 

Things

Quantum 

Science

Artificial 

Intelligence

© Matt DeLorme

Measurement 

Dissemination

2
American Security

Leadership in 

Industries of the 

Future

Energy and 

Environmental 

Leadership

Health & Bioeconomic 

Innovation

Space Exploration and 

Commercialization

Five R&D Budgetary Priorities
I. American Security

Advanced Military 

Capabilities

Critical Infrastructure 

Resilience

Semiconductors

Critical Minerals

OMB Five R&D Budgetary Priorities

Disaster 

Resilience

Selected Relevant NIST Activities

• community resilience, WUI, NEHRP, 

structural performance, engineered 

materials, Public Safety Communications 

Advanced Composites , cybersecurity, 

PNT

• MEP – providing support and assistance 

to local manufacturers after disasters

Relevant NIST activities

• single and few atom device fabrication, neuromorphic, 

integrated photonics, nanophotonic circuits, imaging and 

characterization, optical 3D metrology, nCORE
II. American Leadership in 

Industries of the Future

Artificial Intelligence, 

Quantum Information 

Science, and 

Computing

Advanced 

Communications 

Networks and 

Autonomy

Advanced 

Manufacturing

OMB Five R&D Budgetary Priorities

Quantum 

Science

Artificial 

Intelligence

Advanced 

Manuf-ing

Quantum Science:

• QEDC, Quantum-based metrology, 

Quantum engineering, Quantum 

Communications, JQI, JILA, QuICS, postquantum cryptography

Artificial Intelligence:

• Trustworthy AI, application in materials 

communications, IoT, biosciences

• additive manufacturing, robotics, integration, smart 

manufacturing , advanced materials, 

biomanufacturing, precision measurements, nSOFT

• Manufacturing USA

• MEP Network

• public safety communications, next generation wireless, 

spectrum sharing, metrology of communications, 

trustworthy networks, cyber physical systems/IoT 

cybersecurity, 5G standards, UAS Challenge
III. American Energy and 

Environmental Leadership

Energy

Oceans

Earth System 

Predictability

OMB Five R&D Budgetary Priorities

Relevant NIST Activities

• Net-Zero Energy, High-Performance Buildings, Embedded 

Intelligence in Buildings, Smart Grid, biofuels, sustainability and 

recycling

Related Efforts:

• Sensor development and calibrations for earth observations, GHG 

monitoring and prediction, water quality, HML, ocean plastics, 

marine specimen bank
IV. American Health & Bioeconomic 

Innovation

Biomedicine

Veteran Health and 

Wellness

Bioeconomy

OMB Five R&D Budgetary Priorities

Relevant NIST Activities

• Gene editing consortia, advanced 

sequencing, proteomics, genomic 

reference materials, living measurement 

systems foundry (pro and eukaryotic 

systems), JIMB 

Engineering 

Biology

Relevant NIST Activities

• clinical diagnostics, medical imaging, 

biomanufacturing and characterization 

of complex biotherapeutics, NIIMBL, 

IBBR, detection of synthetic opioids, 

standards for health IT
V. American Space Exploration and 

Commercialization

“...return of Americans to the Moon's 

surface by 2024 and utilizing the 

Moon as a proving-ground for a 

future human mission to Mars”.

“...in-situ resource utilization on the 

Moon and Mars, cryogenic fuel 

storage and management, in-space 

manufacturing and assembly, and 

advanced space-related power and 

propulsion capabilities”.

OMB Five R&D Budgetary Priorities

Participating Laboratories:

• CTL – hosted a workshop on Space Commerce 

• ITL – cybersecurity in space operations 

Activities supporting Space Exploration:

• Advanced manufacturing 

• Materials development and measurements

• Sensors for space measurements
Five High-Priority Crosscutting Actions

Build and Leverage a 

Diverse, Highly Skilled 

American Workforce

Create and Support 

Research Environments 

that Reflect American 

Values

Support Transformative 

Research of High Risk and 

Potentially High Reward

Leverage the Power of 

Data

Build, Strengthen, and 

Expand Strategic 

Multisector Partnerships
Priority Crosscutting Actions

Build and Leverage a Diverse, Highly Skilled 

American Workforce

Create and Support Research Environments 

that Reflect American Values

Support Transformative Research of High 

Risk and Potentially High Reward

Leverage the Power of Data

Build, Strengthen, and Expand Strategic 

Multisector Partnerships

1. STEM literacy

2. Increase diversity, equity, and 

inclusion in STEM

1. help build R&D capacity at 

institutions that serve high 

proportions of underrepresented or 

underserved groups

2. foster collaboration and coordination 

among higher education institutions, 

the private sector, and nonprofits

3. Prepare STEM workforce, 

including college-educated 

STEM workers

1. facilitate the advancement of early 

career R&D professionals

4. Prepare skilled trades that do 

not require a four-year degree.
Priority Crosscutting Actions

Build and Leverage a Diverse, Highly Skilled 

American Workforce

Create and Support Research Environments 

that Reflect American Values

Support Transformative Research of High 

Risk and Potentially High Reward

Leverage the Power of Data

Build, Strengthen, and Expand Strategic 

Multisector Partnerships

Four high-priority areas related to research 

environments require 

significant attention:

1. Reducing administrative 

burdens on Federally- funded research; 

2. Improving rigor and 

integrity in research;

3. Creating safe and inclusive 

research environments; 

and

4. Protecting American 

research assets.
Priority Crosscutting Actions

Build and Leverage a Diverse, Highly Skilled 

American Workforce

Create and Support Research Environments 

that Reflect American Values

Support Transformative Research of High 

Risk and Potentially High Reward

Leverage the Power of Data

Build, Strengthen, and Expand Strategic 

Multisector Partnerships

“...ensure that review 

processes fully consider the 

possible rewards, risks, and 

benefits of failure for 

potentially transformative 

research.”
Priority Crosscutting Actions

Build and Leverage a Diverse, Highly Skilled 

American Workforce

Create and Support Research Environments 

that Reflect American Values

Support Transformative Research of High 

Risk and Potentially High Reward

Leverage the Power of Data

Build, Strengthen, and Expand Strategic 

Multisector Partnerships

Cross-Agency Priority (CAP) Goal 2, "Leveraging Data as a Strategic 

Asset," describes three objectives:

1. develop a long-term, enterprise- wide Federal Data Strategy to 

better govern and leverage the 

Federal Government’s data

2. enable Government data to be 

accessible and useful for the 

American public, businesses, 

and researchers

3. improve the use of data for 

decision-making and accountability for the U.S. 

Government, including for 

policy-making, innovation, oversight, and learning.
Priority Crosscutting Actions

Build and Leverage a Diverse, Highly Skilled 

American Workforce

Create and Support Research Environments 

that Reflect American Values

Support Transformative Research of High 

Risk and Potentially High Reward

Leverage the Power of Data

Build, Strengthen, and Expand Strategic 

Multisector Partnerships

1. Prioritize investments and policies that 

facilitate or strengthen multisector 

partnerships

2. Advance regional collaboration for 

innovation economies

3. Support research infrastructure 

4. Further the objective of CAP Goal 14 to 

"Improve Transfer of Federally-Funded 

Technologies from Lab-to-Market

5. Leverage existing and create new 

partnerships, share best practices, data, 

user facilities, and other resources to the 

extent possible

6. Define measures of success and describe 

how relevant R&D investments improve 

the number, variety, and quality of 

partnerships

7. Consider methods to reduce regulatory 

and administrative barriers and align 

incentives to facilitate multisector 

engagement
Questions?