VISITING COMMITTEE ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

National Institute of Standards and Technology

2011 Annual Report

Visiting Committee on Advanced 

Technology 

of the

National Institute of Standards and 

Technology

U.S. Department of Commerce

March 9, 2012
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Preface

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

(NIST) was established in its present form by the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 and updated by 

the America COMPETES Act. The VCAT is a Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) committee and its charter 

includes reviewing and making recommendations regarding general policy for NIST, its organization, budget, and 

programs within the framework of applicable national policies as set forth by the president and the Congress. In 

addition, the America COMPETES Act calls for the VCAT to comment on NIST’s three-year programmatic plan in its 

annual report to Congress. This 2011 annual report covers the period from the beginning of March 2011 through 

February 2012. 

The Committee reviews the Institute’s strategic direction, performance and policies, and provides the Secretary of 

Commerce, Congress, and other stakeholders with information on the value and relevance of NIST’s programs to 

the U.S. science and technology base and to the economy. At the first meeting of each year, the Director of NIST 

proposes areas of focus to the Committee and agreement is reached on a program for the year. Over the past 

year, the Committee has been active in assessing NIST’s contributions to and progress in the following areas: 

• NIST’s Role in Advanced Manufacturing

• NIST’s Role in the Wireless Innovation Initiative

• Update on Ongoing Programmatic and Operational Issues

• Strategic Planning and Performance

• Status of NIST Budget

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

scientists, and engineers. Reactions and observations of the Committee members are presented candidly to the 

NIST senior management and other attendees at each meeting. This feedback encourages scrutiny of and 

continuous improvement in key areas in the overall operation. The Committee also visits various NIST laboratories 

and satellite facilities to discuss research projects directly with the technical staff. These laboratory tours help the 

Committee to assess the impact of NIST research, determine progress towards meeting the goals of the research 

plan, assess the quality of the staff, and the efficacy of the facility infrastructure. 

Under the Committee charter, the Director of NIST appoints the members of the Committee and the Committee is 

asked to make suggestions for possible new member consideration. Members are selected on a clear, standardized 

basis, in accordance with applicable Department of Commerce guidance. Members are selected solely on the basis 

of established records of distinguished service; provide representation of a cross-section of traditional and 

emerging U.S. industries; and are eminent in fields such as business, research, new product development, 

engineering, labor, education, management consulting, environment, and international relations. No employee of 

the Federal Government can serve as a member of the Committee. Members are appointed for staggered threeyear terms.

Two new members were appointed during the period covered by this report: Dr. Karen Kerr (University of 

Southern California), and Dr. Roberto Padovani (Qualcomm).

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

and presentation materials are available on the NIST web site at www.nist.gov/director/vcat.
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VCAT Members during the Period Covered by this Report

Dr. Vinton G. Cerf, Chair 

Google

Dr. Alan I. Taub, Vice Chair

General Motors 

Dr. Thomas M. Baer 

Stanford University

Dr. Sujeet Chand

Rockwell Automation

Dr. Uma Chowdhry

DuPont

Dr. Paul A. Fleury 

Yale University

Dr. Tony Haymet

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD

Dr. Karen Kerr

University of Southern California

Dr. Shaygan Kheradpir

Verizon Communications (2010)

Barclays Bank (2011) 

Dr. Pradeep Khosla

Carnegie Mellon University

Dr. Michael A. McRobbie

Indiana University

Dr. Roberto Padovani

Qualcomm

Dr. Alton (Al) D. Romig, Jr.

Sandia National Laboratories (2010)

Lockheed Martin (2011)

Dr. Darlene J.S. Solomon 

Agilent Technologies
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Table of Contents

Preface ...................................................................................................................................................... ii

VCAT Members during the Period Covered by this Report...................................................iii

1. VCAT Focus in 2011 ......................................................................................................................... 1

2. NIST Role in Advanced Manufacturing...................................................................................... 2

2a The Structure and Role of AMTech ............................................................................................................................ 2

2b The Role of NIST in the Administration’s Manufacturing Strategy .............................................................. 3

3. NIST Role in the Wireless Innovation Initiative .................................................................... 4

4. Update on Ongoing Programmatic and Operational Activities........................................ 6

4a Standards Policy and NIST ............................................................................................................................................ 6

4b Measurement Services.................................................................................................................................................... 7

4c Safety at NIST...................................................................................................................................................................... 8

4d Progress on the NIST Reorganization.....................................................................................................................11

5. NIST Strategic Planning and Performance ............................................................................12

5a NIST Three-Year Programmatic Plan.....................................................................................................................13

6. NIST Budget......................................................................................................................................13

6a FY2012 Appropriations ...............................................................................................................................................14

6b FY2013 Request..............................................................................................................................................................14
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1. VCAT Focus in 2011

In 2011, the VCAT focused its primary attention on NIST’s role in two key administration priorities – advanced 

manufacturing and the President’s Wireless Innovation Initiative. To address these issues, the VCAT in 

consultation with NIST Director established two subcommittees to develop specific recommendations in each of 

the subject areas. The respective charges to each subcommittee are provided below:

VCAT Subcommittee on Manufacturing – Alan Taub, Chair

NIST’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 budget request had a strong focus on manufacturing with increases to manufacturingoriented efforts in the labs, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), the Technology Innovation Program 

(TIP), and with the creation of a new public private partnership program – the Advanced Manufacturing 

Technology Consortia (AMTech) program. In order for the VCAT to develop recommendations intended to ensure 

that the labs remain aligned with industry and best meet their needs, and to refine the role that the NIST 

laboratory programs have in regard to manufacturing the VCAT Subcommittee on Manufacturing was asked: 

1) To make recommendations to position NIST to best respond to industry’s needs and to increase NIST’s 

stakeholders’ and policy makers’ understanding of the utility of NIST’s programs related to manufacturing; 

2) To explore the role of public-private partnerships in advanced manufacturing and make 

recommendations on the structure and role of the proposed new AMTech program within the framework 

of NIST’s current legal authorities; and 

3) To provide recommendations and input on the development of a Manufacturing Strategy for NIST.

VCAT Subcommittee on Public Safety Networks – Vinton Cerf, Chair

Included in the President’s FY 2012 budget request was a broad multi-agency initiative focused on the 

development of a next-generation wireless public safety communication system for the United States. This multibillion dollar effort is to be funded by expected proceeds from the auction of Federal spectrum that would provide 

$300 million to NIST over ten years to ensure that the needs of the Public Safety community are built into this 

next-generation communication system. The VCAT Subcommittee on Public Safety Networks was asked: 

1) To make recommendations on desirable architectural elements of a next generation wireless 

communication network that address the needs of the public safety sector; and 

2) To comment on and provide recommendations for establishing and structuring a NIST program in this 

area.

During and in-between formal VCAT meetings, these subcommittees held multiple meetings and teleconferences 

including meetings with numerous external stakeholders from government and industry in order to gather data 

and develop their initial recommendations for consideration by the full VCAT.

This 2011 VCAT Annual Report summarizes the work of these subcommittees and the recommendations that were 

ultimately adopted and issued by the VCAT in each of these two important areas. The report also provides our 

continued recommendations and comments about NIST’s continued efforts in standards policy, progress 

surrounding previous recommendations for measurement services, safety, and the NIST reorganization as
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well as the NIST budget, and the implication surrounding the termination of Federal Funding for TIP and the 

Baldrige Performance Excellence Program (BPEP).

2. NIST Role in Advanced Manufacturing

After consultation with Dr. Patrick Gallagher, the NIST Director, the VCAT formed a subcommittee to make 

recommendations to (1) position NIST to best respond to industry’s needs and increase understanding of the 

important role NIST can and does play in manufacturing; (2) provide recommendations and input on a strategy for 

supporting advanced manufacturing at NIST; and (3) explore the role of public-private partnerships in advanced 

manufacturing and make recommendations on the structure of such a program. 

2a The Structure and Role of AMTech

The Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia (AMTech) program is designed to fill a critical gap for early 

stage technology development by providing incentives and resources for the formation of industry-led consortia 

that will support basic and applied research on long-term, precompetitive and enabling technology development. 

AMTech is a new program proposed in the President’s fiscal year 2013 budget. The AMTech program’s vision is 

consistent with the findings and recommendations in a recent report1 (“PCAST and PITAC Manufacturing Report”) 

by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and the President’s Innovation and 

Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC). The report emphasizes the critical importance of advanced 

manufacturing in driving knowledge production and innovation in the United States. The PCAST researched the 

current state of manufacturing and concluded that U.S. leadership in manufacturing is declining and that this is 

detrimental to the well-being of the Nation overall. 

The AMTech-supported consortia should enable technology development and create the infrastructure necessary 

for more efficient transfer of technology into use. By convening key players across the entire innovation lifecycle, 

the AMTech consortia will work to eliminate critical barriers to innovation, increase the efficiency of domestic 

innovation efforts and collapse the time scale to deliver new products and services based on scientific and 

technological advances. This strategy has the potential to drive economic growth, enhance competitiveness and 

spur the creation of jobs in high-value sectors of the U.S. economy.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

 The VCAT strongly endorses the AMTech program as a model public-private partnership program for 

supporting technological innovation and facilitating its deployment to support advanced manufacturing. 

The VCAT’s full set of specific recommendations on this topic were presented to NIST in the paper entitled 

Recommended Design Principles for AMTech, which can be found at: 

(http://www.nist.gov/director/vcat/upload/VCAT-Mfg-Summary-Recommendations.pdf) 

 1 Report to the President on Ensuring American Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing, PCAST Report, June 2011, 
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2b The Role of NIST in the Administration’s Manufacturing Strategy

The recent PCAST and PITAC Manufacturing Report emphasizes the critical importance of advanced manufacturing 

in driving knowledge production and innovation in the United States. Manufacturing companies in the U.S. are 

responsible for over two-thirds of the industrial research and development and employ the majority of domestic 

scientists and engineers.2

 Furthermore, manufacturing R&D is the dominant source of service-sector 

technologies,3 hence its benefits reach beyond purely manufacturing.

A core element of the PCAST recommendations was the need for a more coordinated R&D effort in partnership 

with industry. Coordination is needed for public/private activity and NIST is a natural candidate for this role. NIST’s 

mission to promote U. S. innovation and industrial competitiveness positions it to play a central role in the 

advancement of manufacturing within the Nation. NIST is the only agency with a broad mandate to support 

manufacturing. Other agencies that support manufacturing research, do so in a mission-centric vertical manner. 

NIST on the other hand plays a horizontal role in the manufacturing domain to broadly benefit the Nation’s 

economic and social well-being. 

NIST is structured to respond to the various needs of the U.S. manufacturers through its diverse portfolio. With its 

broad range of programs, NIST provides a wide set of products and services that can help U.S. manufacturers 

accelerate their research and development and provide the necessary momentum to turn their ideas into 

successful products. These programs are closely aligned to recommendations in the PCAST and PITAC report and 

places NIST uniquely among other federal agencies to address the challenges laid out in the report. 

Specifically, the NIST laboratory programs conduct research that advances the nation's technology base and is 

needed by U.S. industry to continually improve products and services. Improvements in manufacturing process 

and product technology depend on NIST’s fundamental scientific and engineering research to develop:

• The precise and accurate measurement methods and measurement standards needed to improve quality 

and reliability, and

• New technological processes by which such improved methods may be used in practice to improve 

manufacturing and to assist industry to transfer important laboratory discoveries into commercial 

products.

During the October 2011 VCAT meeting, the Subcommittee on Manufacturing was briefed on the NIST Laboratory 

Research Programs that support advanced manufacturing. Work across the Laboratories was presented in the 

following areas:

• Smart and Sustainable Manufacturing; 

• Nanomanufacturing (including flexible electronics activities); 

• Next-Generation Materials Measurements, Modeling, and Simulation; 

• Support for Semiconductor Manufacturing (including Post-CMOS efforts); and

• Biomanufacturing 

The VCAT supports and endorses the ongoing and planned work that was presented.

 2 Bureau of Economic Analysis, NSF and Wolfe 2009, as cited by Tassey. 3 Gregory Tassey, “Rationales and Mechanisms for Revitalizing U.S. Manufacturing R&D Strategies,” Journal of Technology 

Transfer 35 (2010): 283-333.
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OBSERVATIONS:

During the meeting, the VCAT Subcommittee on Manufacturing agreed to the following:

• The Subcommittee on Manufacturing strongly endorses NIST Laboratory Research Programs that will lead to 

enabling capabilities in advanced manufacturing across sectors.

• It is important that NIST laboratories increase resources focused on advanced manufacturing to better exploit 

them for maximum competitive advantage. Given the NIST charter, it is the agency best-positioned to support 

the U.S. advanced manufacturing agenda.

o World-class measurements and standards are critical to enhancing U.S. manufacturing 

competitiveness.

o The NIST Laboratories provide core capabilities, which impact all industries. 

o Focusing on the interfaces across industry sectors enhances the Nation’s ability to innovate and be 

more competitive. NIST is uniquely positioned to recognize these interfaces and exploit them for 

maximum advantage. 

RECOMMENDATIONS:

 The VCAT encourages building on the recent progress through continued investment and expansion of NIST 

programs in these areas and the development of a more complete strategic plan to address needs in advanced 

manufacturing.

 With the new leadership role of Secretary Bryson within the Administration for the development of 

manufacturing policy, the VCAT recommends that NIST should be assigned the lead for coordination of 

interagency efforts targeting advanced manufacturing.

 With its industry focus and non-regulatory mission, NIST should be the primary interface point between the 

Federal government and the University and Industrial partners that comprise the Advanced Manufacturing 

Partnership.

 The VCAT supports the AMTech program, but the requested funding levels were inadequate for the program to 

fully accomplish its mission and goals. The VCAT recommends that AMTech be funded at a level that enables 

the program to have significant impact.

3. NIST Role in the Wireless Innovation Initiative

In support of the Wireless Innovation Initiative and in collaboration with Aneesh Chopra, the United States Chief 

Technology Officer (USCTO), the NIST Director charged the VCAT with the task of developing a summary of desirable 

features that could be incorporated into the design of a national public safety communication system. To fulfill this 

charge the Subcommittee on Public Safety Networks has met in person, by phone and online, and hosted several public 

meetings on this subject in Philadelphia, Chicago, and elsewhere4

. NIST also issued a request for information and 

comment on “Desirable Features of a Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network.”5

Based on these efforts and responses to its request for public comment, the subcommittee prepared a report entitled, 

“Desirable Properties of a National Public Safety Communication System”, which was formally approved by the VCAT. 

The full report can be found at: 

(http://www.nist.gov/director/vcat/upload/Desirable_Properties_of_a_National_PSN.pdf)

 4 August 10, 2011, w/APCO Meeting, Philadelphia, PA; September 7, 2011, w/SAFECOM meeting, Chicago, IL; VCAT meetings, 

June 7-8, 2011 and October 17-18, 2011, at Gaithersburg, MD. 5 “Soliciting Input on Research and Development Priorities for Desirable Features of a Nationwide Public Safety Network,” 

Federal Register/Vol. 76, No. 176, Monday, September 12, 2011; responses due by October 12, 2011. [Docket No. 110727437-

1433-01]
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OBSERVATIONS:

In broad terms, the Subcommittee undertook an assessment of the status and trends evident in the technology 

used in support of first responders and other public safety actors. It was immediately apparent that responses to

emergencies vary widely in size, scope, nature and need for specialist intervention. Not surprisingly, this high 

variance induces a need for a very flexible, resilient and robust system of communication that, in this 21st Century, 

must provide for the transport of voice, video, and digital information of all sorts. The emergency services 

community has gauged that the wireless telecommunications industry is investing heavily in what is called “LTE” or 

Long-Term Evolution technology aimed at providing high speed, digital communication services. The devices used 

to support LTE are typically “smart phones” that are programmable and that can support myriad applications, 

many of which make use of Internet-based resources. While the commercial versions of these devices typically 

lack the kind of rugged implementation associated with emergency communications equipment, they point 

towards a future in which emergency responders have access to as much or more information and communication 

capacity than ordinary consumers do today. 

The report outlines the potential for extending LTE systems to include so-called “talk around” or “peer-to-peer” 

functionality as well as “mesh networking” capability that would allow individual end-devices to act as store-andforward relays to extend network connectivity at need. Internet-based technology is one avenue through which 

such extension may be obtained, as well as supporting all forms of digital information exchange, access to Internetbased information resources and non-traditional respondents, wherever situated. Backward compatibility with 

existing emergency communication systems and equipment was deemed important, as was cost, reliability and 

ease of use.

Security loomed large as an important goal, including the validation of equipment and individuals to access 

emergency communication facilities and information. The use of strong authentication methods was considered an 

important element in a credible design for future emergency communications services. 

These and many other observations were offered and a list of desirable properties was prepared and elaborated. 

The conclusions of this report are reproduced below and have been endorsed by the VCAT.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

 A Public Safety Capability organization should be selected or created to orchestrate the detailed design, 

development and coordinated operation of a new, national public safety communication system. It should 

include a Public Safety Interoperability Panel to spur standards development and a resource management 

capability. 

 The architecture of the new public safety network should:

o Incorporate commercial technology where appropriate.

o Extend commercial technology to achieve robustness.

o Provide for backward compatibility or interoperability through standards adoption and/or 

development where feasible, including interoperation with existing and new 911 systems.

o Give high priority to cost-effectiveness and affordability.

o Take advantage of Internet and other packet-based technologies to support multi-media 

communication and mobile ad hoc network formation.

o Incorporate assigned public safety spectrum and other data communication spectrum 

assignments and include opportunity for sharing where feasible.

o Incorporate strong, federated authentication and other security technology to positively identify 

and authorize personnel and equipment permitted in the system.

o Incorporate advanced position location capabilities, including indoor and underground location.
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o Make extensive use of open national or international standards and, where appropriate, open 

source software.

 The development program should include substantial opportunity for coordinated development and 

testing of protocols, systems, devices and practices among a wide range of actors including traditional 

emergency responders, national homeland security elements, military, state militia, municipal, private 

sector public safety organizations and research agencies and institutions. Nontraditional players, including 

a wide range of private sector networked information industry elements, should be included.

 Persistent and sustainable test beds that accommodate urban, suburban and rural scenarios should be 

incorporated into the program in support of long-term evolution of public safety communication standards 

and technologies.

 Above all, the system must be flexible and adaptable to new requirements and incorporation of new 

technologies and capabilities.

4. Update on Ongoing Programmatic and Operational Activities 

This past year, the VCAT received updates on a number of major NIST efforts including standards policy, 

measurement services, safety, and progress on the NIST reorganization.

4a Standards Policy and NIST

2009 VCAT Recommendation: “Serve as the principal inter-agency convener for documentary standards affecting 

national, international, and/or inter-agency interests by obtaining executive branch authority. The Department of 

Commerce (DOC) should sanction such a role for NIST where NIST would serve to coordinate the development of 

action plans and assure that overall architectural integrity of the standard is preserved. NIST would coordinate the 

application of expertise across relevant agencies.”

RESPONSE: In 2009, the VCAT recommended that NIST assume a unique role in the federal government enterprise 

by serving as the principal inter-agency convener for documentary standards affecting national, international 

and/or inter-agency interests. In 2010, NIST assumed a major role in implementing this recommendation with 

NIST Director, Patrick Gallagher, designated as a co-chair of the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) 

Subcommittee on Standards (SoS). The SoS serves an important role in bringing together senior management from 

a cross-section of executive branch agencies and independent commissions, including the three offices within the 

Executive Office of the President – the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Office of Management and 

Budget, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. This varied representation is critical to developing 

positions and a shared understanding within the federal enterprise about the impact of standards on international 

competitiveness, technology, trade, intellectual property rights, etc.

In 2010, the SoS started to address the effectiveness of federal agencies’ engagement on standards aimed at 

national priorities (e.g., development and deployment of an interoperable Smart Grid, secure and interoperable 

electronic health records, cybersecurity, etc.). Following a broad public stakeholder consultation throughout 2011, 

and discussions with numerous agencies, the SoS, in November 2011, released a set of policy recommendations to 

federal agencies to facilitate effective engagement to address national priorities through the use of standards. 

The recommendations build upon existing statute and policy, and provide agencies with additional guidance on a 

number of current issues related to standardization. The policy recommendations balance the needs of the federal 

government with the interests of the private sector stakeholders in the U.S. model of public-private partnership for 

standardization. The policy recommendations have been well received by the U.S. private sector, which view the 
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policy recommendations as continued U.S. Government support for a public-private sector model of standards 

development. NIST’s leadership in coordinating the development of this report is particularly noteworthy as it 

brought together a number of agencies that had previously focused primarily only on their specific interests 

relating to standardization. The development of the report provided a unique opportunity for agencies to explore 

standards related policy issues in a holistic manner, and develop principles that represent general consensus 

across agencies. Thus, the report also represents current U.S. Government ideas and thoughts on standardization. 

The SoS also envisions that the policy recommendations may be followed by a formal Administration 

memorandum providing further guidance relating to federal government engagement in standardization.

RECOMMENDATION:

 The VCAT recommends that NIST continue its role in coordinating and facilitating the development, 

adoption and application of standards used by the Federal Government. The Committee notes that many 

of the standards adopted by NIST also have proven to be of significant utility to the private sector.

4b Measurement Services

As a result of last year’s in-depth exploration by the VCAT of NIST’s programs and resources targeted at providing 

measurement services, the Committee made a number of key recommendations on how NIST could improve its 

ability to deliver timely and high quality measurement services through improved planning and resource 

distribution, a review of current business models and practices, and a more robust assessment of its measurement 

services programs. While NIST still has a number of issues to address, significant progress against these 

recommendations has been made.

2010 VCAT RECOMMENDATIONS: 

• “NIST management should analyze current and anticipated measurement requirements against currently 

available technology to determine new technology development needs as part of a strategic planning 

effort. This will allow NIST to concentrate its resources on developing new tools and providing unique 

measurement services.

• NIST management should ensure that staffing levels are sufficient to create bench depth in critical 

measurement programs.

• NIST management should assess its measurement services and ensure that they optimize the integrity and 

traceability of the measurement system while promoting maximum third-party participation. 

• Pricing for NIST measurement services should be rationalized; does the cost of billing and collection exceed 

cost recovery?

• NIST management should expand assessment programs to include customers of NIST measurement 

services.”

RESPONSE: There was a clear need to improve the planning at NIST in order to ensure that the NIST research 

efforts were feeding the development of new measurement services and that these service development and 

dissemination efforts were adequately staffed. The recent NIST reorganization is major step forward towards 

strengthening the planning and integration of the NIST measurement service efforts. For the calibration services, 

one objective of the recent reorganization and, consequently, its impact is illustrated by creation of the new 

Physical Measurement Laboratory which has integrated the research, development, and dissemination phases 

necessary to support a robust system of weights and measures that is essential for a modern economy. For 

example, in mass metrology, the old organizational structure required coordination of groups from three different 

operational units, each with a different mission. Consequently, it was difficult for improvements in mass 

metrology made by the electronic kilogram project to lead to improvements in mass calibrations, and in new 
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training/measurement protocols for dissemination by the Office of Weights and Measures and the National 

Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP). By contrast in the new structure, the relevant groups are 

now in the same division. We believe that this consolidation will lead to more effective integration of research and 

facilitate the transfer of knowledge and technology into more efficiently managed measurement service delivery 

efforts.

NIST has recently launched a review of its laboratory activities to identify its core capabilities and prioritize its 

efforts in measurement services. This is an opportunity to prune areas that are no longer needed and bolster 

existing and potentially new efforts that have insufficient staffing.

The cost effective delivery of measurement services is essential for the health of these programs. NIST is taking 

steps to evaluate the pricing models for the delivery of its measurement services, specifically the current practice 

of charging full cost recovery versus a market-based pricing approach for its services. 

NIST is also exploring other strategies to more cost effectively deliver measurement services. For development 

and use of traceable reference materials, NIST is exploring the use of third-party collaborators to assist in the 

measurement of its reference materials for more efficient and cost-effective development and delivery. In the 

area of calibrations, NIST also continues to invest in the development of measurement technologies that could be 

transferred broadly to industry as a more effective means of promulgating a traceable measurement system that is 

not as reliant on costly and time-consuming calibrations against primary standards. An example of this work is 10V 

DC voltage metrology. In this case, NIST researched, developed, and transferred the knowledge of fabrication of a 

superconducting circuit to a small company that can generate 10VDC with high accuracy. This company now sells 

10V DC systems to industrial and military calibration laboratories that can use these instruments to calibrate 

instruments with a voltage reference almost as accurately as the ones available at NIST. This could be considered a 

prototype of a concept called “NIST on a chip” that is being discussed within parts of the measurement science 

community at NIST. Current efforts to strengthen the NIST technology transfer policy will further encourage 

efforts to commercialize NIST measurement technologies like the 10V DC standard.

NIST is still in the process of exploring additional assessment programs, beyond evaluation by the National 

Research Council, including the possible evaluation of service programs by personnel at other National 

Measurement Institutes as well as key customers. NIST is taking steps to expand the customer feedback that is 

collected for all measurement services including the possible use of a web-based customer management system to 

ensure that customer requests receive effective response. 

RECOMMENDATION: 

 The Committee believes that it is critical for NIST to implement a revised assessment program and expects 

an update on this process at its June 2012 meeting.

4c Safety at NIST

In the 2010 VCAT report, we recommended that NIST fully implement the recommendations of the NIST Blue 

Ribbon Commission on Management and Safety II (BRCII) report. Since that time, NIST has made significant 

progress addressing each of the four recommendations. The following summarizes progress to date:

BRC Recommendation 1: Appoint crucial Associate Director for Laboratory Programs (and Principal Deputy).

RESPONSE: In July 2011, NIST Director Patrick Gallagher appointed Dr. Willie E. May to the position of Associate 

Director for Laboratory Programs (and Principal Deputy). Prior to this appointment, Dr. May was the Director of 
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NIST’s Material Measurement Laboratory. Dr. May’s extensive leadership and management experience, knowledge 

of NIST’s programs, and understanding of NIST’s unique mission make him exceptionally well qualified to lead all 

aspects of NIST’s laboratory programs. 

BRC Recommendation 2: Address the enthusiasm gap in some senior management.

RESPONSE: In May 2011, Dr. Gallagher convened a two-day safety summit to develop a shared sense of direction 

and priorities among NIST’s senior leaders. The discussions at the summit resulted in the following joint statement:

Safety commitment: We seek to make safety an integral core value and a vital part of the NIST culture. This has 

several key attributes:

• Safety is an integral core value backed up by more than words, and includes full use of our appropriate 

authorities.

• Safety is how NIST performs its mission work (“safety as an adverb”).

• We seek to build our safety culture on the strengths of our existing culture. For example, high standards of 

excellence; personal and professional integrity; recognizing achievement; merit as determined by robust 

peer review; etc.

BRC Recommendation 3: Establish an Audit mechanism.

RESPONSE: NIST has drafted an assessment program as part of its overall safety management system. The 

assessment program, which is currently under review, includes requirements for independent third-party 

assessments.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission provides significant external oversight of NIST’s programs involving ionizing 

radiation. In addition, NIST contracts for independent third-party assessments of its ionizing radiation safety 

programs in both Gaithersburg and Boulder annually and has contracted for a comprehensive assessment of its 

radioactive materials programs in 2012.

Federal, State, and local regulatory agencies provide significant oversight of NIST’s environmental management 

programs.

In August 2011, the Department of Commerce’s Office of Occupational Safety and Health conducted an 

independent third-party evaluation of the NIST safety program focused on 29 CFR 1960, Basic Program Elements 

for Federal Occupational Safety and Health Programs, and on implementation of the NIST program at NIST 

Boulder. 

NIST has initiated an assessment of its hazard review program. The assessment will comprise an independent 

third-party assessment of the NIST written program and the Operational Unit (OU) implementations thereof and 

internal peer-based assessments of approximately 50 specific activities.

BRC Recommendation 4: Develop a suite of safety metrics to gauge progress and drive improvements. 

RESPONSE: NIST is in the process of developing a set of safety metrics to drive improvements in incident reporting 

and investigation. These metrics will be based on injuries, illnesses, near misses, spills, and other incidents and on 

the data collected through the NIST Incident Reporting and Investigation System (IRIS) launched in September 

2010.
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During 2012, NIST will be launching a new program focused on the reporting and amelioration of unsafe working 

conditions. This will be another source of data to gauge progress and drive improvements.

OBSERVATIONS:

NIST is currently monitoring six categories of recordable incidents shown below. The recordable incident data is 

collapsed into two standard metric rates, known as DART and TRC6

. 

Recordable incidents:

1. Lost work activity – Days Away from Work 

2. Restricted work activity – Days Restricted

3. Transfer to another job due to injury – Days Transferred

4. Medical treatment beyond first aid (non-lost time) 

5. Loss of consciousness

6. Fatality related to work

NIST management has concluded that these metrics do not permit direct and targeted responses to the 

aggregated measurements. Moreover, the accumulated data is “noisy” owing to the small numbers involved. This 

makes it difficult to measure progress except over long periods of time. Consequently, a new set of safety metrics 

has been proposed, driven by the motivating factors shown below:

1. They touch on key aspects of a strong culture of safety (improving safety engagement, safety processes, 

safety leadership, and safety learning across the organization).

2. They connect to an area of high safety significance (preventing incidents from recurring, identifying and 

addressing both local and organization-wide safety weaknesses). 

3. They are relevant to management and staff at all levels and across the entire organization.

4. They permit the OUs to improve continually through data-based safety management.

5. They are amenable to the NIST Office of Safety, Health, and Environment (OSHE) measuring and reporting 

on them relatively easily.

6. They involve a safety area that has been a major focus at NIST and where NIST has recently done an 

evaluation and established a baseline. 

These new metrics will be monitored from April 1, 2012: 

1. Quality of incident investigation reports.

2. Quality of initial incident reports.

3. Percentage of OUs with procedures implementing the NIST IRIS program.

4. Percentage of staff trained on OU procedures for reporting incidents and on their associated rights.

5. Percentage of staff trained on the conduct of incident investigations who will be performing incident 

investigations.

In addition, OSHE will report on the amount of time taken to submit initial incident reports and incident 

investigation reports, and on the number of outstanding incident investigation reports beyond specified 

timeframes.

 6 DART Rate = Number of incidents in categories 1, 2, and 3 per 200,000 employee work hours (roughly 100 full-time 

employees).

TRC Rate = Number of incidents in categories 1 through 5 per 200,000 employee work hours (roughly 100 full-time employees).
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Related metrics that NIST will track in the future:

1. Percentage of corrective actions taken on time.

2. Number of outstanding corrective actions beyond the scheduled time.

RECOMMENDATION:

 The VCAT expects a report on metrics in use and in development during the calendar 2012 VCAT period. In 

addition, the VCAT is specifically interested in the measurements taken by NIST to illustrate its progress in 

improving safety. The importance of this effort cannot be overemphasized.

4d Progress on the NIST Reorganization

The Committee recognizes the significant progress that NIST has made in its continued efforts to reorganize and 

realign the laboratory programs. Specifically, the appointment of Dr. Willie May to the position of Associate 

Director for Laboratory Programs fills a much needed leadership position that will enable the continued 

implementation of the NIST reorganization, provide leadership stability in times of transition, and provide 

continued focus and strategic prioritization of efforts to grow and strengthen the NIST laboratory programs.

The Committee realizes that there is still significant work to be done to ensure that the NIST reorganization is a 

success. Perhaps the biggest challenge lies in the ongoing restructuring of the Material Measurement Laboratory 

and the Physical Measurement Laboratory, which together are the two largest scientific OUs at NIST with 

combined responsibility for the core metrology mission. Given the ongoing efforts to strengthen measurement 
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services as discussed earlier, it is critical that these two units ensure that a core base of fundamental research is 

maintained and is vertically integrated with new service delivery capabilities that are closely tied to the need of 

NIST’s stakeholders in government and industry.

The Committee applauds the creation of the Chief Manufacturing Officer position at NIST. With the newly 

announced leadership role of the Department of Commerce in the Administration’s manufacturing policy and the 

critical role of NIST, it is important that NIST has a leadership post that can serve as a key point of coordination 

both within the government and with the private sector.

RECOMMENDATIONS: 

 The VCAT strongly recommends that NIST engage in capacity, skills and leadership planning and looks to 

NIST to report progress at the June 2012 VCAT meeting.

 The VCAT requests that NIST management articulate the inter-laboratory coordination mechanisms it uses 

to address new opportunities, build staff competency in new areas and adapt to new budget and tasking 

from the many sources that drive NIST’s agenda.

5. NIST Strategic Planning and Performance

NIST continues to improve its programmatic planning efforts. Building on progress it has made over the last three 

years it has identified a series of strategic priorities and investment priority areas (IPAs) against which future 

planning would be conducted. 

As with last year, the programmatic planning efforts are directed toward a series of six IPAs: Physical 

Infrastructure, Energy, Environment & Consumer Safety, Healthcare, Information Technology & Cybersecurity, and 

Manufacturing. These IPAs were selected by senior NIST management and technical staff, along with inputs from 

other stakeholders, based on the following criteria:

• Clearly matches NIST’s mission and goals;

• Addresses urgent national needs and priorities, including Administration and Congressional priorities;

• Addresses a compelling innovation or competitiveness issue in areas of strategic importance to the nation

(e.g., manufacturing, alternate energy, safety and security); and

• Represents previously identified NIST priorities that remain important.

The programmatic planning process is moving the agency away from single year initiative-based planning, and 

toward the creation of culture and infrastructure that enable the development and maintenance of multi-year 

program plans with discrete goals, objectives, and performance measures. 

RECOMMENDATION:

 The VCAT endorses the strategic planning process and supports the six investment priority areas. The VCAT 

is looking for more clarity and depth in strategic planning, recognizing that NIST operates in a dynamic 

environment in which demands arise from a variety of sources that can and do influence its ability to 

adapt.
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5a NIST Three-Year Programmatic Plan

The Committee has read and reviewed the draft NIST three-year programmatic plan as of January, 2012 and 

believes that it accurately portrays the near-term path of activity and development at NIST. 

RECOMMENDATION: 

 While the Committee does not have specific recommendations stemming from the three-year 

programmatic plan, it does urge NIST management to develop a longer-term strategic perspective of 

evolving agency needs and challenges from which the programmatic plan may be derived.

6.NIST Budget 

NIST Budget (Dollars in Millions)

FY 2010 

Enacted

FY 2011 

Enacted

FY2012 

Enacted

FY2013 

Request

Scientific and Technical Research and Services 

(STRS) $515.0 $497.4 $567.0 $648.0

Industrial Technology Services (ITS) $194.6 $182.8 $128.4 $149.0

Advanced Manu Tech. Consortia 0 0 0 21.0

Technology Innovation Program 69.9 44.8 0 0

Baldrige Perf. Excellence Program 9.6 9.6 0 0

Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership 124.7 128.4 128.4 128.0

Construction of Research Facilities (CRF) $147.0 $69.9 $55.4 $60.0

Total NIST Discretionary $856.6 $750.1 $750.8 $857.0

Mandatory Appropriations 0 0 0 $1,300.0

Wireless Innovation Fund 0 0 0 300.0

National Network for Manufacturing Innovation 0 0 0 1,000.0

Total NIST $856.1 $750.1 $750.8 $2,157.0
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6a FY 2012 Appropriations

OBSERVATIONS:

A highlight of the FY 2012 funding was the $69.6 million dollar increase in funding provided to the NIST laboratory 

programs. The Committee applauds this increased support that will strengthen NIST capabilities in manufacturing 

and a number of other areas, and is illustrative of the critical role that NIST plays in supporting technological 

innovation. 

NIST’s Industrial Technology Services account is significantly cut in the FY 2012 appropriations, with the 

Technology Innovation Program (TIP) and the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program (BPEP) being eliminated 

from Federal funding, and no funding provided for the proposed AMTech program. With respect to TIP, the 

Committee applauds the professional manner in which NIST is handling the shutdown of the program and the 

efforts being undertaken to minimize the impact to the program’s staff.

The VCAT notes that there is no continuing funding in FY 2012 for the BPEP. The Committee is grateful to the 

Baldrige Foundation for the gift that will enable the program to operate through FY 2012. The Committee looks 

forward to working with NIST management and the BPEP leadership to ensure a successful transition of the 

program over the coming year.

Although incremental funding for the AMTech program was not provided in FY 2012, the VCAT strongly believes 

that this model of public-private partnership is a powerful tool for addressing key challenges in technological 

innovation. The VCAT endorses NIST’s effort to establish manufacturing consortia and other initiatives, where 

possible, to leverage the capabilities of the NIST labs with those of industry and academia to overcome 

precompetitive challenges and to reduce barriers to innovation.

The Committee agrees with NIST leadership that the laboratory mission is its top priority, and that these programs 

should continue to be prioritized and optimized. The Committee believes that NIST, because of its non-regulatory 

role, has a uniquely valuable convening capability linking government and industry. 

The VCAT believes that the NIST coordination role must be supported in such a way as to preserve the laboratory 

programs that are at the core of the NIST mission. 

RECOMMENDATIONS:

 The VCAT recommends that NIST continue to work proactively to fulfill both its coordinating 

responsibilities and its measurement sciences programs.

 The VCAT reiterates its earlier recommendation that NIST take steps to assure that there is sufficient 

funding to maintain an optimal level of technology in support of NIST’s mission.

6b FY 2013 Request

The President’s FY 2013 budget for NIST proposes an appropriations funding level of $857 million, an increase of 

$106.2 million from FY 2012.

More than half of the proposed increased funding would be focused on advanced manufacturing research both at 

NIST laboratories and through the AMTech program, which the VCAT strongly supports. Increases to the 

laboratory research programs include:
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• Measurement Science for Advanced Manufacturing (+$45 million)

• NIST Centers of Excellence (+$20 million)

• Measurement Science and Standards in Support of Forensic Science (+$5 million)

• Measurement and Standards for Disaster Resilience and Natural Hazards Risk Reduction (+$5 million)

• Measurement Science to Support Advanced Communications Networks (+$10 million)

• National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (+$8 million)

The VCAT is supportive of the requested increases to the NIST laboratory programs, and believe that they will both 

increase capabilities at NIST, and create improved partnership opportunities with industry and academia, enabling 

NIST to interact more effectively across the innovation ecosystem.

The VCAT is supportive of the proposed $128 million for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and the 

requested $21 million for AMTech. While $21 million will be sufficient to launch the program, as previously stated, 

the VCAT strongly recommends that the AMTech program be funded at a level that would enable it to have 

maximal impact.

With respect to the $60 million for Construction of Research Facilities, the VCAT is pleased to see that the much 

needed renovations to the Boulder Campus will be able to continue, albeit at a much reduced rate. The VCAT is 

concerned that the $48.2 million proposed for NIST’s routine maintenance and repair budget is not sufficient to 

effectively maintain NIST’s laboratory facilities, especially given the aging nature of the General Purpose 

Laboratories and the significant increases in new facilities through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 

(ARRA) construction. The inability for NIST to effectively address major repair needs could negatively impact the 

safe and efficient operations of NIST.

The VCAT is eager to learn more about the President’s request for an additional $1 billion in mandatory funding to 

establish a National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI), a collaborative effort between the 

Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation and NIST to promote the 

development of manufacturing technologies with broad applications. The VCAT looks forward to working with NIST 

over the coming year to help define and scope this potentially transformational new program.

Having focused this past year on Public Safety Communications, and with publication of the report, “Desirable 

Properties of a National Public Safety Communication System,” the VCAT is highly supportive of the requested $300 

million for a next generation Public Safety Communications program as part of the Wireless Innovation Fund.