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2017-04-06 FRPC 2016

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The Face Recognition Prize Challenge (FRPC 2017) – 

Application and Agreement to Participate 

1 Who can participate 

1.1 Face	recognition researchers and developers from industry, research institutions, and academia	are	eligible	

to participate in the Face Recognition	Vendor Test – hereafter referred	to	as the “FRPC”.

1.2 Certain	organizations are ineligible to	participate – see [IARPA-RULES]

2 How to Participate 

8 2.1 To participate in	FRPC,	an	Organization	must	provide	the	information	requested	in	Section	5	of	this

Agreement identifying	the	Responsible	Party	and the	Point of Contact. Organization must also print and

sign this	Agreement, attach business	cards	from each of the signing parties, and send it to the location

designated	in	Section	5. Signatures of both	the Responsible Party and	the Point of Contact are required.

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2.1.1 The Responsible Party is an individual with the authority to commit the organization to

the terms in this Agreement.

2.1.2 The Point of Contact (POC) is an individual with detailed knowledge of the participating

Submission.

2.1.3 In	some	cases,	the	Responsible	Party	and	the	POC	may	be	the	same	person.

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2.2 Upon receipt of the signed application by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the

organization	will be classified	as a “Participant.” NIST	must receive	this signed application either before	or

with the algorithm prototypes. Algorithm prototypes (“Submissions”) shall be submitted as pre-compiled

software libraries. They may be submitted on	or after June 21,	2017.		The	application	shall	be submitted

either before	or with the	Submission; subsequent Submissions do not require	additional applications.

2.3 NIST intends to evaluate all Submissions from all Participants on a first come, first served basis.

2.4 Participant shall provide	a	submission (“Submission”), conforming to	the specifications in	the Concept,

Evaluation Plan, and API (“Test Plan”) available on	the FRPC website.	

2.5 A	Submission	shall include all libraries,	validation	results,	configuration	files,	documentation,	and	all	other

files required by NIST and the Participant	to validate and execute the tests specified in the Test	Plan.

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2.6 The Submission need not be used in a	production system or be commercially available. However, the

Submission must, at a	minimum, be	a	stable	implementation conforming to the	Test Plan that NIST	has

published	for FRPC.

2.7 The Submission must be encrypted and signed before	transmission to NIST.		Instructions for Submission can

be found	on	the FRPC website. Generic encryption instructions can be found in the Image Group’s

Encrypting Software for Transmission to NIST	document.

2.8 A	box for the Participant’s public	key	fingerprint is	included on the Agreement.		Submissions	that are not

signed with the public	key fingerprint listed on the Agreement will not be accepted.

2.9 Submissions must be	compliant with the	Test Plan, NIST	test hardware, and NIST	test software.

Submissions must be	delivered to NIST	during the	submission period given in paragraph 2.2	of this

agreement according	to the	technical specifications given in the	Test Plan.

2.10 To the extent allowable by Federal law, NIST	agrees to protect Submissions as business proprietary

information	by	using	same	degree	of	care,	but	no	less	than	a	reasonable	degree	of	care,	to	prevent	the

unauthorized	use, dissemination	or publication	of the Proprietary Information	as NIST uses to	protect its

own	confidential information	of	a like nature. NIST agrees not	to transfer	any Submissions to any third party

without the prior written permission of the Participant.
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2.11 These provisions are consistent with and do not supersede, conflict with, or otherwise alter the employee

obligations, rights, or	liabilities created by existing statute or	Executive order	relating to (1)	classified

information,	(2)	communications	to	Congress,	(3)	the	reporting	to	an	Inspector	General	of	a	violation	of	any

law,	rule,	or	regulation,	or	mismanagement,	a 	gross	waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial

and specific danger to public health or safety, or (4) any other whistleblower protection. The	definitions,

requirements, obligations, rights, sanctions, and liabilities created by controlling Executive orders and

statutory provisions	are incorporated into this	Agreement and are controlling.

3 Points of Contact 

3.1 The FRPC Liaison is the	NIST point of contact for FRPC.	

3.2 All questions should	be directed	to	FRPC@nist.gov, which will be received by the FRPC Liaison and other

FRPC personnel.

3.3 These questions and answers may be provided as updates to the Test Plan at the discretion of the FRPC

Liaison.

4 Release of FRPC Results 

4.1 Anonymous participation	will not be permitted. This means that signatories to	this document, Application	

and Agreement to Participate	in the	Face	Recognition Vendor Test (“Agreement”), acknowledge	that they

understand	that the results (see Section	4) of the test of their Submission	will be published	with	full

attribution to their institution or	organization (“Organization”).

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4.2 After the completion	of FRPC testing, NIST will publish all results obtained, along with the Organization’s

name on	the internet, and	potentially in	government meetings, conferences, workshops or journals. NIST

does not intend	to	publicly disclose any pre-decisional data generated	from testing the Participant’s

Submission in accordance	with the	Test Plan. Participant acknowledges that such pre-decisional data may

be subject to	mandatory public disclosure in	accordance with relevant Federal regulations.

4.3 Participant will be	notified of its results via	the	Responsible	Party and the	Point of Contact provided on the	

Agreement.

4.4 After the release of FRPC results, Participant	may use the results for	its own purposes.		Such results	shall be

accompanied by the	following	phrase: “Results shown from NIST	do not constitute	an endorsement of any

particular system, product, service, or company by NIST.”		Such	results shall also	be accompanied	by the

Internet	address	(URL)	of	the FRPC website:

https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/face-recognition-prize-challenge

5 Additional Information 

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5.1 Any data obtained	during FRPC,	as	well	as	any	documentation	required	by	NIST	from	the	Participant	(except

the Submission), becomes the property of	FRPC.	 Participant will	not acquire a proprietary interest in the

data and/or submitted	documentation. Any data or documentation	that qualifies as business proprietary

information,	as	defined	by	the	Freedom	of	Information	Act	(5	USC	Section	552)	will	be	treated as

confidential in accordance with Section 2, and will only	be used for the purposes	of the FRPC test.

5.2 Participant agrees that it will not file	any FRPC-related claim against	FRPC sponsors, supporters, staff,

contractors, or agency	of the U.S. Government, or otherwise	seek compensation for any equipment,

materials, supplies, information, travel, labor and/or other Participant-provided	services.

5.3 NIST is not bound or obligated to follow any recommendations that may be submitted by the Participant.

NIST is	not	bound,	nor	is	it	obligated,	in 	any	way	to	give	any	special	consideration	to	Participant	on	future

contracts.

5.4 NIST is conducting FRPC pursuant to	15 U.S.C. §272(b)(8), (c)(2), and	(c)(14).
		

		

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5.5 By signing this Agreement, Participant acknowledges that it understands any test details and/or

modifications that are provided on the FRPC website supersede the information in this Agreement.

5.6 Participant may withdraw from FRPC at any time	before	its Submission is received by NIST, without its

participation	and	withdrawal being documented	in	the Final Report(s).

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5.7 NIST will use the Participant’s Submission only for the agreed-upon	FRPC test, and in the event	errors are

subsequently found, to re-run prior	tests and resolve those errors.

5.8 NIST agrees not to use the Participant’s	Submission	for	purposes	other	than	indicated	above,	without

express permission by the	Participant.

5.9 Participant understands that IARPA administers the	prize	awards, and makes the	ultimate	decisions on

winning algorithms.

5.10 Original signed copies of the	FRPC application are	required. Original, signed copies of this application, with

business cards from both	signing parties attached, must be mailed	to	the address below. These must be

signed paper hardcopies. Scanned documents	submitted via email are not acceptable.		Please	send an email

message to FRPC@nist.gov stating that you have sent your application. NIST will not accept applications	

from generic email addresses (e.g. gmail.com, hotmail.com, qq.com etc.). Upon receipt of your application,

we will send you a confirmation email message.

Mailing Address:

FRPC Liaison

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Information	Access	Division	(774.03)

100	Bureau Drive, Mailstop 8940	

Gaithersburg, MD	 20899-8940	

Participants should complete	the	box below per the	instructions for transmission of encrypted content to NIST	as

defined	in	the Encrypting Software for Transmission	to	NIST document and	available at

https://www.nist.gov/itl/iad/image-group/products-and-services/encrypting-softwaredata-transmission-nist If

preferred, participants can	fax their public key to	the FRPC Liaison at 301-975-5287.
		

	 	

		

		_____________________________________________________	 							______________

			SIGNATURE, TITLE	AND ORGANIZATION OF RESPONSIBLE PARTY DATE

		_____________________________________________________

			PRINTED NAME	AND EMAIL ADDRESS	OF	RESPONSIBLE	PARTY

		_____________________________________________________	 							______________

			SIGNATURE, TITLE	AND ORGANIZATION OF POINT OF CONTACT DATE

		_____________________________________________________

			PRINTED NAME	AND EMAIL ADDRESS	OF	POINT	OF	CONTACT

		

		

			 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	

____________________________________________________________

ATTACH BUSINESS CARDS HERE FOR	ALL SIGNING PARTIES

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Participant's public-key fingerprint (enter here)

NIST's public-key	fingerprint 	 	 	 F686	F336	77B3	16B3	B683 0D22 184E 8E56 7910 F1DF

Request to Participate

With my signature, I hereby request consideration as a Participant in the Face Recognition Vendor Test (FRPC), and

I	am	authorizing	my	Organization	to	participate	in FRPC according	to the	rules and limitations listed	in	this

Agreement.

With my signature, I also state that I have the authority to accept the terms stated in this Agreement.

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