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NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY (NOFO)

Measurement Science and Engineering (MSE) Research Grant Programs

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• Federal Agency Name: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 

United States Department of Commerce (DoC)

• Funding Opportunity Title: Measurement Science and Engineering (MSE) 

Research Grant Programs 

• Announcement Type: New

• Funding Opportunity Number: 2023-NIST-MSE-01

• Assistance Listings (CFDA Numbers): 11.609: Measurement and Engineering 

Research and Standards, 11.619: Arrangements for Interdisciplinary Research 

Infrastructure, and 11.620: Science, Technology, Business and/or Education 

Outreach. 

• Dates: Applications will be accepted and considered on a rolling basis as they are 

received. See Section IV.4. in the Full Announcement Text of this NOFO. 

When developing your submission timeline, please keep in mind that (1) all 

applicants are required to have current registrations in the System for Award 

Management (SAM.gov) and Grants.gov; (2) the free annual registration process in 

the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) (see Section IV.3. and Section 

IV.7.a.(1).(b). of this NOFO) generally takes between three and five business days 

but can take more than three weeks; and (3) applicants will receive a series of e-mail 

messages from Grants.gov over a period of up to two business days before learning 

whether a Federal agency’s electronic system has received its application. Please 

note that a federal assistance award cannot be issued if the designated 

recipient’s registration in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) is not 

current at the time of the award.

• Application Submission Address: Applications must be submitted using 

Grants.gov. 

• Funding Opportunity Description: NIST is soliciting applications for financial 

assistance for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) within the following NIST grant programs:

(1) the Associate Director for Innovation and Industry Services (ADIIS);

(2) the Associate Director for Laboratory Programs (ADLP); 

(3) the Communications Technology Laboratory (CTL); 
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(4) the Engineering Laboratory (EL); 

(5) Fire Research (FR);

(6) the Information Technology Laboratory (ITL);

(7) the International and Academic Affairs Office (IAAO); 

(8) the Material Measurement Laboratory (MML);

(9) the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR); 

(10) the Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML);

(11) the Special Programs Office (SPO); and

(12) the Standards Coordination Office (SCO).

This funding opportunity will result in the award of grants or cooperative agreements. 

A grant or cooperative agreement is not the correct funding vehicle if the principal 

purpose is to provide products or services for the direct benefit or use of the federal 

government. 

• Anticipated Funding Amounts: See Section II. in the Full Announcement Text of 

this NOFO.

• Funding Instrument: Grant or cooperative agreement, as appropriate.

• Who is Eligible: Eligibility for all programs listed in this NOFO is open to all nonFederal entities. Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, non-profit 

organizations, for-profit organizations, state and local governments, Indian tribes, 

hospitals, foreign public entities, and foreign governments. NIST seeks to 

collaborate with a wide range of organizations and encourages minority-serving 

institutions of higher education to apply. Please note that individuals and 

unincorporated sole proprietors are not considered “non-Federal entities” and are 

not eligible to apply under this NOFO.

• Cost Sharing or Matching Requirements: The MSE Research Grant Programs do 

not require cost sharing or matching.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Program Description 3

II. Federal Award Information 29

III. Eligibility Information 31

IV. Application and Submission Information 31

V. Application Review Information 43

VI. Federal Award Administration Information 56

VII. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts 64

VIII. Other Information 65
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FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Program Description

NIST’s mission is to drive innovation and industrial competitiveness through 

measurement science and standards by cultivating a culture of belonging that 

integrates diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in all ways of working. One 

component of this mission is NIST’s ongoing effort to develop a diverse, world-class 

pool of scientists and engineers to engage in NIST's measurement science and 

standards research, and to support the development of a general population that 

understands and appreciates measurement science and standards. NIST also seeks 

to collaborate with a wide range of organizations, including but not limited to minorityserving institutions such as Historically Black colleges and universities, as well as

community colleges, in support of NIST's mission.

This funding opportunity will result in the award of grants or cooperative agreements. 

1. Associate Director for Innovation and Industry Services (ADIIS) Grant Program

The statutory authority for the ADIIS Grant Program is 15 U.S.C. § 272(b) and 

(c), 15 U.S.C. § 278g-1(e)(1) and (e)(3), and Title II, Division B, the Research 

and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (Pub. L. 117-167).

Program Description: The ADIIS Grant Program supports activities that 

develop, expand, strengthen, or sustain NIST partnership programs within the 

ADIIS Directorate through measurements, standards, data, industry and 

technology studies, and technology research and development (R&D). 

Specifically, the ADIIS Grant Program seeks to support technology innovation 

and service to American industry in the following fields: bioscience, chemistry, 

dimensional metrology, electronics, engineering, infrastructure, information 

technology, manufacturing, manufacturing metrology, materials science and 

engineering, nanotechnology, neutron research, optics, and physics.

The ADIIS Directorate’s current partnership programs include the Baldrige 

Performance Excellence Program1, the Hollings Manufacturing Extension 

1 The Baldrige Program oversees the nation's only Presidential award for performance excellence while offering a 

wide array of award-winning products and services, including the world-renowned Baldrige Excellence Framework. 

See https://www.nist.gov/baldrige for more information.
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Partnership (MEP)2, programs within the NIST Office of Advanced 

Manufacturing3, and programs within the NIST Technology Partnerships Office4. 

Financial assistance may be provided to bolster measurements, standards, data 

and technology R&D within these partnership programs, or through new 

partnerships, to:

• advance early-stage research and development for industry;

• enhance opportunities in manufacturing through innovation;

• strengthen supplier programs for small and medium manufacturers;

• encourage the transfer and commercialization of research and technology 

from institutions of higher education, federal laboratories, other federally 

funded research programs, and nonprofit research institutes, as well as 

research or evaluate the impacts of such transfer and commercialization;

• create jobs or promote workforce development; and

• realize or sustain metrology needs in American industry, including through 

technical metrology training programs for manufacturers.

Financial support may be provided for conferences, workshops, studies, 

workforce development activities, or technical R&D meetings that are relevant to 

advancing NIST partnerships pursuant to technology innovation and service to 

American industry. However, NIST cannot be an official sponsor or co-sponsor 

for any event funded through this program. 

All applications submitted to the ADIIS Grant Program must be in accordance 

with the program objectives listed above.

Financial support will not be provided for the establishment of an MEP Center or 

to augment capabilities of an MEP Center through an MEP Center applicant. 

Current MEP Centers may add capabilities to the MEP Program, including the 

development of projects to solve new or emerging manufacturing problems, 

through the rolling MEP Competitive Awards Program NOFO (see

https://www.nist.gov/mep/nist-mep-competitive-awards-program-cap). 

Financial support will not be provided for the NIST Small Business Innovation 

Research (SBIR) program. The NIST SBIR program solicits research and 

development proposals from small businesses that respond to specific technical 

2 MEP is a public-private partnership with Centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico dedicated to serving small and 

medium-sized manufacturers. See https://www.nist.gov/mep for more information.

3 The NIST Office of Advanced Manufacturing coordinates the network of Manufacturing USA institutes and leads the 

interagency Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office. See https://www.nist.gov/oam for more information.

4 Programs within the NIST Technology Partnership Office include the NIST Technology Transfer Program, the Lab 

to Market Initiative, and the Economic Analysis Program. See https://www.nist.gov/tpo for more information.
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needs described in the annual NIST SBIR Program NOFO. Please visit the NIST 

SBIR Program webpage for more information: https://www.nist.gov/tpo/smallbusiness-innovation-research-program.

Additional information about the ADIIS and ADIIS Programs may be obtained at 

https://www.nist.gov/adiis. The contact person for the ADIIS Grant Program, who 

may be contacted for clarification of the program objectives, is Sheena Simmons 

and she may be reached at (301) 975-5020 or by e-mail at

sheena.simmons@nist.gov.

2. Associate Director for Laboratory Programs (ADLP) Grant Program

The statutory authority for the ADLP Grant Program is 15 U.S.C. § 272(b) and 

(c), 15 U.S.C. § 278g-1(e)(1) and (e)(3), and Title II, Division B, the Research 

and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (Pub. L. 117-167).

Program Description: The ADLP Grant Program provides financial assistance 

to support the conduct of research or a recipient’s portion of collaborative 

research consistent with the NIST mission in areas consistent with the interests 

of NIST research programs including but not limited to bioscience, 

communications, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, resilience, 

quantum information science, etc. Financial support may be provided to 

organizations to sponsor individual participation in career development and 

outreach programs in advance of the NIST mission and laboratory priorities. 

Financial support may be provided for students to attend education and outreach 

programs, conferences, workshops, or other technical research meetings that are 

relevant to the mission of the ADLP. Financial support may also be provided to 

organizations sponsoring conferences, workshops, education and outreach 

programs, or other technical events that are relevant to the mission of the ADLP. 

However, NIST cannot be an official sponsor or co-sponsor for any event funded 

through this program.

Additional information about the ADLP and ADLP Programs may be obtained at 

http://www.nist.gov/director/adlp.cfm.

All applications submitted to the ADLP Grant Program must be in accordance 

with the program objectives listed above. The contact person for the ADLP Grant 

Program, who may be contacted for clarification of the program objectives, is 

Stephanie Shaw and she may be reached at (301) 975-2667 or by e-mail 

atstephanie.shaw@nist.gov.

3. Communications Technology Laboratory (CTL) Grant Program

The statutory authority for the CTL Grant Program is 15 U.S.C. § 272(b) and (c), 
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15 U.S.C. § 278g-1(e)(1) and (e)(3), 15 U.S.C. § 278n-1, 15 U.S.C. § 3706, § 

1305 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-

140), and Title II, Division B, the Research and Development, Competition, and 

Innovation Act (Pub. L. 117-167).

Program Description: The CTL Grant Program provides financial assistance to

support the conduct of research or a recipient’s portion of collaborative research

consistent with the CTL mission in broad areas that support the accelerated

development, testing, and deployment of advanced communications and

connected systems technologies in support of both commercial and government 

applications including core network technologies, high-speed electronics,

superconducting electronics, wireless systems metrology, antenna and RadioFrequency (RF) capabilities, high-speed and high frequency measurement

capabilities, advanced optics, quantum communications, network design and

optimization, network modeling, next generation core networks, and spectrum

sharing; Internet of Things (IoT), cyber-physical systems, trustworthy network

control systems, smart grid, smart connected manufacturing, automated, 

connected vehicles, smart infrastructure, smart cities and communities, and next 

generation wireless systems; public safety communications; smart infrastructure 

and manufacturing; and spectrum sensing and testing.

Additional information about the CTL and CTL Programs may be obtained at 

www.nist.gov/ctl. All applications submitted must be in accordance with the 

program objectives listed below for the five CTL divisions. The contact person for 

the CTL Grant Program, who may be contacted for clarification of program 

objectives, is Suzanne Griesel and she may be reached at (301) 975-2350 or by 

e-mail at suzanne.griesel@nist.gov and ctlboc@nist.gov.

a. CTL Office. Financial support may be provided for conferences, workshops, 

or other technical research meetings that are relevant to the mission of the

CTL. However, NIST cannot be an official sponsor or co-sponsor for any 

event funded through this program. Applications for other purposes may be 

considered.

b. Public Safety Communications Research Division. Specific objectives of 

interest include but are not limited to researching, developing, promoting, 

measuring, and deploying emerging technologies and standards that enhance 

the ability of first responders and others using a Public Safety 

Communications network during emergency operations.

c. RF Technologies Division. Specific objectives of interest include but are not 

limited to researching, developing, promoting, measuring, and deploying 

emerging technologies and standards in fundamental microwave quantities, 

high-speed microelectronics, superconducting electronics, electromagnetic 
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compatibility, electromagnetic field characterization, antenna metrology, 

electromagnetic properties of materials, electrical hardware security, and

radio-frequency communications systems.

Additional objectives include quantum networks, characterization of 

microwave circuits at cryogenic temperatures, superconducting integrated

circuits for precision measurement and fundamental standards, such as for dc 

and ac voltage, impedance, signal synthesis, RF reference sources for 

wireless communications, and both quantum and energy-efficient advanced 

computing. Methods employed are both experimental and theoretical and 

include multivariate uncertainty analysis.

d. Wireless Networks Division. Specific objectives of interest include but are 

not limited to researching, developing, promoting, measuring, and deploying 

emerging technologies and standards that revolutionize how wireless 

networks are designed, managed, and used; conducting theoretical and 

experimental research in communication networks, protocols, digital 

communication systems, and components; utilizing analytical and empirical 

approaches, developing simulation models, experimental test beds, and 

building proof of concept prototypes to evaluate new technologies and refine 

standard specifications for wireless networks and systems; and developing 

metrics and measurement methods to assess the performance and 

trustworthiness of wireless systems.

e. Smart Connected Systems Division. Specific objectives of interest include 

but are not limited to researching, developing, promoting, measuring, and 

deploying emerging technologies, standards, and test methods for trustworthy 

(e.g., reliable, resilient, safe, secure, and privacy-protecting) IoT systems and 

critical applications including smart grid, smart connected manufacturing, next 

generation core networks, quantum networks, networked control systems, 

smart infrastructure and devices, IoT/cyber-physical systems, 

automated/connected vehicles, and smart cities and communities.

f. Spectrum Technology and Research Division. Specific objectives of 

interest include but are not limited to research, development, and deployment 

of innovative measurement methods and tools to promote novel and efficient 

use of spectrum through improved access, sharing, atmospheric sensing, and 

precision timing. Additional objectives include the following: wireless coexistence; Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) applied to closedbox systems testing; microwave noise metrology; RF spectrum sensing; fiber 

optic combs applications in atmospheric spectroscopy, time synchronization, 

chemical analysis, and telecommunications; and development and 

deployment of spectrum-efficient and spectrum-sharing technologies, 

including support of the National Advanced Spectrum and Communications 
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Test Network (NASCTN).

4. Engineering Laboratory (EL) Grant Program 

The statutory authorities for the EL Grant Program are 15 U.S.C. § 272(b) and 

(c), 15 U.S.C. § 278g-1(e)(1) and (e)(3), 15 U.S.C. § 278n-1, 15 U.S.C. § 278n-2,

42 U.S.C. § 7701 et seq., 42 U.S.C. § 15701 et seq; and Title II, Division B, the 

Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (Pub. L. 117-167).

Program Description: The EL Grant Program provides financial assistance to 

support the conduct of research or a recipient’s portion of collaborative research 

consistent with the EL’s mission to support research in the following fields: 

advanced manufacturing; additive manufacturing; robotics; intelligent systems 

and information systems integration for applications in manufacturing; polymeric 

materials; heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC & R) 

equipment performance; mechanical systems and controls; heat transfer and 

alternative energy systems; indoor air quality and ventilation and applied 

economics. Financial support may be provided for conferences, workshops, or 

other technical research meetings that are relevant to the mission of EL. 

However, NIST cannot be an official sponsor or co-sponsor for any event funded 

through this program. Additional information about the EL and EL Programs may 

be obtained at www.nist.gov/el. 

The EL Grant Program supports the EL mission to promote U.S. innovation and 

industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and 

technology for engineered systems in ways that enhance economic security and 

improve quality of life. Typical funded activities may include measurement 

science research; development of performance metrics, tools, and 

methodologies for engineering technologies and applications; and critical 

technical contributions to standards and codes development.

All applications submitted must be in accordance with the program objectives 

listed below. The appropriate EL Program Manager for each EL field of research 

described in this Section may be contacted for clarification of the program 

objectives. The contact person for the EL Grant Program is Millie Glick and she 

may be reached at (301) 975-5962 or by e-mail at millie.glick@nist.gov.

a. Applied Economics Office. The primary objective is to provide standardized 

methods, economic models, training programs and materials and expert 

technical consulting in support of resource allocation decisions and uses 

techniques such as benefit-cost analysis, life-cycle costing, multi-criteria 

decision analysis and econometrics to evaluate new technologies. The 

contact person is David Butry and he may be reached at (301) 975-6136 or 

by e-mail at david.butry@nist.gov.
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b. Materials and Structural Systems Division. The primary objective is to 

collaborate with or conduct research consistent with the division’s programs in 

the area of infrastructure materials, infrastructure systems, and community

resilience. In particular, applications for financial assistance are sought that 

would address the following specific subject areas:

1) Infrastructure Materials: There are emergent concrete degradation 

mechanisms that originate in the coarse or fine aggregate component of a 

concrete mixture. These mechanisms may arise from inadequate 

standardized testing for the specific aggregate mineral features that may 

lead to expansion and cracking. The measurement challenge is typically 

associated with aggregate characteristics, or the critical quantity of 

aggregate required to cause damage. 

2) Buildings and Physical Infrastructure: Degradation of construction 

materials in turn affect performance, structural integrity, resilience, and 

sustainability of the built environment, and measurement science to 

quantify the effects of degradation mechanisms on overall service life, 

structural safety, and resilience of physical systems in the U.S. is still a 

major challenge. Measurement challenges include accurate 

characterization of extreme natural hazards (hurricane wind and storm 

surge, tornado, flood, earthquake), developing risk-consistent design 

criteria for the built-environment, science-based accounting for long-term 

climate changes to natural hazards, building and infrastructure 

performance, and life-cycle prediction.

3) Community Resilience: Community resilience considers the integrated 

performance of buildings and infrastructure systems for hazard events and 

under adverse conditions, and the consequences and impacts on 

populations, social systems, and economics of a community or region, for 

a forward-looking time period. Measurement challenges include integrated 

modeling of physical, social, economic, and natural systems; metrics and 

indicators at a community scale for decision makers; economic 

assessments of costs and benefits over a future specified time period; and 

methods to address long-term climate changes to natural hazards.

The contact person for this division is Therese McAllister and she may be 

reached at (301) 975-6078 or by e-mail at therese.mcallister@nist.gov .

c. Building Energy and Environment Division. The primary objective is to 

collaborate with or conduct research consistent with the laboratory programs 
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in areas related to measurement science needed to enable energy-efficient,

high performance green buildings. The breadth of this area includes 

measurement science associated with the building envelope, HVAC 

equipment, renewable and alternative energy systems, building 

controls/building automation systems, building water systems, and strategies 

to improve indoor air quality. In particular, applications for financial assistance 

are sought that would:

(1) Provide measurement science for net-zero energy, high-performance 

buildings. Measurement systems, approaches, and predictive models are 

required that can help to enable energy-efficient, high-performance 

buildings. A primary objective is to develop measurement methods and 

approaches, data, and predictive models to assess the effectiveness of 

building enclosures from a thermal and airtightness perspective, the 

performance of indoor space conditioning systems, the performance of 

photovoltaics and other renewable and alternative energy systems, indoor 

air quality, and water efficiency and quality in buildings. Additionally, an 

objective is to develop techniques to assess buildings on a whole-building 

scale. These techniques could involve standards, system interactions, and 

factors beyond energy use. The contact person is William Healy and he 

may be reached at (301) 975-4922 or by e-mail at william.healy@nist.gov.

(2) Enable energy-use reduction through embedded intelligence in 

building controls. Next-generation metrics and tools are needed that 

enable the development and deployment of building automation and 

control systems with embedded intelligence that reduce energy 

consumption through improvements to building system operation. A 

primary objective is to develop measurement methods, models, and 

algorithms/tools suitable for embedding in building control system 

products that enable better or more automated system commissioning, 

automated fault detection and diagnostics, improved system-level 

optimization, and integration of building systems with a smart electrical 

grid. Additionally, an objective is to conduct research that provides a basis 

for new industry standards for embedded intelligence systems. The

contact person is William Healy and he may be reached at (301) 975-4922

or by e-mail at william.healy@nist.gov.

(3) Develop metrics/tools for building sustainability evaluation. Nextgeneration metrics and tools enabling rigorous sustainability assessment 

over the building service life are needed to link sustainable building 

technology innovation to environmental/economic benefits. A primary 

objective is the development of databases and/or models for estimating 

component and system costs for existing and emerging energy-related 

technologies in new buildings. Additionally, an objective is to develop 
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techniques for performing life-cycle impact assessments of emerging

technologies for achieving low energy and/or net zero energy performance 

in new buildings. The contact person is David Butry and he may be 

reached at (301) 975-6136 or by e-mail at david.butry@nist.gov.

d. Systems Integration Division. The primary objective is to collaborate with or 

conduct research consistent with Division programs and research in 

measurement science for advanced manufacturing systems integration. Areas 

of particular interest include integration standards and new science-based 

methods and tools for validating compliance to those standards, performance 

metrics, measurement methods and tools, test artifacts, and associated 

reference data and software for:

(1) Circular Economy for manufacturing (including measurements and 

standards for systems integration related to sustainable manufacturing 

and circular economy, methods and standards for design for the circular 

economy, modeling, and simulation analysis);

(2) Additive manufacturing (including data collection and processing; 

modeling and monitoring of additive manufacturing processes; and 

measurement science supporting the qualification of additive 

manufacturing machines, processes, and parts);

(3) Digital twin (including measurement science, methods, and tools for 

integrating, testing, and validating digital twins); and 

(4) Biomanufacturing (including systems integration for biomanufacturing 

supply chain, integration methods and standards).

Additional information regarding Intelligent Systems Integration Division 

research programs and projects can be found at www.nist.gov/el/sid. The 

contact person for this division is KC Morris who may be reached at 301-975-

8286 or by e-mail at katherine.morris@nist.gov.

e. Intelligent Systems Division. The primary objective is to collaborate with or 

conduct research consistent with Division programs and research in 

measurement science for intelligent systems. Areas of particular interest 

include performance metrics, measurement methods and tools, test artifacts, 

and associated reference data and software for:

(1) Robotic systems for smart manufacturing (including measurement science 

for perception, dexterous manipulation and grasping, mobility, humanrobot and robot-robot collaboration, agility, robot system integration, and 
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) for manufacturing robotic applications);

(2) Additive manufacturing (including characterization of additive 

manufacturing materials; modeling, monitoring, and real-time control of 

additive manufacturing processes; and measurement science supporting 

the qualification of additive manufacturing materials, machines and 

processes, and parts); and

(3) Sensing, prognostics, and health management (PHM) for smart 

manufacturing, including AI applications for PHM; and,

(4) Emergency response robot performance metrics and standards. 

Additional information regarding Intelligent Systems Division research programs 

and projects can be found at www.nist.gov/el/isd. Successful proposals are 

typically well aligned with the current and ongoing measurement science 

research projects of the division. The contact person for this division is Kevin 

Jurrens and he may be reached at (301) 975-5486 or by e-mail at

kevin.jurrens@nist.gov.

5. Fire Research (FR) Grant Program

The statutory authority for the FR Grant Program is 15 U.S.C. § 272(b)(4), 15 

U.S.C. § 278f, 15 U.S.C. § 278g-1(e)(1) and (e)(3), 15 U.S.C. § 278n-1 and Title 

II, Division B, the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act 

(Pub. L. 117-167).

Program Description: The FR Grant Program provides financial assistance to 

support the conduct of research or a recipient’s portion of collaborative research 

in areas of current interest to the Fire Research Division. The Fire Research 

Division develops, verifies, and utilizes measurements and predictive methods to 

quantify the behavior of fire and means to reduce the impact of fire on people, 

property, and the environment. This work involves integration of laboratory 

measurements, verified methods of prediction, and large-scale fire experiments 

to demonstrate the use and value of the research products. Details on current 

Division research activities are available at 

http://www.nist.gov/el/fire_research/index.cfm. Also, NIST SP 1130 “Reducing 

the Risk of Fire in Buildings and Communities: A Strategic Roadmap to Guide 

and Prioritize Research” provides an overview of current research interests: 

http://www.nist.gov/manuscript-publication-search.cfm?pub_id=909653. The 

contact person for the FR Grant Program is Dr. Jiann Yang and he may be 

reached at (301) 975-6662 or by e-mail at jiann.yang@nist.gov.

All applications submitted must be in accordance with the program objectives 
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listed below. The appropriate FR Program Manager for each FR field of research 

described in this Section may be contacted for clarification of the program 

objectives.

a. Fire Fighting Technology Group. Develops, advances, and deploys 

measurement science to improve fire fighting safety and effectiveness, and 

provide a science-based understanding of fire phenomena. Carries out 

mission-related measurement science research and services to advance 

cyber-physically-based (smart) fire fighting, technology integration into firefighting equipment, and physics-based training tools that predict fire 

phenomena and their effects on structures and occupants and conducts 

disaster and failure studies to reduce the risk of fire hazard to buildings and 

fire fighters. 

b. Engineered Fire Safety Group. Develops, advances, and deploys 

measurement science for cost-effective fire protection of structures. Carries 

out mission-related measurement science research and services to predict 

the fire performance of structures with respect to ignition fire growth and 

spread, detection, suppression, toxicity, and egress; develops cost-effective 

performance-based codes, standards, and practices used for fire prevention 

and control; and conducts disaster and failure studies to reduce the risk of fire 

hazard to buildings and occupants. 

c. Flammability Reduction Group. Develops, advances, and deploys 

measurement science to reduce the fire hazard of building contents and 

construction materials. Carries out mission-related measurement science 

research and services to reduce material ignition probability, fire growth and 

spread, and environmental impacts; research to understand the risk of 

firefighters being exposed to per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); and 

supports development of regulations, codes and standards for cost-effective, 

fire-safe building contents and construction materials, and reducing 

firefighter's exposure to PFAS.

d. Wildland Urban Interface Fire Group. Develops, advances, and deploys 

measurement science to reduce the risk of fire spread in wildland-urban 

interface (WUI) communities. Carries out mission-related measurement 

science research and services to develop risk exposure metrics, predict the 

spread of fires in WUI communities, assess fire performance of structures and 

communities, mitigate the impact of WUI fires on structures and communities, 

and conduct disaster and failure studies to reduce the risk of fire hazard in 

WUI communities. 

e. National Fire Research Laboratory Group. Develops, advances, and 

deploys measurement science to reduce the risk of structural fires. Carries 
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out mission-related measurement science research and services to 

understand the performance of structures exposed to fire, create new data to 

advance performance-based design approaches, and develop new largescale fire metrology. 

6. Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) Grant Program 

The statutory authority for the ITL Grant Program is 15 U.S.C. § 272(b) and (c),

15 U.S.C. § 278g-1(e)(1) and (e)(3), 15 U.S.C. § 278n-1 and Title II, Division B, 

the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (Pub. L. 117-

167).

Program Description: The mission of the Information Technology Laboratory 

(ITL) is to cultivate trust in information technology (IT) and metrology and is 

accomplished using its world-class measurement and testing facilities and 

encompassing a wide range of areas of computer science, mathematics, 

statistics, and systems engineering. 

The ITL Grant Program provides financial assistance to support the conduct of 

research or a recipient’s portion of collaborative research consistent with the 

ITL’s missions to support research in the following fields: Applied and 

Computational Mathematics, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Biometrics, Cloud 

Computing, Cyber-Physical Systems, Cybersecurity, Forensic Science, Health 

Information Technology, High-Performance Computing, Human Factors and 

Usability, Information Access, Information Processing and Understanding, 

Internet of Things (IoT), Metrology Infrastructure for Modeling and Simulation, 

Privacy Engineering, and Statistics for Metrology. 

Additional information about the ITL and ITL Programs may be obtained at 

www.nist.gov/itl. 

Financial support may be provided to attend education and outreach programs, 

conferences, workshops, or other technical research meetings that are relevant 

to the mission of the ITL. Financial support may also be provided to organizations 

sponsoring conferences, workshops, or other technical events that are relevant 

to the mission of the ITL. However, NIST cannot be an official sponsor or cosponsor for any event funded through this program.

All applications submitted to the ITL Grant Program must be in accordance with 

the program objectives listed below. The contact person for the ITL Grant 

Program, who may be contacted for clarification of program objectives, is Melissa 

Banner and she may be reached by e-mail at melissa.banner@nist.gov.
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a. Artificial Intelligence Program: NIST contributes to the research, standards, 

data, test, and evaluation required to realize the full promise of artificial

intelligence (AI) as a tool that will enable American innovation, enhance 

economic security and improve our quality of life. Much of NIST AI work focuses 

on cultivating trust in the design, development, use and governance of artificial 

intelligence technologies and systems. The development and utility of trustworthy

AI systems depend heavily on reliable measurements and evaluations of 

underlying technologies and their use. Specific topics of interest include 

foundational research on examining, measuring, and understanding the tradeoff 

among various aspects of trustworthy AI systems, which include valid and 

reliable, safe, secure and resilient, accountable and transparent, exp0lainable 

and interpretable, privacy enhanced, and fair with their harmful biases managed.

b. Applied and Computational Mathematics Division (ACMD) nurtures trust in 

metrology and scientific computing through the development and application of 

advanced mathematical and computational techniques and tools. Current topics 

of interest include: the Mathematics of Special Functions; Machine Learning for 

Scientific Applications; Neuromorphic Computing; Quantum Information Science; 

Combinatorial Methods; and Modeling of Internet of Things for Health 

Applications.

c. Applied Cybersecurity Division (ACD) implements practical cybersecurity and 

privacy through outreach and effective application of standards, guidelines and

ACD establishes cybersecurity standards practices in an open, transparent, and 

collaborative way, and conducts research in applied cybersecurity. Specific 

objectives of interest in these areas of research include Cybersecurity 

Awareness, Training, Education, and Workforce Development; Cybersecurity 

Risk Management; Cybersecurity Measurement; Identity and Access 

Management; Internet of Things Cybersecurity, Privacy Engineering; and 

Cybersecurity and Privacy of Genomics Data.

d. Computer Security Division (CSD) develops cybersecurity standards, 

guidelines, tests, and metrics to protect federal information systems. CSD helps 

to develop innovative security technologies that enhance the nation’s ability to 

address current and future computer and information security challenges. CSD’s 

research focuses on cryptography, automation, identity and access 

management, supply chain risk management, cybersecurity metrics, and 

cryptographic conformance testing. The Division maintains a Computer Security 

Resource Center (CSRC), which provides access to NIST's cybersecurity- and 

information security-related projects, publications, news, and events. Specific 

objectives of interest in these areas of research include Cryptography and 

Cryptographic Test Methods; Thresh hold cryptography; Post Quantum 

Cryptography; Security Testing Tools and Metrics; Vulnerability Semantics; 
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Privacy Enhancing Cryptography; Cybersecurity Conformance Testing; Security 

Automation; and Security Engineering. 

e. Information Access Division (IAD) supports technologies used to access 

complex information relating to human action, behavior, communication, or 

characteristics. Through collaborations with industry, academia, and the federal 

government, IAD enables the advancement of these technologies for commercial 

use. IAD provides guidelines and measurement methods to accelerate this 

evolution. Specific objectives of interest in these areas of research include: 

Measurement approaches for trustworthy and responsible AI; Biometrics for 

Fusion Quality and Identity; Audio/Image/Video Analytics and Analysis; Data 

Quality for Analytics and Machine Learning; Usability of Cybersecurity and 

Privacy; Human Language Technology; Natural Language Processing; and 

Search and Retrieval Algorithms including Query and Indexing Technology and 

Large Language Models. 

f. Software and Systems Division (SSD) works with industry, academia, and 

other government agencies to accelerate the development and adoption of 

correct, reliable and testable software. This collaborative effort leads to increased 

trust and confidence in deployed software and methods to develop better 

standards and testing tools. SSD focuses on advances in state-of-the-art 

software testing and facilitates the transfer of applications and technologies into 

national infrastructures and commercial sectors. Specific objectives of interest in 

these areas of research include Artificial Intelligence, Digital Forensics; Data 

Analytics; Data Storage; Cloud Computing; Health IT; High-Performance 

Computing; Image Analytics; IoT for Health Applications; Material Genome 

Initiative; Medical Device Interoperability; Software Assurance; Systems Biology; 

Systems Interoperability.

g. Statistical Engineering Division (SED) conducts fundamental and applied 

statistical research on problems in metrology; develops and applies best 

practices for the characterization of measurement uncertainty, in particular to 

enable the intercomparison of measurements in the context of interlaboratory 

studies and calibrations; and implements methods and techniques for 

experimental design, data analysis, statistical modeling and probabilistic 

inference in computer software. Specific objectives of interest in these areas of 

research include Statistical Methods in Forensic Science; Statistics for Metrology; 

Statistical Aspects of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence; and Access to

Statistical Analysis Methods via Software.

7. International and Academic Affairs Office (IAAO) Grant Program

The statutory authority for the IAAO Grant Program is 15 U.S.C. § 272(b) and (c)

and Title II, Division B, the Research and Development, Competition, and 
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Innovation Act (Pub. L. 117-167).

Program Description: The IAAO Grant Program has been designed to support 

activities that strengthen and enhance the international metrology community and 

promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness in support of the NIST 

mission. NIST seeks to promote the efforts of International Organizations with a 

metrology mission, Regional Metrology Organizations, National Metrology 

Institutes and Designated Institutes to bolster the global metrology system and 

regional metrology cooperation and enhance quality infrastructure. The IAAO 

Grant Program will support scientific, industrial and/or legal metrology activities 

and related quality infrastructure endeavors with an emphasis on the Western 

Hemisphere, Asia Pacific and Africa. Financial support may be provided for 

conferences, workshops, or other technical meetings (in-person and virtual) that

are relevant to the mission of the IAAO. However, NIST cannot be an official 

sponsor or co-sponsor for any event funded through this program. Additional 

information about the IAAO and IAAO Programs may be obtained at 

www.nist.gov/iaao. All applications submitted to the IAAO Grant Program must 

be in accordance with the program objectives listed above. The contact person 

for the IAAO Grant Program, who may be contacted for clarification of the 

program objectives, is Claire Saundry and she may be reached at (301) 975-

2386 or by e-mail at csaundry@nist.gov. 

8. Material Measurement Laboratory (MML) Grant Program

The statutory authority for the MML Grant Program is 15 U.S.C. § 272(b) and 

(c),15 U.S.C. § 278g-1(e)(1) and (e)(3), and Title II, Division B, the Research and 

Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (Pub. L. 117-167).

Program Description: The MML supports the NIST mission by serving as the 

national reference laboratory for measurements in the chemical, biological, and 

material sciences. The MML is entrusted with developing, maintaining, 

advancing, and enabling measurement systems in these areas for the nation. 

The MML’s activities range from fundamental and applied research on the 

composition, structure, and properties of industrial, biological, and environmental 

materials and processes to the development and dissemination of certified 

reference materials, critically evaluated data and other programs that help assure 

measurement quality.

The MML Grant Program provides financial assistance to support the 

conduct of research or a recipient’s portion of collaborative research in the 

following fields: materials science and engineering, materials 

measurement science, biosystems and biomaterials, biomolecular 

measurements, chemical sciences, and applied chemicals and materials.
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All applications submitted to the MML Grant Program must be in accordance with 

the program objectives set forth below. The appropriate MML Program Manager 

for each MML field of research described in this section may be contacted for 

clarification of the program objectives. The MML Grant Program contact person 

is Bill Clark and he may be reached at (303) 497-3268 or by e-mail at 

william.clark@nist.gov. 

a. MML Office. Financial support may be provided for education and outreach 

programs, conferences, workshops, or other technical research meetings that 

are relevant to the mission of the MML. Financial support may also be 

provided to organizations sponsoring conferences, workshops, or other 

technical events that are relevant to the mission of the MML. However, NIST 

cannot be an official sponsor or co-sponsor for any event funded through this 

program. The contact person for this office is Bill Clark and he may be 

reached at (303) 497-3268 or by e-mail at william.clark@nist.gov.

b. Office of Data and Informatics. The primary objective is to support 

researchers and institutions in the biological, chemical, and materials 

sciences who need to leverage both large and information-rich data sets now 

common in many disciplines. The division supports national needs such as 

the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI) and biological and chemical data 

integration, as well as the modernization of current Standard Reference Data 

for use in state-of-the-art computer paradigms (i.e., virtual computing, parallel 

analysis, interoperability, semantic web, etc.) and the development of next 

generation NIST reference data services. The division also facilitates the

MML's adherence to the government open-data policy by providing guidance 

and assistance in the best practices for archiving and annotating research 

and data outputs. The Office of Data and Informatics (ODI) identifies, 

coordinates, integrates, and builds the capabilities needed to meet data 

challenges and leverage data-driven research opportunities (including Big 

Data and data.gov), particularly those that relate to the biological, chemical, 

and materials science communities within the MML. As a service-oriented 

organization, the ODI adds value to data activities by providing guidance, 

assistance, and resources for optimizing the discoverability, usability, and 

interoperability of data products in ways that support NIST scientists and 

stakeholders. In addition, by fostering collaboration and coordination among 

MML domain experts and other data specialists at NIST, the ODI supports 

MML research programs where advanced manipulation, visualization, and 

analysis of large data sets are needed to advance knowledge. The ODI also 

is leading a NIST-wide initiative called the Research Data Framework, which 

aims to document the research data ecosystem and provide a guide to 

organizations and individuals with a role in research data management. The 

contact person for this division is Robert Hanisch; he may be reached at (301) 

975-3463 or by e-mail at robert.hanisch@nist.gov.
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c. Materials Science and Engineering Division. The primary objective is to 

collaborate or conduct research consistent with division programs that provide 

the measurement science, standards, technology, instrumentation, and data 

required to advance materials technology and manufacturing processes, 

enabling those engaged in the materials science and engineering enterprise 

to create innovative, successful products that solve problems in areas such 

as microelectronics, transportation, civil infrastructure, biopharmaceuticals, 

energy, and the environment. Division programs support the development 

and application of soft materials, metal alloys, and inorganic functional 

materials to include: multi-phase fluids and gels along with constituent 

components such as polymeric molecules, nanoparticles, colloids, and fibers; 

the processing and manufacturing of polymers into functional forms that 

include thin films, nanostructures, and shaped bulk solids; the physical, 

chemical, and mechanical properties of solid polymers; the electrical, 

chemical, and magnetic properties of nanostructured inorganic materials 

including magnetic thin films and nanoparticles, and 2-dimensional topological 

materials; electrochemical and surface science measurements and models 

for advancing wet chemical manufacturing and sustainable energy conversion 

technologies; mechanical properties and performance of advanced metal 

alloys, particularly as related to thermo-mechanical processing/manufacturing 

and application-relevant operating conditions; thermodynamic, physical 

property, and kinetic data, models, and associated experimental techniques, 

including density functional theory and interatomic potential calculations, and 

methods and data to predict phase transformations, microstructure evolution, 

and properties of advanced materials; additive manufacturing processes for 

metallic and polymeric materials; and infrastructure and tools to support the 

production, availability, and discovery of materials data including automated 

experimentation and artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) methods.

The contact person for this division is Mark VanLandingham and he may be 

reached at (301) 975-8795 or by e-mail at mark.vanlandingham@nist.gov.

d. Materials Measurement Science Division. The primary objective is to 

collaborate or conduct research consistent with division programs in support 

of measurement science, measurement standards, and measurement 

technology required to enable world-leading characterization of advanced 

materials in support of the nation’s needs for determining the composition, 

structure, and properties of materials. The division develops state-of-the-art 

instrumentation, methods, models and software to accurately and precisely 

measure materials over a range of length and time scales. The division 

provides benchmarking and validation of emerging materials analysis 

methods, and disseminates reference materials, standards, and scientific 

data to foster innovation and advance a wide range of technologies. Division 

programs include: advanced microscopies, microanalysis and imaging; 
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nanomaterials and nanodevice research; solid sorbents characterization; 

nanocalorimetry; high throughput materials science; energy conversion 

materials; nanomechanical properties; synchrotron science for materials 

characterization; materials structure and dynamics; modeling and predicting 

materials structure and properties; chemical detection technologies and 

standards for forensics and homeland security applications; and materials 

science and standards for law enforcement equipment and technologies. The 

contact person for this division is Dave Holbrook and he may be reached at 

(301) 975-5202 or by email at dave.holbrook@nist.gov.

e. Biosystems and Biomaterials Division. The primary objective is to 

collaborate with or conduct research consistent with division projects in

measurement science, standards, and technology to build confidence in 

quantitative biology and foster responsible biotechnology innovation. The 

Division supports quantitative measurement and standardization for methods 

such as bioimaging, flow cytometry, genomic and metagenomic 

measurements, as well as the design and validation of bioassays. The 

Division further supports the development of advanced measurement 

capabilities and integration of AI/ML to accelerate quantitative and/or 

predictive biology. Current priorities include precision measurements and 

predictive engineering of biological systems to support precision medicine, 

cell-based manufacturing, and other new technologies enabled by genome 

editing. This includes measurements pertinent to method validation for 

bioassays, genome sequencing measurements of complex cellular systems 

and other biological entities via genomic, transcriptomics, proteomic, cell 

identification, cell enumeration, biological activity/function, as well as 

measurement assurance strategies for these measurements, cell 

enumeration, function, as well as assurance strategies. The contact person 

for this division is Sheng Lin-Gibson and she may be reached at (301) 975-

6765 or by email at sheng.lin-gibson@nist.gov. 

f. Biomolecular Measurement Division. The primary objective is to 

collaborate with or conduct research consistent with the division activities in

measurement science, standards, technology, and data required to support 

the nation’s needs in determining the composition, structure, quantity, and 

function of biomolecules. In partnership with U.S. industry, government 

agencies, and scientific institutions, the division performs fundamental and 

applied research on the measurement of macromolecules such as proteins 

and nucleic acids, as well as peptides, glycans, metabolites, lipids, and 

natural products. Specific areas of interest include development of 

measurement methods, standards, reference data, and technologies for 

applications involving clinical diagnostics for healthcare; characterization, 

development, and manufacturing of biotherapeutics; proteomics, 

metabolomics, and drug discovery; and genetic testing in agriculture, law 
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enforcement, and clinical diagnostics. The contact person for this division is 

Michael Tarlov and he may be reached at (301) 975-2058 or by email at

michael.tarlov@nist.gov.

g. Chemical Sciences Division. The primary objective is to collaborate with or 

conduct research consistent with the division activities in support of the 

measurement science, reference standards, technology, data and chemical 

informatics required to support the nation’s needs in the determination of 

chemical composition and chemical structure of organic, and inorganic 

species in the gas and condensed phases, and in the measurement of a wide 

variety of physicochemical properties and processes, including chemical 

reactivity and mechanisms, as well as thermochemical and kinetics 

properties. In partnership with U.S. industry, government agencies, and 

academic scientific institutions, the division performs fundamental and applied 

research to advance and create state-of-the-art chemical measurement 

capabilities, theory and computational methods for quantitative 

measurements, and sensing of solids, liquids, gases, plasmas, transient 

species, and multicomponent matrices. The division also formulates and 

disseminates reference materials and measurement standards, and critically 

evaluates reference data. These activities support the chemical science, 

technology, and engineering enterprise with the intent of fostering innovation 

and confidence in measurements and technologies used in a wide range of 

applications, including chemical analysis, environmental and greenhouse gas 

emissions, clinical health assessment, food and nutritional assessment, 

sensing, manufacturing, and energy transformation. The contact person for 

this division is Carlos Gonzalez and he may be reached at (301) 975-2483 or 

by e-mail at carlos.gonzalez@nist.gov.

h. Applied Chemicals and Materials Division. The primary objective is to 

collaborate with or conduct research consistent with division programs in the 

measurement science, standards, technology, instrumentation, models, and 

data required to support the nation’s needs for design, production, and 

assessment of chemical and material products. In partnership with U.S. 

industry, other government agencies and other scientific institutions, the 

division provides thermophysical and mechanical properties; analysis of 

reliability and performance of materials and structures; and information 

systems for chemical and materials engineering, with the intent of fostering 

innovation and confidence in the nation’s physical and energy infrastructures, 

enabling advances in chemical manufacturing and in electronics, and 

promoting sustainability. The contact person for this division is John Perkins 

and he may be reached at (303) 497-6476 or by e-mail at 

john.perkins@nist.gov.

9. NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) Grant Program 
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The statutory authority for the NCNR Grant Program is 15 U.S.C. § 272(b) and 

(c),15 U.S.C. § 278g-1(e)(1) and (e)(3), and Title II, Division B, the Research and 

Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (Pub. L. 117-167).

Program Description: The NCNR Grant Program provides financial assistance 

to support the conduct of research or a recipient’s portion of collaborative 

research involving neutron scattering and the development of innovative 

technologies that advance the state-of-the-art in neutron research.

Financial support may be provided for conferences, workshops, or other 

technical meetings that are relevant to the mission of the NCNR. However, NIST 

cannot be an official sponsor or co-sponsor for any event funded through this 

program.

Additional information about the NCNR and NCNR Programs may be obtained at 

www.nist.gov/ncnr.

All applications submitted to the NCNR Grant Program must be in accordance 

with the program objectives: to create novel approaches to advance high 

resolution cold and thermal neutron scattering research; to develop new 

applications of neutron scattering to physics, chemistry, and macromolecular and 

materials research; nuclear engineering research on neutron source and neutron 

delivery systems; and to support the development of innovative technologies 

relevant to neutron research, including, for example, high resolution twodimensional neutron detectors, neutron monochromators, and neutron focusing 

and polarizing devices. The contact person for the NCNR Grant Program, who 

may be contacted for clarification of the program objectives, is Dan Neumann 

and he may be reached at (301) 975-5252 or by e-mail at 

dan.neumann@nist.gov.

10. Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML) Grant Program

The statutory authority for the PML Grant Program is 15 U.S.C. § 272(b) and (c),

15 U.S.C. § 278g-1(e)(1) and (e)(3), 15 U.S.C. § 7501 et seq., and Title II, 

Division B, the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act 

(Pub. L. 117-167).

Program Description: The PML Grant Program provides financial assistance to 

support the conduct of research or a recipient’s portion of collaborative research

consistent with the PML mission to support research in the broad areas of 

mechanical metrology, semiconductors, ionizing radiation physics, medical 

physics, biophysics, neutron physics, atomic physics, optical technology, 

optoelectronics, electromagnetics, time and frequency, quantum physics, weights 
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and measures, quantum electrical metrology, temperature, pressure, flow, far UV 

physics, nanotechnology, and metrology with synchrotron radiation. 

Additional information about the PML and PML Programs may be obtained at 

www.nist.gov/pml.

All applications submitted to the PML Grant Program must be in accordance with 

the program objectives listed below. The appropriate PML Program Manager for 

each PML field of research that follows may be contacted for clarification of the 

program objectives. The contact person for the PML Grant Program is Kum Ham 

and she may be reached at (301) 975-4203 or by e-mail at kum.ham@nist.gov. 

a. PML Office. Financial support may be provided for students to attend 

education and outreach programs, conferences, workshops, or other 

technical research meetings that are relevant to the mission of the PML. 

Financial support may also be provided to organizations sponsoring 

conferences, workshops, education and outreach programs, or other 

technical events that are relevant to the mission of the PML. However, NIST 

cannot be an official sponsor or co-sponsor for any event funded through this 

program. Support is generally provided in increments of $5,000 per award. 

The contact person for this office is Kum Ham and she may be reached at 

(301) 975-4203 or by e-mail at kum.ham@nist.gov.

b. Office of Weights and Measures. The primary objective is to provide funding 

for research in the broad areas of documentary standards and legal 

metrology. Specific objectives of interest in this area include: evaluation of the 

impact of legal metrology on commerce, support for specific standards related 

activities, and the development of a national weights and measures training 

program. The contact person for this office is Katrice Lippa and she may be 

reached at (301) 975-3116 or by e-mail at katrice.lippa@nist.gov.

c. Microsystems and Nanotechnology Division. The primary objective is to 

collaborate with or conduct research consistent with the division’s programs in 

the areas of measurement science and technology that advance the state-ofthe-art of nanofabrication and nanomanufacturing by top-down, bottom-up, 

and hybrid approaches, and application of these novel capabilities to make 

innovative, integrated microsystems (Micro/Nano Electromechanical Systems 

[NEMS/MEMS]) comprising mechanical, fluidic, photonic, phononic, 

plasmonic, and electronic micro- and nanostructures for critical applications,

including measurements for nanoscience and nanomanufacturing; 

microsystems for quantum engineering, information science, and metrology; 

and microsystems for biological applications, including cytometry, body-on-achip, nanoparticle, single-molecule, and bioelectronic measurements. The 
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contact for this division is J. Alexander Liddle and he may be reached at (301) 

975-6050, or via e-mail at james.liddle@nist.gov.

d. Radiation Physics Division. The primary objective is to collaborate with or 

conduct research consistent with the division’s programs in the areas of 

ionizing radiation including x-ray and gamma-ray measurements and 

dosimetry, neutron physics, radioactivity measurements supporting the 

protection of radiation workers and the general public, therapy and diagnosis 

of disease, nuclear medicine and medical imaging, radiography, industrial 

processing, nuclear and alternative energies, national defense and security, 

space science, and environmental protection. The contact person for this 

division is James Adams and he may be reached at (301) 975-4202 or by email at james.adams@nist.gov.

e. Nanoscale Device Characterization Division. The primary objective is to 

collaborate with or conduct research consistent with the division’s programs 

to develop and advance the measurement science and fundamental 

knowledge essential to characterizing nano- and atom-scale engineered 

materials and solid-state devices for innovation in information processing, 

sensing, and future quantum technologies. The contact person for this 

division is David Gundlach and he may be reached at (301) 975-2048 or by email at david.gundlach@nist.gov.

f. Quantum Measurement Division. The primary objective is to collaborate 

with or conduct research consistent with division basic and applied research 

programs, including precision measurements; mass, force, acoustics, 

vibration, and electrical metrology; electronic instrumentation; measurements 

of basic atomic properties including new metrology techniques in atomic 

spectroscopy; Raman spectroscopy measuring fundamental quantum 

processes in ultra-cold atomic systems including Bose-Einstein condensates 

and Fermi degenerate gases, nanophotonic systems, quantum dots, single 

photon devices, and quantum materials relevant to these systems; and 

advancing quantum information science and laser cooling and their broad 

applications to measurement science and measurement beyond the standard 

quantum limit. The contact person for this division is Gerald FitzPatrick and 

he may be reached at (301) 975-8922 or by e-mail at 

gerald.fitzpatrick@nist.gov.

g. Sensor Science Division. The primary objective is to collaborate with or 

conduct research consistent with the division’s measurement and standards 

programs in temperature, humidity, pressure, vacuum, flow, photometry 

length and dimension, surface topography, optical surfaces, low-background 

infrared measurements, photonic sensors, interferometry, firearm and tool 

mark forensics, climate change, greenhouse gas, and space weather 
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metrology, optical properties of materials, synchrotron radiation, and optical 

radiation and their application to addressing national needs. The contact 

person for this division is Maria E. Nadal and she may be reached at (301) 

975-4632 or by e-mail atmaria.nadal@nist.gov.

h. Applied Physics Division. The primary objective is to collaborate with or 

conduct research consistent with the division’s programs in areas including 

laser metrology, superconducting sensor array fabrication and application, 

quantum information and computing, single photonics, medical imaging, 

radio-frequency and microwave technology, greenhouse gas measurements, 

terahertz imaging and metrology, laser applications, compound 

semiconductor nanophotonics, and molecular and bio-photonics. The contact 

person for this division is Kristan Corwin and she may be reached at (303) 

497-4411 or by e-mail at kristan.corwin@nist.gov.

i. Quantum Electromagnetics Division. The primary objective is to 

collaborate with or conduct research consistent with the division’s programs in 

areas including: superconducting detector arrays and systems for x-ray line 

metrology and advanced materials research, gamma-ray detection for nuclear 

forensics and medicine, and sub-millimeter-wave space science; 

superconductive electronics circuit design; superconducting quantum 

computing and information processing; neuromorphic computing circuitry and 

architectures for artificial intelligence; spin electronics; nanoscale 

magnetodynamics; and compact cryogenics science and engineering. The 

contact person for this division is William Rippard and he may be reached at 

(303) 497-3882 or by e-mail at william.rippard@nist.gov.

j. Time and Frequency Division. The primary objective is to collaborate with 

or conduct research consistent with the division’s basic and applied research 

programs in the areas of time and frequency standards, phase noise 

measurements, network synchronization, ion storage, quantum information, 

optical atomic standards and frequency measurements in support of future 

standards, optical frequency combs, chip-scale atomic clocks, 

magnetometers and related devices, time and frequency dissemination 

services, and time and frequency applications such as navigational systems 

and telecommunications. The contact person for this division is Elizabeth 

Donley and she may be reached at (303) 497-5173 or by e-mail at 

elizabeth.donley@nist.gov.

k. Quantum Physics Division. The primary objective is to collaborate with or 

conduct research consistent with the division’s basic and applied research 

programs in the areas of quantum information science and technology, 

quantum-based precision measurements, quantum degenerate gases of 

atoms and molecules, chemical physics, and biophysics. The contact person 
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for this division is Andrew Wilson and he may be reached at (303) 492-6806

or by e-mail at andrew.wilson@nist.gov. 

11. Special Programs Office (SPO) Grant Program

The statutory authority for the SPO Grant Program is 15 U.S.C. § 272(b) and (c), 

15 U.S.C. § 278g-1(e)(1) and (e)(3), and Title II, Division B, the Research and 

Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (Pub. L. 117-167).

Program Description: The SPO Grant Program provides financial assistance to 

support the conduct of research or a recipient’s portion of collaborative research

consistent with the SPO mission for special programs in broad areas of critical 

national need and in response to federal mandates that cut across NIST’s 

scientific and technical mission focused laboratory programs such as forensic 

science research, foundation studies, and standards; greenhouse gas 

measurements research and standards; and open data programs. Additional 

information about the SPO and SPO Programs may be obtained at 

https://www.nist.gov/special-programs-office-spo.

All applications submitted to the SPO Grant Program must be in accordance with 

the program objectives listed below. The appropriate SPO Program Manager for 

each SPO field of research described in this section may be contacted for 

clarification of the program objectives. The contact person for the SPO Grant 

Program is Darlene Hamilton and she may be reached at (301) 975-2227 or by 

e-mail at darlene.hamilton@nist.gov.

a. Special Programs Office. Financial support may be provided to attend 

education and outreach programs, conferences, workshops, or other 

technical research meetings that are relevant to the mission of the SPO. 

Financial support may be provided for conferences, workshops, or other 

technical research meetings that are relevant to the mission of SPO. 

However, NIST cannot be an official sponsor or co-sponsor for any event 

funded through this program. The contact person for this office is Darlene 

Hamilton and she may be reached at (301) 975-2227 or by e-mail at

darlene.hamilton@nist.gov.

b. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Measurements Research and Standards 

Program. The primary objective of this program is to develop or extend 

internationally-recognized measurements, standards, and methods to 

accurately quantify greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in urban and regional 

settings. Atmospheric methods utilize accurate measurement of GHG mole 

fractions in the atmosphere, while the analyses involved are often enhanced 

by additional measurements of interest in air quality research, e.g., carbon 

monoxide. Supported research aims to improve accuracy of science-based 
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quantification of anthropogenic emissions and biogenic exchange of CO2 and 

CH4 with the atmosphere. Areas of interest include: 1) quantification of GHG 

emissions from stationary sources, 2) coordinated measurement and 

modeling tools to better quantify anthropogenic and biospheric atmospheric 

exchange, 3) remote sensing of atmospheric GHG concentrations and their 

attendant supporting analyses and observations, and 4) measurement 

capabilities to further understanding of GHG transport in the lower 

atmosphere. Additional information about the SPO GHG Research and 

Standards Program may be obtained at https://www.nist.gov/spo/greenhousegas-measurements-program. The contact person for this program is James 

Whetstone and he may be reached at (301) 975-2738 or by e-mail at 

james.whetstone@nist.gov.

c. Forensic Science Research and Foundational Studies Program. The 

primary objective of this program is to conduct and coordinate forensic 

science research and foundational studies and to provide technical services 

to address the needs of the forensic science community. The program 

focuses on creating new materials standards; verifying methodology; and 

evaluating new technologies for forensic science disciplines including the 

following: digital evidence, forensic genetics, biometrics, firearms and 

toolmarks, drugs and toxins, statistics, and trace analysis. The program also 

facilitates knowledge exchange and identifies best practices for the forensic 

science community. Additional information about the SPO Forensic Science 

Research and Foundational Studies Program is available at

https://www.nist.gov/spo/forensic-science-program. The contact person for 

this program is Robert Ramotowski and he may be reached at (301) 975-

4772 or by e-mail at robert.ramotowski@nist.gov.

d. Forensic Science Standards Program. The primary objective of this 

program is to strengthen the nation's use of forensic science by facilitating the 

development and use of technically sound standards and guidelines and 

promoting their adoption and use throughout the forensic science community, 

especially by forensic science practitioners and other forensic science service 

providers. NIST leverages the voluntary consensus process to generate 

technical standards for the forensic science community through the 

Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science. 

OSAC achieves this by coordinating the development of technically sound 

forensic science standards through the U.S. standards system and by 

enabling participation from state, local and federal government, academic 

institutions, and private sector organizations. 

This program supports interlaboratory comparisons, forensic science 

discipline-specific process maps, forensic science standards-related training 

materials, work products that enable more rapid implementation of standards 
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listed on the OSAC Registry, and workshops to address specific forensic 

science standards gaps. Additional information about the SPO Forensic 

Science Standards Program is available at https://www.nist.gov/spo/forensicscience-standards-program. The contact person for this program is John Paul 

Jones II and he may be reached at (301) 975-2782 or by e-mail at 

john.jones@nist.gov.

e. Open Data Program. The primary objective of this program is to facilitate the 

development and integration of advanced data science and engineering 

methods across the data lifecycle in areas including data management, data 

sharing, data interoperability, and data analytics. Additional information about 

the Open Data Program is available at https://www.nist.gov/spo/open-dataprogram. The contact person for this program is Katherine Sharpless, and 

she may be reached at (301) 975-3121 or by e-mail at 

katherine.sharpless@nist.gov.

12. Standards Coordination Office (SCO) Grant Program

The statutory authority for the SCO Grant Program is 15 U.S.C. § 272(b) and 

(c),15 U.S.C. § 278g-1(e)(1) and (e)(3), and Title II, Division B, the Research and 

Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (Pub. L. 117-167).

Program Description: The SCO plays a unique role in the Federal government 

by coordinating Federal standards and conformity assessment activities, 

supporting U.S. industry with standards-related tools and information necessary 

to effectively compete in the global marketplace, and serving as a resource to 

Federal agencies and the private sector on the U.S. approach to standards and 

conformity assessment. Information about the SCO and SCO programs is 

available at https://www.nist.gov/standards.gov.

The SCO Grant Program provides financial assistance to support the conduct of 

research or a recipient’s portion of collaborative research consistent with the 

NIST mission in the broad areas of standards-related activities, coordination 

activities with the private sector and with other federal agencies on standards 

activities and programs, and standards development and conformity assessment 

activities tailored to equip U.S. industry with the standards-related tools and 

information necessary to effectively compete in the global marketplace. Financial 

support may be provided for the development of standards-related training 

materials, publications, policy analysis, and research and information services.

Financial support may be provided to academic institutions for staff and students 

to attend education and outreach programs, conferences, workshops, or other 

standards-related meetings that are relevant to the mission of the SCO. Financial 

support may also be provided to organizations sponsoring conferences, 

workshops, education and outreach programs, or other technical events that are 
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relevant to the mission of the SCO. However, NIST cannot be an official sponsor 

or co-sponsor for any event funded through this program. 

All applications submitted to the SCO Grant Program must be in accordance with 

the program objectives listed above. The contact person for the SCO Grant 

Program, who may be contacted for clarification of the program objectives, is

Mary Jo DiBernardo and she may be reached at (301) 975-5503 or by e-mail at

maryjo.dibernardo@nist.gov.

II. Federal Award Information

1. Funding Instrument. The funding instruments used in these programs will be 

grants or cooperative agreements, as appropriate. Where cooperative 

agreements are used, the nature of NIST’s “substantial involvement” will 

generally include collaboration with the recipient in executing the approved 

scope of work, in accordance with 2 CFR § 200.1. 

2. Multi-Year Funding Policy. When an application for a multi-year award is 

approved, funding will usually be provided for only the first year of the project. 

If a project is selected for funding, NIST has no obligation to provide any 

additional funding in connection with that award. Continuation of an award to 

increase funding or extend the period of performance is at the sole discretion 

of NIST. Continued funding will be contingent upon satisfactory performance, 

continued relevance to the mission and priorities of the individual MSE 

research grant programs, and the availability of funds.

3. Funding Availability. The availability of funds depends upon actual 

authorization of funds, programmatic needs, and other costs expected to be 

incurred by individual divisions within each laboratory, center, or office. If 

funds are identified as available for financial assistance, those funds may be 

awarded to highly ranked applications as determined by the applicable 

program’s review and selection process (see Section V.2. of this NOFO). 

a. Associate Director for Innovation and Industry Services (ADIIS)

Grant Program. In FY2023, the ADIIS anticipates funding individual 

projects in the $5,000 - $500,000 per year range and with project 

performance periods of up to five (5) years, consistent with the multi-year 

funding policy (see Section II.2. of the NOFO).

b. Associate Director for Laboratory Programs (ADLP) Grant Program. 

In FY 2023, the ADLP anticipates funding individual projects in the $5,000 

- $5,000,000 per year range and with project performance periods of up to 

five (5) years, consistent with the multi-year funding policy (see Section 

II.2. of this NOFO). 
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c. Communications Technology Laboratory (CTL) Grant Program. In FY 

2023, the CTL anticipates funding individual projects in the $3,000 -

$2,500,000 per year range and with project performance periods for up to 

five (5) years, consistent with the multi-year funding policy (see Section 

II.2. of this NOFO). 

d. Engineering Laboratory (EL) Grant Program. In FY 2023, the EL

anticipates funding individual projects in the $5,000 - $500,000 per year 

range and with project performance periods of up to five (5) years, 

consistent with the multi-year funding policy (see Section II.2. of this 

NOFO). 

e. Fire Research (FR) Grant Program. In FY 2023, the FR Grant Program 

anticipates funding individual projects in the $100,000 per year range and 

with project performance periods of up to three (3) years, consistent with 

the multi-year funding policies (see Section II.2. of this NOFO).

f. Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) Grant Program. In FY 2023, 

the ITL anticipates funding individual projects in the $10,000 - $500,000 

per year range and with project performance periods of up to five (5) 

years, consistent with the multi-year funding policy (see Section II.2. of 

this NOFO). 

g. International and Academic Affairs Office (IAAO) Grant Program. In 

FY 2023, the IAAO anticipates funding individual projects in the $50,000 -

$200,000 per year range and with project performance periods of up to

five (5) years, consistent with the multi-year funding policy (see Section 

II.2. of this NOFO).

h. Material Measurement Laboratory (MML) Grant Program. In FY 2023, 

the MML anticipates funding individual projects in the $5,000 -

$12,000,000 per year range and with project performance periods of up to 

five (5) years, consistent with the multi-year funding policy (see Section 

II.2. of this NOFO).

i. NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) Grant Program. In FY 

2023, the NCNR anticipates funding new, individual projects in the 

$10,000 - $200,000 per year range and with project performance periods 

of up to five (5) years, consistent with the multi-year funding policy (see

Section II.2. of this NOFO).

j. Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML) Grant Program. In FY 2023, 

the PML anticipates funding individual projects in the $5,000 – $250,000

per year range and with project performance periods of up to five (5) 
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years, consistent with the multi-year funding policy (see Section II.2. of 

this NOFO). 

k. Special Programs Office (SPO) Grant Program. In FY 2023, the SPO 

anticipates funding individual projects in the $5,000 - $2,000,000 per year 

range with project performance periods of up to five (5) years, consistent 

with the multi-year funding policy (see Section II.2. of this NOFO). 

l. Standards Coordination Office (SCO) Grant Program. In FY 2023, the

SCO anticipates funding individual projects in the $25,000 - $1,000,000

per award range and with project performance periods of up to five (5) 

years, consistent with the multi-year funding policy (see Section II.2. of the

NOFO). 

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants. Eligibility for all programs listed in this NOFO is open to all 

non-Federal entities. Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, 

non-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, state and local governments, 

Indian tribes, hospitals, foreign public entities, and foreign governments. NIST 

seeks to collaborate with a wide range of organizations and encourages minorityserving institutions of higher education to apply. Please note that individuals and 

unincorporated sole proprietors are not considered “non-Federal entities” and are 

not eligible to apply under this NOFO.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching. The MSE research grant programs do not require 

cost sharing.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package. 

The application package is available at www.grants.gov under Funding 

Opportunity Number 2023-NIST-MSE-01. 

2. Content and Form of Application Submission for all programs listed in this 

NOFO.

a. Required Forms and Documents

(1) SF-424 (R&R), Application for Federal Assistance. The SF-424 (R&R) 

must be signed by an authorized representative of the applicant organization. 

For SF-424 (R&R), Items 5, 14, and 19, use the Zip Code + 4 format (##### 
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-####) when addresses are called for.

SF-424 (R&R), Item 18. If the SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form 

(item (6) below) is applicable, attach it to field 18. 

The list of certifications and assurances referenced in Item 17 of the SF-424 

(R&R) is contained in the Federal Financial Assistance Certifications and 

Representations (Certs and Reps) as part of the SAM.gov entity registration.

Instructions for filling in the SF-424 (R&R) can be found on Grants.gov, as 

well as in the NIST Grants Management Division SF-424 Research & 

Related (R&R) Application Package Guidance. 

(2) Research & Related Budget (Total Fed + Non-Fed). The budget should 

reflect anticipated expenses for the full term of the project, considering all 

potential cost increases, including cost of living adjustments. 

The budget should be detailed in these categories:

A. Senior/Key Person;

B. Other Personnel;

C. Equipment Description;

D. Travel;

E. Participant/Trainee Support Costs;

F. Other Direct Costs;

G. Direct Costs (automatically generated);

H. Indirect Costs;

I. Total Direct and Indirect Costs (automatically generated);

J. Fee (not relevant to this competition);

K. Total Costs and Fee (automatically generated);

L. Budget Narrative and Justification document (item (9) below) should be 

attached to field L.

A separate detailed R&R Budget must be completed for each budget period 

during the proposed award (e.g. annual basis). To add additional budget 

periods (e.g. year 2), click “Add Period” embedded at the end of the form. 

Instructions for completing the Research & Related Budget (Total Fed + NonFed) form is available in the R&R Family Section of Grants.gov, as well as at 

the NIST Grants Management Division SF-424 Research & Related (R&R) 

Application Package Guidance.

(3) CD-511, Certification Regarding Lobbying. Enter “2023-NIST-MSE-01” in 

the Award Number field. Enter the title of the application, or an abbreviation 

of that title, in the Project Name field.
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(4) Research and Related Other Project Information. Answer the highlighted 

questions and use this form to attach the Project Narrative (item (6) below),

Resume(s) or CV(s) (item (7) below) the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (item 

(9) below), the Data Management Plan (item (10) below), and the Current 

and Pending Support Form (item (12) below). Instructions for completing the 

Research and Related Other Project Information can be found in the

Grants.gov R&R Forms Repository by scrolling down to Research And 

Related Other Project Information and clicking the Instructions link, as well as 

in the NIST Grants Management Division SF-424 Research & Related (R&R) 

Application Package Guidance.

Please note that the Project Summary/Abstract is not relevant to this 

competition. However, Grants.gov requires an attachment to field 7 of 

the Research and Related Other Project Information form to 

successfully pass through Grants.gov. Please attach a document to 

field 7 stating, “A Project Summary/Abstract is not relevant to this 

competition”. 

(5) SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable). 

(6) Project Narrative. The Project Narrative is a word-processed document 

responsive to the applicable program description(s) (see Section I. of this 

NOFO) and the evaluation criteria (see Section V.1. of this NOFO). 

This document is limited to twenty-five (25) pages and must consist of two 

parts: the Cover Page and the Project Narrative itself. The page limit 

includes: Cover Page; Table of Contents (if included); Project Narrative with 

all required information, including figures, graphs, tables, images, and 

pictures.

A. The Cover Page must consist of three (3) elements:

I) The name and address of the applicant institution, and the name, 

address, and contact information for the application’s Principal 

Investigator;

II) The specific component MSE research grant program to which the 

application is being submitted, using the following choices:

a. the Associate Director for Innovation and Industry Services (ADIIS);

b. the Associate Director for Laboratory Programs (ADLP); 

c. the Communications Technology Laboratory (CTL); 

d. the Engineering Laboratory (EL); 

e. Fire Research (FR);
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f. the Information Technology Laboratory (ITL);

g. the International and Academic Affairs Office (IAAO); 

h. the Material Measurement Laboratory (MML);

i. the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR);

j. the Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML); 

k. the Special Programs Office (SPO); and 

l. the Standards Coordination Office (SCO).

Any applicant that does not wish its application to be considered by other 

NIST programs should indicate on its application that it would like 

consideration of the project to be limited to the program specified on the 

application.

III) Statement of Relevance and Benefit to the General Public.

Using no more than two or three sentences, describe the relevance 

and benefit of the research proposed in this application to the public.

This statement should be succinct and use plain language that can 

be understood by a general, lay audience.

B. The Project Narrative.

The Project Narrative should describe in depth the scope of the proposal, 

its goals, the methods and equipment to be used, its schedule, the 

personnel working on the project and their qualifications, and the 

institutional capabilities of the applicant. 

(7) Resume(s) or CV(s). Resumes are required for all key personnel, including 

the principal investigator. Resumes are limited to two (2) pages per 

individual.

(8) Budget Narrative and Justification. There is no set format for the Budget 

Narrative and Justification; however, the written justification should include

the necessity and the basis for the cost, as described below. Proposed 

funding levels must be consistent with the project scope, and only allowable 

costs should be included in the budget. Information on cost allowability is 

available in the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and 

Audit Requirements for Federal Awards at 2 C.F.R. Part 200, which apply to 

awards in this program.

Information needed for each budget category is as follows (categories not 

listed are automatically generated by the form or are not relevant to this 

competition):
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A. Senior/Key Person – At a minimum, the budget justification should 

 include the following: name, job title, commitment of effort on the 

 proposed project in terms of average number of hours per week or 

 percentage of time, salary rate, total direct charges on the proposed 

 project, description of the role of the individual on the proposed 

 project and the work to be performed.

Fringe benefits should be identified separately from salaries and wages 

and based on rates determined by organizational policy. The items 

included in the fringe benefit rate (e.g., health insurance, parking, etc.) 

should not be charged under another cost category.

B. Other Personnel - Data is requested at the project role level, and not 

 at the individual level for Other Personnel. The budget justification 

 should include the following: job title, commitment of effort on the 

 proposed project in terms of average number of hours per week or 

 percentage of time, salary rate, total direct charges on the proposed

 project, description of the role of the position on the proposed project 

 and the work to be performed.

Fringe benefits should be identified separately from salaries and wages 

and based on rates determined by organizational policy. The items 

included in the fringe benefit rate (e.g., health insurance, parking, etc.) 

should not be charged under another cost category.

C. Equipment Description – Equipment is defined as an item of property 

 that has an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more (unless the organization

 has established lower levels) and an expected service life of more 

 than one year. The budget justification should list each piece of 

 equipment, the cost, and a description of how it will be used and why it 

 is necessary to the successful completion of the proposed project. 

 Please note that any general use equipment (computers, etc.) 

 charged directly to the award should be allocated to the award 

 according to expected usage on the project. Applicants should provide 

 at least two (2) quotes, if available, for equipment costing $25,000 or 

 more. If two (2) quotes are not available, please provide a statement 

 as to why two (2) quotes are not available. Any items that do not meet 

 the threshold for equipment can be included under the Materials and 

 Supplies line item in Section F, Other Direct Costs.

D. Travel - For all travel costs, required by the recipient to complete the

 project, including attendance at any relevant conferences, the budget 

 justification for travel should include the following: destination; names 

 or number of people traveling; dates and/or duration; mode of 
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 transportation, lodging and subsistence rates; and description of how

 the travel is directly related to the proposed project. For travel that is 

 yet to be determined, please provide best estimates based on prior 

 experience. If a destination is not known, an approximate amount 

 may be used with the assumptions given for the location of the

 meeting. 

E. Participant/Trainee Support Costs - Participant support costs are 

 stipends, subsistence allowances, travel, and registration fees paid 

 to or on behalf of participants or trainees, who are not employees of 

 your organization, for conferences or training projects. The budget 

 justification should indicate the names or number of participants or 

 trainees, a description and calculation of costs per person, a 

 description and date of the event, and a description of why the cost is

 necessary for the successful completion of the proposed project.

F. Other Direct Costs – For costs that do not easily fit into the other 

 cost categories, please list the cost, and the breakdown of the total 

 costs by quantity or unit of cost. Include the necessity of the cost for 

 the completion of the proposed project. Only allowable costs can be 

 charged to the award. 

Each subaward or contractual cost or should be treated as a separate 

item in the Other Direct Costs category. Describe the services to be 

provided and the necessity of the subaward or contract to the successful 

performance of the proposed project. Contracts are for obtaining goods 

and services. Subawardees perform part of the project scope of work. For 

each subaward, applicants must provide budget detail justifying the cost of 

the work performed on the project.

G. Indirect Costs - Commonly referred to as Facilities & Administrative 

 Costs, Indirect Costs are defined as costs incurred by the applicant 

 organization that cannot otherwise be directly assigned or attributed 

 to a specific project. For more details, see Section IV.2.a.(9) of this 

 NOFO.

(9) Indirect Cost Rate Agreement. If indirect costs are included in the 

proposed budget, provide a copy of the approved negotiated agreement if 

this rate was negotiated with a cognizant Federal audit agency. If the rate 

was not established by a cognizant Federal audit agency, provide a 

statement to this effect. If the successful applicant includes indirect costs in 

the budget and has not established an indirect cost rate with a cognizant 

Federal audit agency, the applicant will be required to obtain such a rate in 

accordance with the Department of Commerce Financial Assistance 
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Standard Terms and Conditions, dated November 12, 2020.

Alternatively, in accordance with 2 C.F.R. § 200.414(f), applicants that do 

not have a current negotiated (including provisional) indirect cost rate 

except for those non-Federal entities described in appendix VII, paragraph 

D.1.b. of 2 CFR 200 may elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10 percent of 

modified total direct costs (MTDC). Applicants proposing a 10 percent de 

minimis rate pursuant to 2 C.F.R. § 200.414(f) should note this election as 

part of the budget portion of the application. Please be aware that foreign

applicants will be limited to use of the de minimis rate and will not have the 

opportunity to negotiate an indirect cost rate with NIST.

(10) Data Management Plan. Consistent with NIST Policy 5700.005, Managing 

Public Access to Results of Federally Funded Research, and NIST Order 

5701.006, Managing Public Access to Results of Federally Funded 

Research, applicants proposing projects that include the conduct of 

research must include a Data Management Plan (DMP). 

All applications for activities that will generate scientific data using 

NIST funding are required to adhere to a DMP or explain why data 

sharing and/or preservation are not within the scope of the project. 

For the purposes of the DMP, NIST adopted the definition of “research 

data” at 2 C.F.R. § 200.315(e)(3). 

The DMP must include, at a minimum, a summary of proposed activities 

that are expected to generate data; a summary of the types of data 

expected to be generated by the identified activities; a plan for storage and 

maintenance of the data expected to be generated by the identified 

activities, including after the end of the award’s period of performance; and 

a plan describing whether and how data generated by the identified 

activities will be reviewed and made available to the public.

A template for the DMP, an example DMP, and the rubric against which the 

DMP will be evaluated for sufficiency is available at: Information for 

Applicants and Awardees. An applicant is not required to use the template 

as long as the DMP contains the required information.

If an application stands a reasonable chance of being funded and the DMP 

is determined during the review process to be insufficient, the program 

5

https://www.nist.gov/system/files/documents/2018/06/19/final_p_5700.pdf 

6 https://www.nist.gov/system/files/documents/2019/11/08/final_o_5701_ver_2.pdf
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office may reach out to the applicant to resolve deficiencies in the DMP. If 

an award is issued prior to the deficiencies being fully rectified, the award 

will include a Specific Award Condition (SAC) stating that no research 

activities shall be initiated, or costs incurred for those activities under the 

award until the NIST Grants Officer amends the award to indicate the SAC 

has been satisfied.

Reasonable costs for data preservation and access may be included in the 

application.

(11) Subaward Budget Form. The Research & Related Subaward Budget 

 Attachment Form is required if sub-recipients and contractors are included in

the application budget. 

Instructions for completing subaward budget forms are available by visiting 

the R & R Family section of the Grants.gov Forms Repository and scrolling 

down to the R & R Subaward Budget Attachment(s) Form and selecting 

“Instructions.” 

(12) Current and Pending Support Form. Any application that includes 

investigators, researchers, and key personnel must identify all sources of 

current and potential funding, including this proposal. Any current project 

support (e.g., Federal, state, local, public, or private foundations, etc.) must 

be listed on this form. The proposed project and all other projects or activities 

requiring a portion of time of the Principal Investigator (PI), co-PI, and key 

personnel must be included, even if no salary support is received. The total 

award amount for the entire award period covered, including indirect costs, 

must be shown as well as the number of person-months per year to be 

devoted to the project, regardless of the source of support. Similar 

information must be provided for all proposals already submitted or that are 

being submitted concurrently to other potential funders.

Applicants must complete the Current and Pending Support Form, using 

multiple forms as necessary to account for all activity for each individual 

identified in the PI, co-PI and key personnel roles. A separate form should be 

used for each identified individual. 

Applicants must download the Current and Pending Support Form from the 

NIST website and reference the guidance provided as it contains information 

to assist with accurately completing the form.

b. Attachment of Required Documents

Items IV.2.a.(1) through IV.2.a.(5) above are part of the standard application 
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package in Grants.gov and can be completed through the download 

application process. 

Item IV.2.a.(5), the SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form, is an 

optional application form which is part of the standard application package in 

Grants.gov. If item IV.2.a.(5), the SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities 

form is applicable to this proposal, attach it to field 18 of the SF-424 (R&R), 

Application for Federal Assistance.

Item IV.2.a.(6), the Project Narrative, should be attached to field 8 (Project 

Narrative) of the Research and Related Other Project Information form by 

clicking on “Add Attachment”.

Item IV.2.a.(7), Resume(s) or CV(s), should be attached by clicking on “Add 

Attachments” found in item 12 (Other Attachments) of the Research and 

Related Other Project Information form.

Item IV.2.a.(8), the Budget Narrative and Justification, should be attached to 

field L (Budget Justification) of the Research and Related Budget (Total Fed + 

Total Non-Fed) form by clicking on “Add Attachment”.

Items IV.2.a.(9), the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement; IV.2.a.(10), the Data 

Management Plan; and IV.2.a.(12), the Current and Pending Support Form 

must be completed and attached by clicking on “Add Attachments” found in 

item 12 (Other Attachments) of the Research and Related Other Project 

Information form. 

Item IV.2.a.(11), the Subaward Budget Form(s), if applicable to the

submission, should be attached to the Research & Related Subaward Budget 

(Total Fed + Non-Fed) Attachment(s) Form in the application package.

Following these directions will create zip files which permit transmittal of the 

documents electronically via Grants.gov. 

Applicants should carefully follow specific Grants.gov instructions to ensure 

the attachments will be accepted by the Grants.gov system. A receipt from 

Grants.gov indicates only that an application was transferred to a system. It 

does not provide details concerning whether all attachments (or how many 

attachments) transferred successfully. Applicants using Grants.gov will 

receive a series of e-mail messages over a period of up to two business days 

before learning whether a Federal agency’s electronic system has received its 

application.

Applicants are strongly advised to use Grants.gov’s “Download Submitted 
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Forms and Applications” option found at “Download Submitted Forms and 

Applications” to check that their application’s required attachments were 

contained in their submission.

After submitting the application, check the status of your application here: 

CHECK APPLICATION STATUS. If any, or all, of the required attachments 

are absent from the submission, follow the attachment directions found 

above, resubmit the application, and check again for the presence of the 

required attachments.

If the directions found on the Grants.gov Online Help page are not effective, 

please contact the Grants.gov Help Desk immediately. If calling from within 

the United States or from a U.S. territory, please call 800-518-4726. If calling 

from a place outside the United States or a U.S. territory, please call 606-545-

5035. E-mails should be addressed to support@grants.gov. Assistance from 

the Grants.gov Help Desk will be available around the clock every day, with 

the exception of Federal holidays. Help Desk service will resume at 7:00 a.m. 

Eastern Time the day after Federal holidays.

Applicants can track their submission in the Grants.gov system by following 

the procedures at the Grants.gov Track My Application page. It can take up to 

two business days for an application to fully move through the Grants.gov 

system to NIST

NIST uses the Tracking Numbers assigned by Grants.gov and does not issue 

Agency Tracking Numbers.

c. Application Format

(1) E-mail and facsimile (fax) submissions. Will not be accepted.

(2) Figures, Graphs, Images, and Pictures. Should be of a size that is 

easily readable or viewable and may be landscape orientation.

(3) Font. Easy to read font (10-point minimum). Smaller type may be used in 

figures, margins, and tables but must be clearly legible.

(4) Page Limit. The Project Narrative for Applications is limited to twenty-five 

(25) pages:

Page limit includes: Cover Page, Table of contents (if included), Project 

Narrative with all required information, including figures, graphs, tables, 

images, and pictures. 
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Page limit excludes: SF-424 (R&R) Application for Federal Assistance; 

SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities; CD-511 Certification Regarding 

Lobbying; Resume(s) or CV(s); Budget Narrative; Indirect Cost Rate 

Agreement; Data Management Plan; and Current and Pending Support 

Form.

(5) Page layout. The Project Narrative must be in portrait orientation.

(6) Page size. 21.6 centimeters by 27.9 centimeters (8 1⁄2 inches by 11 

inches).

(7) Page numbering. Number pages sequentially.

(8) Application Language. All documents must be in English, including but 

not limited to the initial application, any additional documents submitted in 

response to a NIST request, all reports, and any correspondence with 

NIST. 

d. Application Replacement Pages.

Applicants may not submit replacement pages and/or missing documents 

once an application has been submitted. Any revisions must be made by 

submission of a new application that must be received by NIST by the 

submission deadline.

e. Pre-Applications. 

NIST is not accepting pre-applications or white papers under this NOFO.

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM). 

Pursuant to 2 C.F.R. part 25, applicants and recipients are required to: (i) be 

registered in SAM before submitting its application; (ii) provide a valid unique 

entity identifier in its application; and (iii) continue to maintain an active SAM 

registration with current information at all times during which it has an active 

Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal 

awarding agency, unless otherwise excepted from these requirements pursuant 

to 2 C.F.R. § 25.110. NIST will not make a Federal award to an applicant until the 

applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM 

requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by 

the time that NIST is ready to make a Federal award pursuant to this NOFO, 

NIST may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award 

and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another 

applicant.
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4. Submission Dates and Times. When developing your submission timeline, 

please keep in mind that (1) all applicants are required to have current 

registrations in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) and Grants.gov; 

(2) the free annual registration process in the electronic System for Award 

Management (SAM.gov) (see Sections IV.3. and IV.7.a.(1).(b). of this NOFO) 

generally takes between three and five business days but can take more than 

three weeks; and (3) applicants will receive email notifications over a period of up 

to two business days as the application moves through intermediate systems 

before the applicant learns via a validation or rejection notification whether NIST 

has received the application. (See http://www.grants.gov for full information on 

application and notification through Grants.gov.). Please note that a federal 

assistance award cannot be issued if the designated recipient’s registration in 

SAM.gov is not current at the time of the award.

Applicants will find instructions on registering with SAM.gov as part of the 

Grants.gov process at: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organizationregistration.html. Please note that after February 10, 2023, new international 

entities registering in SAM.gov will not need an NCAGE code prior to registration 

if they are only pursuing financial assistance opportunities with NIST. For more 

information, please visit FSD.gov. 

All NIST MSE Research Grant Programs. Applications will be considered on a 

continuing/rolling basis as they are received. 

To be considered for funding in the current fiscal year, applications must be 

received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on May 31st. Applications received after this 

deadline may be processed and considered for funding in current fiscal year or in 

the next fiscal year, subject to the availability of funds.

All applications submitted to the 2023-NIST-MSE-01 Research Grant Programs

NOFO, must be received prior to the posting of the next NIST MSE Research 

Grant Programs NOFO on Grants.gov in order to be processed under this 

NOFO. 

5. Intergovernmental Review. Applications under all programs in this NOFO are 

not subject to Executive Order 12372.

6. Funding Restrictions. Applications for product development and/or

commercialization are not considered responsive to this NOFO.

7. Other Submission Requirements for all programs listed in this NOFO.

a. Applications must be submitted electronically; paper applications will 

not be accepted.
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(1) Applications must be submitted at www.grants.gov, under announcement 

2023-NIST-MSE-01.

(a) Applicants should carefully follow specific Grants.gov instructions to 

ensure the attachments will be accepted by the Grants.gov system. A 

receipt from Grants.gov indicating an application is received does not 

provide information about whether attachments have been received. 

For further information or questions regarding applying electronically 

for the 2023-NIST-MSE-01 announcement, contact the Grants.gov 

Help Desk at 800-518-4726.

b. Amendments. Any amendments to this NOFO will be announced through 

Grants.gov. Applicants may sign up for Grants.gov NOFO amendments or 

may request copies from the programmatic and technical questions contact

for the appropriate program (see Section VII. of this NOFO).

V. Application Review Information

1. Evaluation Criteria

a. Associate Director for Innovation and Industry Services (ADIIS) Grant 

Program. The evaluation criteria that will be used in evaluating applications 

considered by the ADIIS Grant Program and assigned weights are as follows:

(1) Rationality. The rationality, innovation and creativity of the 

 application and the fit of the proposed work to the objectives of the 

 ADIIS Grant Program (see Section I.1. of this NOFO). (0 – 30 points)

(2) Technical Merit of Contribution. The potential effectiveness of the 

proposed activity, and the likelihood and potential impact of the 

applicant's approach to strengthen and enhance the mission of the 

ADIIS Grant Program. (0 – 30 points)

(3) Staff and Institution Capability to Perform the Work. The quality of 

the facilities and experience of the staff to assess the likelihood of 

achieving the objective of the application. (0 – 25 points)

(4) Match of Budget to Proposed Work. Assessment of the budget 

against the proposed work to ascertain the reasonableness of the 

request. (0 – 15 points)

b. Associate Director for Laboratory Programs (ADLP) Grant Program. The 

evaluation criteria that will be used in evaluating applications considered by 
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the ADLP Grant Program and assigned weights are as follows:

(1) Rationality. The rationality, innovation and creativity of the application 

and the fit of the proposed work to the objectives of the ADLP Grant 

Program (see Section I.2. of this NOFO). (0 – 35 points)

(2) Technical Merit of Contribution. The potential effectiveness of the 

proposed activity, and the likelihood and potential impact of the 

applicant's approach to strengthen and enhance the mission of the 

ADLP Grant Program. (0 – 25 points)

(3) Staff and Institutional Capability to Perform the Work. The quality 

of facilities and experience of the staff to assess the likelihood of 

achieving the objective of the proposed work. (0 – 20 points)

(4) Match of Budget to Proposed Work. Assessment of the budget 

compared to the proposed work to ascertain the reasonableness of the 

request. (0 – 20 points)

c. Communications Technology Laboratory (CTL) Grant Program. The 

evaluation criteria that will be used in evaluating applications considered by 

the CTL Grant Program and assigned weights are as follows:

(1) Rationality. The coherence of the applicant’s approach and the extent 

to which the application effectively addresses scientific and technical 

issues that are relevant to CTL programs. (see Section I.3. of this 

NOFO). (0 – 25 points) 

(2) Qualifications of Technical Personnel. The professional 

accomplishments, skills, and training of the proposed personnel to 

perform the work proposed in the application. (0 – 25 points) 

(3) Resources Availability. The extent to which the applicant has access 

to the necessary facilities and overall support to accomplish project 

objectives, and assessment of the budget against the proposed work 

to ascertain the reasonableness of the request. (0 – 25 points)

(4) Technical Merit of Contribution. The potential technical 

effectiveness of the proposed work and the value it would contribute to 

the field of measurement science and engineering, especially as it 

pertains to reference methods, reference materials and reference data 

in communications technology. (0 – 25 points) 

d. Engineering Laboratory (EL) Grant Program. The evaluation criteria that 
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will be used in evaluating applications considered by the EL Grant Program 

and assigned weights are as follows:

(1) Technical Quality of the Research. The clarity, rationality, 

organization, innovation and imagination of the application. 

(0 – 35 points) 

(2) Potential Impact of the Results. The potential impact and the 

likelihood of achieving technical application of the results, and the 

degree of alignment with NIST’s EL programs (see Section I.4. of this 

NOFO). (0 – 35 points)

(3) Staff and Institution Capability to Perform the Work. The quality of 

the facilities and experience of the staff to assess and overcome 

barriers to successfully achieve the objective of the application. 

(0 – 15 points)

(4) Match of Budget to Proposed Work. Assessment of the budget 

compared to the proposed work to ascertain the reasonableness of the 

request. (0 – 15 points)

e. Fire Research (FR) Grant Program. The evaluation criteria that will be used 

in evaluating applications considered by the FR Grant Program and assigned 

weights are as follows: 

(1) Technical Quality of the Research. The clarity, rationality, 

organization, innovation, and imagination of the proposed work. 

(0 – 35 points) 

(2) Potential Impact of the Results. The potential impact and the 

likelihood of the technical application of the results and the degree of 

alignment with NIST EL’s Fire Research Program (see Section I.5. of 

this NOFO). (0 – 35 points) 

(3) Staff and Institution Capability to Perform the Work. The quality of 

the facilities and experience of the staff to assess and overcome 

barriers to successfully achieve the objective of the application. 

(0 – 15 points) 

(4) Match of Budget to Proposed Work. Assessment of the budget 

compared to the proposed work to ascertain the reasonableness of the 

request. (0 – 15 points) 

f. Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) Grant Program. The evaluation 
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criteria that will be used in evaluating applications considered by the ITL 

Grant Program and assigned weights are as follows, for a total maximum of 

30 points: 

(1) Technical Quality and Intellectual Merit. The extent to which the 

proposed activities are innovative, original, or potentially transformative; 

whether the research plan is well-reasoned, well-organized and based on 

a sound rationale; and whether the plan incorporates a reasonable 

mechanism to assess success. (0 – 10 points)

(2) Potential Impact of the Results. The probability of achieving technical 

application of the results and the likelihood for the project to exert a 

sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved. The extent 

to which the applicants approach aligns with ITL's programs and mission

(See Section I.6. of this NOFO). (0 – 10 points)

(3) Capability to Perform the Work. The extent to which the applicant 

organization, any proposed partner organizations, and key personnel, 

have the qualifications (e.g., training, experience, accomplishments) and 

resources (e.g., facilities, equipment) needed to support the proposed 

project and successfully achieve the stated objectives. (0 – 5 points)

(4) Match of Budget to Proposed Work. Assessment of the budget 

compared to the proposed work to ascertain the reasonableness of the 

request. (0 – 5 points)

g. International and Academic Affairs Office (IAAO) Grant Program. The 

evaluation criteria that will be used in evaluating applications considered by 

the IAAO Grant Program are as follows:

(1) Rationality. The rationality, innovation and creativity of the application 

and the fit of the proposed work to the objectives of the IAAO Grant 

Program (see Section I.7. of this NOFO).

(2) Technical Merit of Contribution. The potential effectiveness of the 

proposed activity, its value to global metrology and quality infrastructure, 

and the likelihood and potential impact of the applicant's technical 

application of the proposed activity.

(3) Staff and Institutional Capability. The quality of facilities and experience 

of the staff to assess the likelihood of achieving the objective of the 

proposed work. 

(4) Match of Budget to Proposed Work. Assessment of the budget 
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compared to the proposed work to ascertain the reasonableness of the 

request.

Each of these factors will be given equal weight in the evaluation process.

h. Material Measurement Laboratory (MML) Grant Program. The evaluation 

criteria that will be used in evaluating applications considered by the MML 

Grant Program are as follows:

(1) Rationality. The coherence of the applicant’s approach and the extent to 

which the application effectively addresses scientific and technical issues

that are relevant to MML programs (see Section I.8. of this NOFO).

(0 – 25 points)

(2) Qualifications of Technical Personnel. The professional 

accomplishments, skills, and training of the proposed personnel to perform 

the work proposed in the application. (0 – 25 points)

(3) Resources. The extent to which the applicant has access to the 

necessary facilities and overall support to accomplish project objectives, 

and assessment of the budget against the proposed work to ascertain the 

reasonableness of the request. (0 – 25 points)

(4) Technical Merit of Contribution. The potential technical effectiveness of 

the proposed work and the value it would contribute to the field of

measurement science and engineering, especially as it pertains to 

reference methods, reference materials and reference data in Material 

Measurements. (0 – 25 points)

i. NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) Grant Program. The

evaluation criteria that will be used in evaluating applications considered by 

the NCNR Grant Program and assigned weights are as follows:

(1) Rationality. The innovation, rationality, and coherence of the applicant’s 

approach and the extent to which the application effectively addresses 

important scientific and technical issues using neutron methods and/or 

the development of innovative devices for neutron research (see Section 

I.9 of this NOFO). (0 – 35 points)

(2) Technical Merit of Contribution. The potential technical effectiveness 

of the proposed work and the value it would contribute to neutron 

research. (0 – 25 points) 

(3) Staff and Institutional Capability to Perform the Work. The extent to 
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which the applicant organization and key personnel have the skills, 

qualifications (e.g., training, experience, professional accomplishments) 

and resources (e.g., facilities, equipment) needed to support the 

proposed project, perform the work proposed in the application and 

accomplish the stated project objectives. (0 – 25 points) 

(4) Match of Budget to Proposed Work. Assessment of the budget 

against the proposed work to ascertain the reasonableness of the 

request. (0 – 15 points) 

j. Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML) Grant Program. 

(1) The evaluation criteria that will be used in evaluating applications

considered by the PML Grant Program, except for applications to the 

Office of Weights and Measures (see Section V.1.j.(2) of this NOFO)

are as follows:

(a) Rationality. The coherence of the applicant’s approach and the extent 

to which the application effectively addresses scientific and technical 

issues that are relevant to PML programs (see Sections I.10.a. and 

I.10.c. through I.10.k. of this NOFO).

(b) Qualifications of Technical Personnel. The professional 

accomplishments, skills, and training of the proposed personnel to 

perform the work proposed in the application.

(c) Resources. The extent to which the applicant has access to the 

necessary facilities and overall support to accomplish project 

objectives, and assessment of the budget against the proposed work 

to ascertain the reasonableness of the request.

(d) Technical Merit of Contribution. The potential technical effectiveness 

of the proposed work and the value it would contribute to the field of 

measurement science. Applications must be relevant to current PML 

research programs and have a relation to the objectives of ongoing 

PML programs and activities.

Each of these factors will be given equal weight in the evaluation 

process.

(2) The evaluation criteria that will be used in evaluating applications 

considered by the Office of Weights and Measures and assigned 

weights are as follows:
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(a) Technical Quality of the Research. The rationality, innovation and 

imagination of the application and the alignment with NIST’s 

documentary standards and legal metrology programs (see Section 

I.10.b. of this NOFO). (0 – 35 points)

(b) Potential Impact of the Results. The potential impact and the 

technical application of the results to documentary standards and 

legal metrology communities. (0 – 25 points)

(c) Staff and Institution Capability to Perform the Work. The quality 

of the facilities and experience of the staff to assess the likelihood of 

achieving the objective of the application. (0 – 20 points)

(d) Match of Budget to Proposed Work. Assessment of the budget 

against the proposed work to ascertain the reasonableness of the 

request. (0 – 20 points)

k. Special Programs Office (SPO) Grant Program. The evaluation criteria that

will be used in evaluating applications considered by the SPO Grant Program 

are as follows: 

(1) Rationality. The logic and soundness of the applicant’s approach and the 

extent to which the successful completion of the proposed work addresses 

scientific and technical issues relevant to SPO programs (see Section 

I.11. of this NOFO).

(2) Technical Merit of Contribution. The potential technical effectiveness of 

the proposed work and the value it would contribute to the fields of 

science relevant to the SPO.

(3) Qualifications of Technical Personnel. The professional 

accomplishments, skills, and training of the proposed personnel to perform 

the work proposed in the application.

(4) Resources. The extent to which the applicant has access to the 

necessary equipment and facilities and overall support to accomplish 

project objectives, and assessment of the budget against the proposed 

work to ascertain the reasonableness of the request.

Each of these factors will be given equal weight in the evaluation process.

l. Standards Coordination Office (SCO) Grant Program. The evaluation 

criteria that will be used in evaluating applications considered by the SCO 

Grant Program and assigned weights are as follows: 
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(1) Rationality. The coherence of the applicant’s approach and the fit of the 

proposed work to the objectives of the SCO Grant Program (see Section 

I.12.of this NOFO). (0 – 30 points)

(2) Technical Merit of Contribution. The potential technical effectiveness of 

the proposed work and the value it would contribute to the field of 

documentary standards and standardization. (0 – 30 points)

(3) Key Technical Personnel and Institutional Capability to Perform the 

Work. The extent to which the key technical personnel have the relevant 

qualifications, experience, and institutional support and resources 

necessary to accomplish the proposed project’s goals, objectives and 

work plan. (0 – 25 points)

(4) Use of Funds and Cost-effectiveness. An assessment of the budget 

against the proposed activities will be conducted to determine the 

reasonableness of the request. (0 – 15 points)

2. Review and Selection Process

Proposals, reports, documents and other information related to applications 

submitted to NIST and/or relating to financial assistance awards issued by NIST will 

be reviewed and considered by Federal employees, Federal agents and contractors, 

and/or by non-Federal personnel who have entered into confidentiality and conflict of 

interest agreements covering such information, when applicable.

a. Initial Screening of all NIST MSE Research Grant Program Applications. 

All applications received in response to this NOFO will be assigned to the 

program designated on the cover page of the Project Narrative and reviewed 

as received on a rolling basis to determine whether they are eligible, 

complete, and responsive to this NOFO and aligned with the respective

program objectives and research grant areas as described in the Program 

Description (see Section I. of this NOFO). 

Applications determined to be ineligible, incomplete, and/or non-responsive 

based on the initial screening will be eliminated from further review. 

However, NIST, in its sole discretion, may continue the review process for an 

application that is missing non-substantive information that can easily be 

rectified or cured during the review process. 

b. Full Review of Eligible, Complete, and Responsive Applications for all 

NIST MSE Research Grant Applications. All applications that are 

determined to be eligible, complete, and responsive will proceed for full 
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reviews in accordance with the review and selection processes set forth 

below for each of the respective programs.

NIST reserves the right to negotiate the budget costs with the applicants that 

have been selected to receive awards, which may include requesting that the 

applicant remove certain costs. Additionally, NIST may request that the 

applicant modify objectives or work plans and provide supplemental 

information. For international applications, NIST will follow applicable U.S. 

laws and policies. NIST also reserves the right to reject an application where 

information is uncovered that raises a reasonable doubt as to the 

responsibility of the applicant. NIST may select some, all, or none of the 

applications, or part(s) of any particular application. In some cases, NIST may 

ask applicants to consider combining projects. The final approval of selected 

applications and issuance of awards will be by the NIST Grants Officer. The 

award decisions of the NIST Grants Officer are final.

(1) Associate Director for Innovation and Industry Services (ADIIS) 

Grant Program

At least three (3) objective individuals knowledgeable about the particular 

scientific area described in the application will review the merits of each 

application, based on the evaluation criteria (see Section V.1.a. of this

NOFO). The reviewers may discuss the applications with each other, but 

scores will be determined on an individual basis, not as a consensus.

The Selecting Official, who is the Associate Director for Innovation and 

Industry Services, or designee, will make final application selections, 

taking into consideration the results of the reviewers’ evaluations, 

relevance to the objectives described in the ADIIS Grant Program 

Description (see Section I.1. of this NOFO), and the availability of funds.

(2) Associate Director for Laboratory Programs (ADLP) Grant Program

At least three (3) objective individuals knowledgeable about the particular 

scientific area described in the application will review the merits of each 

application, based on the evaluation criteria (see Section V.1.b. of this 

NOFO). The reviewers may discuss the applications with each other, but 

scores will be determined on an individual basis, not as a consensus.

The Selecting Official, who is the Associate Director for Laboratory 

Programs, or designee, will make final application selections, taking into 

consideration the results of the reviewers’ evaluations, relevance to the 

objectives described in the ADLP Grant Program Description (see Section 

I.2. of this NOFO), and the availability of funds.
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(3) Communications Technology Laboratory (CTL) Grant Program

At least three (3) objective individuals knowledgeable about the particular 

scientific area described in the application will review the merits of each 

application, based on the evaluation criteria (see Section V.1.c. of this 

NOFO). The reviewers may discuss the applications with each other, but 

scores will be determined on an individual basis, not as a consensus.

The Selecting Official, who is the CTL Executive Officer, appropriate CTL 

Division Chief, or designee, will make final application selections taking 

into consideration the results of the reviewers’ evaluations, consultations 

with the appropriate CTL Division Chief or designee, relevance to the 

objectives described in the CTL Grant Program Description (see Section 

I.3. of this NOFO), and the availability of funds.

(4) Engineering Laboratory (EL) Grant Program

At least three (3) objective individuals knowledgeable about the particular 

scientific area described in the application will review the merits of each 

application, based on the evaluation criteria (see Section V.1.d. of this 

NOFO). The reviewers may discuss the applications with each other, but 

scores will be determined on an individual basis, not as a consensus.

 

The Selecting Official, who is the EL Director, or designee, will make final 

application selections, taking into consideration the results of the 

reviewers’ evaluations, relevance to the objectives described in the EL 

Grant Program Description (see Section I.4. of this NOFO), program 

balance, and the availability of funds. 

(5) Fire Research (FR) Grant Program

Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the group leaders 

listed in the FR Grant Program Description (see Section I.5. of this 

NOFO) to determine the responsiveness of the application and 

compliance with program objectives prior to preparation of an

application to the FR Grant Program.

At least three (3) objective individuals knowledgeable about the particular 

scientific area described in the application will review the merits of each 

application, based on the evaluation criteria (see Section V.1.e. of this 

NOFO). The reviewers may discuss the applications with each other, but 

scores will be determined on an individual basis, not as a consensus. 
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The Selecting Official, who is the EL Director, or designee, will make final 

application selections, taking into consideration the results of the 

reviewers’ evaluations, relevance to the objectives described in the EL 

Fire Research Program Description (see Section I.5. of this NOFO), 

program balance, and the availability of funds. 

(6) Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) Grant Program

At least three (3) objective individuals knowledgeable about the particular 

scientific area described in the application will review the merits of each 

application, based on the evaluation criteria (see Section V.1.f. of this 

NOFO). The reviewers may discuss the applications with each other, but 

scores will be determined on an individual basis, not as a consensus.

The Selecting Official, who is the ITL Director, appropriate ITL Division 

Chief, or designee, will make final application selections, taking into 

consideration the results of the reviewers’ evaluations, consultations with 

the ITL Director, or designee, relevance to the objectives described in the 

ITL Grant Program Description (see Section I.6. of this NOFO), and the 

availability of funds.

(7) International and Academic Affairs Office (IAAO) Grant Program

At least three (3) objective individuals knowledgeable about the particular 

area described in the application will review the merits of each application, 

based on the evaluation criteria (see Section V.1.g. of this NOFO). The 

reviewers may discuss the applications with each other, but scores will be 

determined on an individual basis, not as a consensus.

The Selecting Official, who is the IAAO Director, or designee, will make 

final application selections, taking into consideration the results of the 

reviewers’ evaluations, relevance to the objectives described in the IAAO 

Grant Program Description (see Section I.7. of this NOFO), and the 

availability of funds.

(8) Material Measurement Laboratory (MML) Grant Program

At least three (3) objective individuals knowledgeable about the particular 

scientific area described in the application will review the merits of each 

application, based on the evaluation criteria (see Section V.1.h. of this 

NOFO). The reviewers may discuss the applications with each other, but 

scores will be determined on an individual basis, not as a consensus.

The Selecting Official, who is the MML Executive Officer, Business 
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Operations Specialist, Senior Management Advisor, or designee, will 

make final application selections taking into consideration the results of 

the reviewers’ evaluations, consultations with the appropriate MML

Division Chief, relevance to the objectives described in the MML Grant 

Program Description (see Section I.8. of this NOFO), and the availability of 

funds. 

(9) NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) Grant Program

At least three (3) objective individuals knowledgeable about the particular 

scientific area described in the application will review the merits of each

application, based on the evaluation criteria (see Section V.1.i. of this 

NOFO). The reviewers may discuss the applications with each other, but 

scores will be determined on an individual basis, not as a consensus.

The Selecting Official, who is the NCNR Director, or designee, will make 

final application selections, taking into consideration the results of the 

reviewers’ evaluations, relevance to the objectives described in the NCNR 

Grant Program Description (see Section I.9. of this NOFO), and the 

availability of funds.

(10) Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML) Grant Program

At least three (3) objective individuals knowledgeable about the particular 

scientific area described in the application will review the merits of each 

application, based on the appropriate evaluation criteria (see Sections 

V.1.j.(1) and Section V.1.j.(2) of this NOFO). The reviewers may discuss 

the applications with each other, but scores will be determined on an 

individual basis, not as a consensus.

The Selecting Official, who is the PML Director, or designee, will make 

final application selections, taking into consideration the results of the 

reviewers’ evaluations, relevance to the objectives described in the PML

Grant Program Description (see Section I.10. of this NOFO), and the 

availability of funds. 

(11) Special Programs Office (SPO) Grant Program

Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the appropriate 

point of contact listed in the SPO Grant Program Description (see 

Section I.11. of this NOFO) to determine the responsiveness of the 

application and compliance with program objectives prior to 

preparation of an application to the SPO Grant Program.
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At least three (3) objective individuals knowledgeable about the particular 

scientific area described in the application will review the merits of each 

application, based on the evaluation criteria (see Section V.1.k. of this 

NOFO). The reviewers may discuss the applications with each other, but 

scores will be determined on an individual basis, not as a consensus.

The Selecting Official, who is the SPO Director, or designee, will make 

final application selections, taking into consideration the results of the 

reviewers’ evaluations, relevance to the objectives described in the SPO

Grant Program Description (see Section I.11. of this NOFO), and the 

availability of funds.

(12) Standards Coordination Office (SCO) Grant Program 

At least three (3) objective individuals knowledgeable about the particular 

area described in the application will review the merits of each 

application, based on the evaluation criteria (see Section V.1.l. of this 

NOFO). The reviewers may discuss the applications with each other, but 

scores will be determined on an individual basis, not as a consensus.

The Selecting Official, who is the SCO Director, or designee, will make 

final application selections, taking into consideration the results of the 

reviewers’ evaluations, relevance to the objectives described in the SCO 

Grant Program Description (see Section I.12. of this NOFO), and the 

availability of funds.

c. Federal Awarding Agency Review of Risk Posed by Applicants. After 

applications are proposed for funding by the Selecting Official the NIST 

Grants Management Division (GMD) performs pre-award risk assessments in 

accordance with 2 C.F.R. § 200.206, which may include a review of the 

financial stability of an applicant, the quality of the applicant’s management 

systems, the history of performance, and/or the applicant’s ability to 

effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements imposed on 

non-Federal entities.

In addition, prior to making an award where the total Federal share is 

expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (currently $250,000), 

NIST GMD will review and consider the publicly available information about 

that applicant in the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information 

System (FAPIIS). An applicant may, at its discretion, review and comment on 

information about itself previously entered into FAPIIS by a Federal awarding 

agency. As part of its review of risk posed by applicants, NIST GMD will 

consider any comments made by the applicant in FAPIIS in making its 

determination about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of 
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performance under Federal awards. Upon completion of the pre-award risk 

assessment, the Grants Officer will make a responsibility determination 

concerning whether the applicant is qualified to receive the subject award 

and, if so, whether appropriate specific conditions that correspond to the 

degree of risk posed by the applicant should be applied to an award.

3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates. For all NIST MSE Research 

Grant Programs, awards will be made approximately 90 business days after the 

end of the review process (see Section V.2. of this NOFO). See information in 

Section IV.4. of this NOFO regarding awards made in a subsequent fiscal year.

4. Additional Information 

a. Safety. Safety is a top priority at NIST. Employees and affiliates of award 

recipients who conduct project work at NIST will be expected to be safetyconscious, to attend NIST safety training, and to comply with all NIST safety 

policies and procedures, and with all applicable terms of their guest research 

agreement.

b. Notification to Unsuccessful Applicants. Unsuccessful applicants will be 

notified by e-mail and will have the opportunity to receive a debriefing after 

the opportunity is officially closed. Applicants must request within 10 business 

days of the email notification to receive a debrief from the program office. The

program office will then work with the unsuccessful applicant in arranging a 

date and time of the debrief.

c. Retention of Unsuccessful Applications. Copies of each unsuccessful 

application will be retained in accordance with the General Record Schedule 

1.2/021.

VI. Federal Award Administration Information

1. Federal Award Notices. Successful applicants will receive an award package 

from the NIST Grants Officer. 

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

a. Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit 

Requirements. Through 2 C.F.R. § 1327.101, the Department of Commerce 

adopted the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit 

Requirements for Federal Awards at 2 C.F.R. Part 200, which apply to 

awards made pursuant to this NOFO. Refer to t 2 C.F.R. Part 200 and 2 

C.F.R. § 1327.101.
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b. Department of Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms and 

Conditions. The Department of Commerce will apply the Financial 

Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions in effect on the date of award to 

any award made under this NOFO. The current version is dated November 

12, 2020. Refer to Section VII. of this NOFO, Federal Awarding Agency 

Contacts, Grant Rules and Regulations, if you need more information.

c. Pre-Award Notification Requirements. The Department of Commerce will 

apply the Pre-Award Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative 

Agreements in effect on the date of award to any award made under this 

NOFO. The current version of 79 FR 78390 is dated December 30, 2014. 

Refer to Section VII. of this NOFO, Federal Awarding Agency Contacts, Grant 

Rules and Regulations, if you need more information.

d. Funding Availability and Limitation of Liability. Funding for the program 

listed in this NOFO is contingent upon the availability of appropriations. NIST 

or the Department of Commerce will not be responsible for application 

preparation costs, including but not limited to if this program fails to receive 

funding or is cancelled because of agency priorities. Publication of this NOFO 

does not oblige NIST or the Department of Commerce to award any specific 

project or to obligate any available funds.

e. Collaborations with NIST Employees. All applications should include a 

description of any work proposed to be performed by an entity other than the 

applicant, and the cost of such work should ordinarily be included in the 

budget. If an applicant proposes collaboration with NIST, the statement of 

work should include a statement of this intention, a description of the 

collaboration, and prominently identify the NIST employee(s) involved, if 

known. Any collaboration by a NIST employee must be approved by 

appropriate NIST management and is at the sole discretion of NIST. Prior to 

beginning the merit review process, NIST will verify the approval of the 

proposed collaboration. Any unapproved collaboration will be stricken from 

the application prior to the merit review. Any collaboration with an identified 

NIST employee that is approved by appropriate NIST management will not 

make an application more or less favorable in the competitive process.

f. Use of Federal Government-Owned Intellectual Property. If the applicant 

anticipates using any Federal Government-owned intellectual property, in the 

custody of NIST or another Federal agency, to carry out the work proposed, 

the applicant should clearly identify such intellectual property in the proposal. 

This information will be used to ensure that no Federal employee involved in 

the development of the intellectual property will participate in the review 

process for that competition. In addition, if the applicant intends to use the 

Federal Government-owned intellectual property, the applicant must comply 
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with all statutes and regulations governing the licensing of Federal 

government patents and inventions, described in 35 U.S.C. §§ 200-212, 37 

C.F.R. Part 401, 2 C.F.R. §200.315, and in Section C.03 of the Department of 

Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions, dated 

November 12, 2020. Questions about these requirements may be directed to 

the Chief Counsel for NIST, (301) 975-2803, nistcounsel@nist.gov. 

Any use of Federal Government-owned intellectual property by a recipient of 

an award under this announcement is at the sole discretion of the Federal 

Government and will need to be negotiated on a case-by-case basis by the 

recipient and the Federal agency having custody of the intellectual property if 

a project is deemed meritorious. The applicant should indicate within the 

statement of work whether it already has a license to use such intellectual 

property or whether it intends to seek a license from the applicable Federal 

agency.

If any inventions made in whole or in part by a NIST employee arise in the 

course of an award made pursuant to this NOFO, the United States 

Government may retain its ownership rights in any such invention. 

Licensing or other disposition of the Federal Government’s rights in such 

inventions will be determined solely by the Federal Government, through 

NIST as custodian of such inventions, and include the possibility of the 

Federal Government putting the intellectual property into the public domain.

g. Additional Consideration of Applications. NIST programs are often crosscutting and multi-disciplinary. If a NIST program official believes an

application that is not selected for funding under a specific MSE research 

grant program may be of interest to another NIST MSE research grant

program(s), the official may forward the application to any other NIST MSE 

research grant program(s) that the program official believes may have an 

interest in the project, for potential consideration under the other NIST MSE 

research grant program(s) procedures. If, upon initial screening, the other 

NIST MSE research grant program(s) finds the application may be of 

programmatic interest, the application will proceed through the review and 

selection process (see Section V.2 of this NOFO) for the specific MSE

research grant program(s). If not, the application will be returned to the 

original program for final processing. Any applicant that does not wish for 

its application to be considered by other NIST programs should indicate 

on its application that it would like consideration of the project to be 

limited to the program to which it originally submitted the 

application. Applicants will be notified if their applications have been 

forwarded to another NIST program(s) for potential consideration.
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h. Research Activities Involving Human Subjects, Human Tissue, Data or 

Recordings Involving Human Subjects Including Software Testing. 

This section summarizes the requirements for applications that potentially 

involve research involving human subjects. Additional information that 

describes the NIST review process for such applications and provides details 

regarding the documentation required is available here: 

https://w3auth.nist.gov/oaam/grants-management-division/nist-nofoinformation/nist-notice-funding-opportunity-requirements. Both this summary 

and the additional information provided at the link will be incorporated into any 

award made under this NOFO.

Any application that includes research activities involving human subjects, 

human tissue/cells, or data or recordings from or about human subjects must 

satisfy the requirements of the Common Rule for the Protection of Human 

Subjects (“Common Rule”), codified for the Department of Commerce at 15 

C.F.R. Part 27.

7 Research activities involving human subjects that fall within 

one or more of the classes of vulnerable subjects found in 45 C.F.R. Part 46, 

Subparts B, C and D must satisfy the requirements of the applicable 

subpart(s). In addition, any such application that includes research activities 

on these subjects must comply with all applicable statutory requirements 

imposed upon the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and 

other Federal agencies, all regulations, policies and guidance adopted by 

DHHS, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and other Federal agencies 

on these topics, and all Executive Orders and Presidential statements of 

policy on applicable topics. The website of the Office of Human Research 

Protection (OHRP) in the DHHS contains the applicable regulatory, policy and 

guidance and (includes links to FDA, but may not include all applicable FDA 

regulations and policies.

If the application is accepted for [or awarded] funding, organizations that have 

an Institutional Review Board (IRB) are required to follow the procedures of 

their organization for approval of exempt and non-exempt research activities 

that involve human subjects. The IRB must be currently registered with 

OHRP that is linked to the engaged organization. Organizations that do not 

have an IRB must demonstrate the ability to expeditiously contract with a 

commercial IRB to conduct a review of the proposed activities. Also, all 

engaged organizations must possess a currently valid Federalwide 

7 NIST uses the Common Rule definitions for research and human subjects research contained in 15 

C.F.R. § 27.102. 
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Assurance (FWA) on file from OHRP. The NIST IRB is unable to serve as the 

IRB for financial assistance recipients. 

The NIST Research Protections Office (RPO) reserves the right to conduct an 

administrative review of all applications that potentially include research 

involving human subjects and were approved by an authorized non-NIST 

institutional entity (an IRB or entity analogous to the NIST RPO) under 15 

C.F.R. § 27.112 (Review by Institution). Conducting an “administrative 

review” means that the NIST RPO will review and verify the performing 

institution’s determinations made under the Common Rule and all 

documentation that support such determinations. 

All applications involving human subjects research must clearly indicate, by 

separable task, all research activities believed to be exempt or non-exempt 

research involving human subjects, the expected institution(s) where the 

research activities involving human subjects may be conducted, and the 

institution(s) expected to be engaged in the research activities. Some 

documents may be requested for a pre-review during the proposal review 

process; however, the Grants Officer may allow final versions of certain 

required documents to be produced at an appropriate designated time postaward. If an award is issued, no research activities involving live vertebrate 

animals shall be initiated or costs incurred for those activities under the award 

until the NIST Grants Officer issues written approval. In addition, all reapprovals, amendments, modifications, changes, annual reports and closure 

will be reviewed by NIST. 

This summary and the information provided here 

https://www.nist.gov/oaam/grants-management-division/nist-nofoinformation/nist-notice-funding-opportunity-requirements reflect the existing 

NIST policy and requirements for Research Involving Human Subjects. 

Should the policy be revised prior to award, a clause reflecting the policy 

current at time of award may be incorporated into the award. If the policy is 

revised after award, a clause reflecting the updated policy may be 

incorporated into the award.

For more information regarding research projects involving human subjects, 

contact Anne Andrews, Director, NIST Research Protections Office (e-mail: 

anne.andrews@nist.gov; phone: (301) 975-5445).

i. Research Activities Involving Live Vertebrate Animals or Pre-Existing 

Cell Lines/Tissues from Vertebrate Animals. This section summarizes the 

requirements for applications that potentially involve research involving live 

vertebrate animals or pre-existing cell lines or tissues from vertebrate 

animals. Additional information that describes the NIST review process for 
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such applications and provides details regarding the documentation required 

is available here: https://w3auth.nist.gov/oaam/grants-managementdivision/nist-nofo-information/nist-notice-funding-opportunity-requirements. 

Both this summary and the additional information provided at the link will be 

incorporated into any award made under this NOFO.

Any application that proposes research activities involving live vertebrate 

animals that are to be cared for, euthanized, or used by award recipients to 

accomplish research goals, teaching, or testing must meet the requirements 

of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) (7 U.S.C. § 2131 et seq.), and the AWA final 

rules (9 C.F.R. Parts 1, 2, and 3), and if appropriate, the Good Laboratory 

Practice for Nonclinical Laboratory Studies (21 C.F.R. Part 58). In addition, 

such research activities should be in compliance with the “U.S. Government 

Principles for Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, 

Research, and Training” (Principles). 

NIST reserves the right to conduct an administrative review of all applications 

that potentially include research activities that involve live vertebrate animals, 

or custom samples from, or field studies with live vertebrate animals. 

Conducting an “administrative review” means that the NIST RPO will review 

and verify the performing institution’s determinations made under the 

applicable legal and policy requirements and all documentation that support 

such determinations. Some documents may be requested for a pre-review 

during the proposal review process; however, the Grants Officer may allow 

final versions of certain required documents to be produced at an appropriate 

designated time post-award. If an award is issued, no research activities 

involving live vertebrate animals shall be initiated or costs incurred for those 

activities under the award until the NIST Grants Officer issues written 

approval. In addition, all re-approvals, amendments, modifications, changes, 

annual reports, and closure will be reviewed by NIST. 

The applicant should clearly indicate in the application, by separable task, all 

research activities believed to include research involving live vertebrate 

animals and the institution(s) where the research activities involving live 

vertebrate animals may be conducted. In addition, the applicant should 

indicate any activity/task that involves an excluded or custom collection from 

vertebrate animals, or a field study with animals.

This summary and the information provided here 

https://www.nist.gov/oaam/grants-management-division/nist-nofoinformation/nist-notice-funding-opportunity-requirements reflect the existing 

NIST policy for Research Involving Live Vertebrate Animals. Should the 

policy be revised prior to award, a clause reflecting the policy current at time 

of award may be incorporated into the award. If the policy is revised after 
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award, a clause reflecting the updated policy may be incorporated into the 

award. 

For more information regarding research projects involving live vertebrate 

animals, contact Anne Andrews, Director, NIST Research Protections Office 

(e-mail: anne.andrews@nist.gov phone: 301-975-5445).

j. Collaborations Making Use of Federal Facilities. All applications should 

include a description of any work proposed to be performed using Federal 

facilities. 

If an applicant proposes use of NIST facilities, the statement of work should 

include a statement of this intention and a description of the facilities. Any 

use of NIST facilities must be approved by appropriate NIST management 

and is at the sole discretion of NIST. Prior to beginning the merit review 

process, NIST will verify the availability of the facilities and approval of the 

proposed usage. Any unapproved facility use will be stricken from the 

application prior to the merit review. Examples of some facilities that may be 

available for collaborations are listed on the following NIST Web site: 

https://www.nist.gov/labs-major-programs/user-facilities.

3. Reporting 

a. Reporting Requirements. The following reporting requirements described in 

Section A.01 Reporting Requirements of the Department of Commerce Financial 

Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions apply to awards in this program:

(1) Financial Reports. Each award recipient will be required to submit an SF425, Federal Financial Report on a semi-annual basis for the periods 

ending March 31 and September 30 of each year. Reports will be due 

within 30 days after the end of the reporting period. A final financial report 

is due within 120 days after the end of the project period.

(2) Research Performance Progress Report (RPPRs). Each award 

recipient will be required to submit a RPPR on a semi-annual basis for the 

periods ending March 31 and September 30 of each year. Reports will be 

due within 30 days after the end of the reporting period. The RPPR shall 

conform to the requirements in 2 C.F.R. § 200.329 and Department of 

Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions, Section 

A.01.

A final RPPR shall be submitted within 120 days after the expiration date 

of the award, and publication citation information as well as links to 
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publicly available data shall be submitted as soon as they become 

available. 

If a recipient’s Data Management Plan (DMP) has changed since their last 

submission of a RPPR, the recipient must include their revised DMP in the 

next RPPR following the revision to the DMP. The revised DMP must 

include all the requirements described in Section IV.2.a.(11) of this NOFO.

(3) Patent and Property Reports. In accordance with the Uniform 

Administrative Requirements and other terms and conditions governing 

the award, the recipient may need to submit property and patent reports.

(4) Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters. In accordance with 

section 872 of Public Law 110-417 (as amended; see 41 U.S.C. 2313), if 

the total value of a recipient’s currently active grants, cooperative 

agreements, and procurement contracts from all Federal awarding 

agencies exceeds $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of 

performance of an award made under this NOFO, then the recipient shall 

be subject to the requirements specified in Appendix XII to 2 C.F.R. Part 

200, for maintaining the currency of information reported to SAM that is 

made available in FAPIIS about certain civil, criminal, or administrative 

proceedings involving the recipient.

b. Audit Requirements. The Department of Commerce Financial Assistance 

Standard Terms and Conditions, Section D.01.b., and 2 C.F.R. Part 200 Subpart 

F, adopted by the Department of Commerce through 2 C.F.R. § 1327.101, 

require any non-Federal entity (i.e., including non-profit institutions of higher 

education and non-profit organizations) that expends Federal awards of 

$750,000 or more in the recipient’s fiscal year to conduct a single or programspecific audit in accordance with the requirements set out in the Subpart. 

Additionally, unless otherwise specified in the terms and conditions of the award, 

entities that are not subject to Subpart F of 2 C.F.R. Part 200 (e.g., for-profit 

commercial entities) that expend $750,000 or more in DOC funds during their 

fiscal year must submit to the Grants Officer either: (i) a financial related audit of 

each DOC award or subaward in accordance with Generally Accepted 

Government Auditing Standards; or (ii) a project specific audit for each award or 

subaward in accordance with the requirements contained in 2 C.F.R. § 200.507. 

Applicants are reminded that NIST, the Department of Commerce Office of 

Inspector General, or another authorized Federal agency may conduct an audit 

of an award at any time.

c. Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006. In 

accordance with 2 C.F.R. Part 170, all recipients of a Federal award made on or 

after October 1, 2010, are required to comply with reporting requirements under 
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the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Public Law

No. 109-282). In general, all recipients are responsible for reporting sub-awards 

of $25,000 or more. In addition, recipients that meet certain criteria are 

responsible for reporting executive compensation. Applicants must ensure they 

have the necessary processes and systems in place to comply with the reporting 

requirements should they receive funding. Also see the Federal Register notice 

published September 14, 2010, at 75 FR 55663.

VII. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts

Questions should be directed to the following contact persons:

Subject Area Point of Contact

Programmatic and

Technical Questions

ADIIS: Sheena Simmons

Phone: 301-975-3597

E-mail: sheena.simmons@nist.gov

ADLP: Stephanie Shaw

Phone: 301-975-2667

E-mail: stephanie.shaw@nist.gov

CTL: Suzanne Griesel

Phone: 301-975-2350

E-mail: suzanne.griesel@nist.gov

EL: Millie Glick 

Phone: 301-975-5962

E-mail: millie.glick@nist.gov

FR: Jiann Yang 

Phone: 301-975-4167

E-mail: jiann.yang@nist.gov

ITL: Melissa Banner

Phone: 301-975-5245

E-mail: melissa.banner@nist.gov

IAAO: Claire Saundry

Phone: 301-975-2386

E-mail: claire.saundry@nist.gov

MML: Bill Clark

Phone: 303-497-3268

E-mail: william.clark@nist.gov
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Subject Area Point of Contact

NCNR: Dan Neumann 

Phone: 301-975-5252

E-mail: dan.neumann@nist.gov

PML: Kum Ham

Phone: 301-975-4203

E-mail: kum.ham@nist.gov 

SPO: Darlene Hamilton

Phone: 301-975-2227

E-mail: darlene.hamilton@nist.gov

SCO: Mary Jo DiBernardo

Phone: 301-975-5503

E-mail: maryjo.dibernardo@nist.gov

Technical Assistance with 

Grants.gov Submissions

Grants.gov

Phone: 800-518-4726

E-mail: support@grants.gov

Grant Rules and 

Regulations

Nuria Martinez (EL, FR, MML, PML, CTL, ITL, 

NCNR)

Phone: 301-975-621

E-mail: nuria.martinez@nist.gov

Dean Iwasaki (ADIIS, ADLP, IAAO, SPO, SCO)

Phone: 301-975-8449

E-mail: dean.iwasaki@nist.gov

VIII. Other Information

1. Personal and Business Information. The applicant acknowledges and 

understands that information and data contained in applications for financial 

assistance, as well as information and data contained in financial, performance 

and other reports submitted by applicants, may be used by the Department of 

Commerce in conducting reviews and evaluations of its financial assistance 

programs. For this purpose, applicant information and data may be accessed, 

reviewed and evaluated by Department of Commerce employees, other Federal 

employees, and also by Federal agents and contractors, and/or by non-Federal 

personnel, all of whom enter into appropriate conflict of interest and 
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confidentiality agreements covering the use of such information. As may be 

provided in the terms and conditions of a specific financial assistance award, 

applicants are expected to support program reviews and evaluations by 

submitting required financial and performance information and data in an 

accurate and timely manner, and by cooperating with Department of Commerce 

and external program evaluators. In accordance with 2 C.F.R. § 200.303(e), 

applicants are reminded that they must take reasonable measures to safeguard 

protected personally identifiable information and other confidential or sensitive 

personal or business information created or obtained in connection with a 

Department of Commerce financial assistance award.

In addition, Department of Commerce regulations implementing the Freedom of 

Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. Sec. 552, are found at 15 C.F.R. Part 4, Public 

Information. These regulations set forth rules for the Department regarding 

making requested materials, information, and records publicly available under the 

FOIA. Applications submitted in response to this Notice of Funding Opportunity 

may be subject to requests for release under the Act. In the event that an 

application contains information or data that the applicant deems to be 

confidential commercial information that should be exempt from disclosure under 

FOIA, that information should be identified, bracketed, and marked as Privileged, 

Confidential, Commercial or Financial Information. In accordance with 15 CFR § 

4.9, the Department of Commerce will protect from disclosure confidential 

business information contained in financial assistance applications and other 

documentation provided by applicants to the extent permitted by law.