NIST 3-Year 

Programmatic Plan

FY 2013-2015

June 2012
(Courtesy of HDR Architecture, Inc./Steve Hall © Hedrich Blessing)
NIST 3-Year Programmatic Plan FY 2013-2015

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Introduction 

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in 

a range of strategic areas critical to the nation’s economy. The America COMPETES Act outlines 

major roles for NIST in promoting national competitiveness and innovation, and also calls for NIST 

to submit a three-year programmatic plan concurrent with the submission of the President’s budget 

request to Congress. This document summarizes the focus of NIST programs for use in planning 

and prioritizing investments over this three-year period. NIST will continue to refine this plan as it 

works with the Administration to address national priorities.

This plan includes the following: 

• Statement of NIST’s mission; 

• Overview and highlights of NIST laboratory programs; 

• Overview and highlights of NIST Innovation and Industry Services programs; and

• Priorities for NIST FY 2013-2015.

(Credit: Christina Kiffney Photography)
NIST 3-Year Programmatic Plan FY 2013-2015

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NIST 3-Year Programmatic Plan FY 2013-2015

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NIST Mission: Promoting 

U.S. Innovation and Industrial 

Competitiveness

The NIST mission is to: 

Promote U.S. innovation and industrial 

competitiveness by advancing measurement 

science, standards, and technology in 

ways that enhance economic security and 

improve our quality of life

Since 1901, NIST (and its predecessor, the National Bureau of Standards) has maintained the national standards of measurement, a role that the U.S. Constitution 

assigns to the federal government, and has been supplying the measurements and tools to 

help U.S. industry compete successfully. As a non-regulatory agency in the U.S. Department 

of Commerce, an experienced partner of industry, and the federal research agency specifically 

focused on promoting U.S. economic competitiveness, NIST is well-positioned to accelerate 

and promote innovation and advanced technologies through its Laboratory Programs and its 

Innovation and Industry Services Programs.
NIST 3-Year Programmatic Plan FY 2013-2015

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NIST 3-Year Programmatic Plan FY 2013-2015

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NIST Laboratory Programs 

The NIST Laboratory Programs work at the frontiers of measurement science to ensure that the U.S. system of measurements is firmly grounded on sound scientific and technical 

principles. Today, the NIST Laboratories address increasingly complex measurement challenges, 

ranging from the very small (nanoscale devices) to the very large (vehicles and buildings), and from 

the physical (renewable energy sources) to the virtual (cybersecurity and cloud computing). 

As new technologies develop and evolve, NIST’s measurement research and services remain central 

to innovation, productivity, trade, and public safety. 

The NIST Laboratory Programs provide industry, academia, and other federal agencies with:

• Scientific underpinnings for basic and derived measurement units in the 

international standards community, measurement and calibration services, and certified 

reference materials;

• Impartial expertise and leadership in basic and applied 

research to enable development of test methods and 

verified data to support the 

efficient commercialization and 

exchange of goods and services 

in industry and commerce;

• Support for the development of 

open, consensus-based standards and specifications that 

define technical and performance requirements for goods 

and services, with associated 

measurements and test methods 

for conformity; and 

• Unique, cutting edge user 

facilities that support innovation 

in materials science, nanotechnology discovery and fabrication, and 

other emerging technology areas 

through the NIST Center for 

Neutron Research, which provides world class neutron measurement capabilities to the U.S. 

research community, and the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, which 

supports nanotechnology development from discovery to production. 

NIST receives thousands of gage blocks, highly accurate 

short length measuring tools, every year for calibration 

against NIST masters from manufacturers and government 

agencies around the world (Credit: Barry Gardner)
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Driving Innovation through 

Measurement 

NIST provides measurement and calibration services via its Standard Reference 

Materials®, calibration services, and Standard 

Reference Data. More than 32,000 units of 

1,300 different types of certified reference 

materials were sold in FY 2011 to industry, 

academia, and government, to assure the accuracy of millions of measurements made daily 

in medical clinics, manufacturing plants, crime 

labs, and industrial labs throughout the United 

States. The calibration services NIST provides 

help customers achieve the highest measurement quality and productivity 

in areas such as dimensional, 

electromagnetic, ionizing 

radiation, mechanical, optical 

radiation, thermodynamic, and 

time and frequency measurements. In FY 2011, over 18,000 

calibrations were carried out on 

more than 2,800 objects, which 

underpin hundreds of thousands 

of additional calibrations carried 

out in industry, academia and 

government agencies. NIST 

Standard Reference Data are 

well-documented numeric data 

used in technical problem-solving, research, and development; 

over 100 types are available for use in scientific 

and engineering applications, with over 19 million downloads recorded in FY 2011 (excluding 

web-based time services).

The International System of Units (SI) is essential to science, technology, and commerce. NIST 

coordinates U.S. government policy on the use 

of the SI by federal agencies as well as on the use 

of the SI by U.S. industry. NIST also provides 

official U.S. representation to the International 

Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), 

created by the Convention of the Metre Treaty 

of 1875 and now including 55 member-states, 

as well as to the International Committee for 

Weights and Measures (CIPM), an 18-member 

committee whose principal task is to promote 

worldwide uniformity in units of measurement. 

In addition, NIST serves as the U.S. representative to the International Organization of Legal 

Metrology (OIML), a 119-member treaty organization that recommends manufacture and use 

requirements for legal metrology applications. 

Artist’s conception of the first “frequency comb” in 

the extreme ultraviolet band of the spectrum, which 

contains high-energy light less than 100 nanometers 

(nm) in wavelength, created by physicists at JILA. 

Laser-generated frequency combs are the most accurate 

method available for precisely measuring frequencies, 

or colors, of light (Credit: Baxley/JILA)

NIST has developed an 

nanoindentation test 

method that presses 

a diamond tip into an 

integrated circuit (IC) to 

measure the toughness 

of the insulating films 

contained within the 

IC. This technique is 

aimed at developing 

standards and testing 

methodology that will 

improve reliability and 

manufacturability of ICs 

(Credit: Dylan Morris/NIST)
Driving Innovation through Measurement

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Highlights:

Promoting bioscience 

innovation in the regulatory 

environment: 

NIST is ideally positioned to work with 

industry and federal regulatory agencies to 

develop innovative solutions to biological 

measurement challenges that will enable 

more efficient manufacturing and quality 

assurance processes. Biotechnology drugs, 

currently dominated by protein therapeutics, 

are the fastest-growing class of pharmaceuticals, as well as one of the fastest-growing 

categories of health care-related spending. 

NIST is developing measurement methods, protocols, and standards for improved, 

real-time measurement of biologic products 

during manufacturing. For example, NIST 

researchers are creating mass spectral methods 

and reference data to enable more accurate 

characterization of protein drugs. To do this, 

NIST is developing peptide libraries that will be 

made publicly available and will be valuable to 

biopharmaceutical researchers in their development of new protein therapies. Other bioscience 

efforts at NIST are targeted at measurement 

science to support new technologies, such as 

ultra-high throughput, next-generation DNA 

sequencing, the development of standards to 

support improved genetics-based disease 

diagnostics and therapy, and measurement of 

protein-based disease biomarkers. By partnering with other federal agencies including the 

National Institutes of Health and the Food and 

Drug Administration, the bioscience research 

program at NIST supports the new tools, 

standards, and approaches needed to support 

science-based regulatory decision-making and 

to create a flourishing environment for innovation in industry. 

NIST has issued the world’s first reference material for singlewall carbon nanotube soot, which offers companies and 

researchers a highly reliable source of uniform and wellcharacterized carbon nanotube soot for material comparisons, 

as well as chemical and toxicity analysis (Credit: Vladar/NIST)

Photomicrograph showing human lung cells infected 

with cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common pathogen that 

is particularly dangerous for infants and persons with 

weakened immune systems. NIST Standard Reference 

Material (SRM) 2366 will help health care professionals 

more accurately diagnose and treat CMV by providing 

a standardized CMV DNA. SRM 2366 joins more than 

50 reference materials produced by NIST for quality 

control in clinical testing (Credit: E.P. Ewing/Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention)
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The new SI and 

the redefinition 

of the kilogram: 

NIST is playing a critical 

role in the revision of the 

SI, which includes research 

and development to support 

international efforts to 

prepare for a future redefinition of the unit of mass 

– the kilogram – which is 

the last remaining SI basic 

unit defined by an artifact. 

The 1889 definition of the 

kilogram was in terms of 

the mass of the international prototype, which 

is an artifact made of 

platinum-iridium kept at 

the BIPM in France under 

precisely controlled storage 

conditions. Since the establishment of the SI in 

1960, progress has been made in moving away 

from artifact-based definitions to those utilizing invariant quantities such as fundamental 

physical constants and atomic properties. On 

Oct. 21, 2011, the CGPM (General Conference 

on Weights and Measures) passed a resolution 

declaring that the kilogram is to be redefined in 

terms of the fixed numerical value of the Planck 

constant (h). 

NIST is involved in two physically very different approaches to determine the value of h

with high precision and accuracy. One employs 

a device called a watt balance, which measures 

the force required to balance a 1 kg mass artifact 

against the pull of the Earth’s gravity by monitoring the voltage and current (hence the name 

“watt”) involved in doing so. NIST researchers are actively involved in two watt-balance 

initiatives: a top-to-bottom investigation of the 

existing NIST vacuum-enclosed watt balance 

device in search of sources of error that can 

be eliminated to improve its measurement 

uncertainty; as well as construction of an 

entirely new watt-balance in a dedicated, 

climate-controlled facility.

The other approach to determining h, pursued 

by a single large international collaboration, 

involves “counting” the number of atoms (via 

unit cell volume of a crystal) in each of two 

highly pure 1 kg single-crystal enriched silicon 

spheres about 94 mm in diameter. The result 

provides a determination of the Avogadro 

Constant, which in turn can be used to obtain h

using the well-known values of other constants.  

NIST researchers are part of an international 

team that is making precise measurements of 

the molar mass of silicon using isotope dilution 

mass spectrometry (IDMS) and multicollectorinductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry 

(MC-ICP-MS). 

NIST researchers have improved the stability of the magnetic suspension 

technique that will be used to “connect” a mass artifact in air to a high 

precision mass balance in a vacuum to provide a direct comparison 

between masses in two different pressure environments. This will be 

important for transferring an “electronic kilogram” realized in vacuum 

to real-world mass artifacts used in air. Here, Patrick Abbott adjusts the 

position of the magnetic flux sensor used as the feedback element in the 

magnetic levitation system. (Credit: Earl Zubkoff )
Driving Innovation through Measurement

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Cutting-edge quantum metrologies: 

Researchers at NIST are continually pushing the boundaries of advanced, cutting-edge 

metrologies that can be applied to problems 

of national significance in such areas as communications, defense, electronics, energy, 

environment, health, lighting, manufacturing, 

microelectronics, radiation, remote sensing, 

space, and transportation. In one such area, 

quantum-based communication and measurement systems that use novel quantum states of 

light are being developed worldwide. However, 

the technologies used to generate, manipulate, 

and detect these states of light are inadequate for 

many emerging applications. NIST research in 

this field focuses on the development of singlephoton technologies for quantum information 

science and technology. 

Key projects involve investigating the use of 

nonlinear fibers and nonlinear crystals as a 

source of correlated photon pairs or “squeezed 

light,” and then manipulating the squeezed light 

in new ways to enhance precision measurements, 

as well as computing and communications based 

on quantum physics. In addition to creating 

these non-classical states of light, NIST builds 

detector systems that are the best in the world 

at operating at the single photon level. 

Major recent accomplishments by NIST 

researchers in this program include demonstrations of the highest system detection efficiency 

for single photons (greater than 95 percent at 

1550 nanometers (nm); world-record, longdistance quantum key distribution systems 

using superconducting nanowire single-photon 

detectors; and the first ever time-correlated 

single-photon counting with superconducting 

single-photon detectors. 

Colorized micrograph of an 

ultrafast single-photon detector 

made of superconducting 

nanowires used at NIST to 

register individual photons 

(particles of light). NIST 

researchers use electron beam 

lithography to pattern the 

nanowires (vertical lines) on a 

thin film of tungsten-silicon alloy, 

which produces more reliable 

signals than the niobium nitride 

material used previously 

(Credit: Baek/NIST) 
NIST 3-Year Programmatic Plan FY 2013-2015

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Advanced materials measurements, 

modeling, and simulation: 

Accelerating the pace of discovery and 

deployment of advanced material systems is 

an important element of the U.S. advanced 

manufacturing infrastructure that will enable 

industrial competitiveness in the 21st century. 

Advanced materials are critical in a wide range 

of industries, including aerospace and electronics, and support a number of national priorities, 

such as clean energy and national security. The 

Materials Genome Initiative is an interagency 

effort to revolutionize the advanced materials innovation infrastructure to enable rapid 

reductions in the development time for new 

materials and improve the properties of those 

materials. One of the goals of the initiative is to 

reduce the time required for materials design 

from the current 10-year average timeframe, to 

be more compatible with an 18-month product 

development cycle. NIST plays a leading role 

in developing the critical models, tools, standards, and data that will comprise the materials 

innovation infrastructure of the future. NIST 

researchers use a suite of experimental methods 

to measure phase transformation temperatures, 

boundaries and compositions, as well as other 

important material properties. These experimental capabilities are complemented by NIST 

expertise in a number of computational methods 

for predicting the composition and other key 

characteristics of new materials systems that 

will result in desirable materials performance. 

For example, the NIST-designed open access 

software OOF (Object-Oriented Finite element 

analysis) allows scientists to calculate properties 

of materials by reading an image and conducting virtual experiments that provide 

clues about how the overall material 

will behave. With collaborators 

from academia, industry, and other 

agencies, NIST will continue 

to build on its infrastructure of 

experimental and computational 

data and models for advanced 

materials design. 

The software package, OOF (ObjectOriented Finite element analysis) is 

a specialized tool to help materials 

designers understand how stress 

and other factors act on a material 

with a complex internal structure. 

Once provided with a microscope’s 

image of a composite material (inset), 

OOF software can help researchers 

identify the different substances (blue 

and gray areas) that make up the 

material and compute their response 

to stress or other effects 

(Credit: Langer/NIST)
Accelerating the adoption and deployment of advanced technology solutions

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Accelerating the adoption and deployment 

of advanced technology solutions 

The development and adoption of leading-edge IT capabilities integrated with 

manufacturing processes, transportation systems, 

utility networks, and healthcare applications 

will enable the transformation of these physical 

systems that are critical to our quality of life. In 

particular, improvements in these capabilities 

will allow real-time monitoring, control, and 

performance optimization of smart manufacturing systems in the factories of small, medium, 

and large companies, and will facilitate straightforward integration of engineering information 

systems used in complex manufacturing and 

construction. The development of IT-enabled 

systems and processes will require the development of advanced intelligent robots, sensors, and 

automation technologies. 

H i g h l i g h t s 

Smart Grid: 

The Smart Grid is envisioned as a complex 

system of systems that incorporates many new 

technologies and operating paradigms in an 

end-to-end system that will function very differently than the legacy grid, and will deliver power 

more efficiently, reliably and cleanly. NIST will 

develop the necessary measurement science and 

standards, including interoperability and cybersecurity standards, to ensure the performance 

of the Smart Grid. This includes ensuring that 

the system, subsystem, and end-user levels can 

be measured, controlled, and optimized to meet 

performance requirements, especially for safety 

and security, reliability and resilience, agility and 

stability, and energy efficiency.

Credit: Markus Gann/Shutterstock
NIST 3-Year Programmatic Plan FY 2013-2015

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In order to accelerate the development 

of Smart Grid interoperability standards, 

Congress, through Section 1305 of the Energy 

Independence and Security Act of 2007 (Public 

Law 110-140) (EISA), assigned NIST the “primary responsibility to coordinate the development 

of a framework that includes protocols and model 

standards for information management to achieve 

interoperability of smart grid devices and systems” 

To meet this mandate, NIST has launched the 

Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP), a 

public/private partnership that provides an open 

forum for Smart Grid stakeholders to work 

towards developing consensus-based interoperability standards, published the Release 1.0 

of NIST Framework and Roadmap for Smart 

Grid Interoperability as well as the three-volune 

Guidelines for Smart Grid Cybersecurity (NISTIR 

7628), and established the Catalog of Standards 

to serve as a compendium of standards, practices, and guidelines considered relevant for the 

development and deployment of a robust and 

interoperable Smart Grid.

The focus of NIST’s future activities in 

Smart Grid includes:

• Publishing Release 2.0 of the NIST 

Framework and Roadmap for Smart 

Grid Interoperability, which will identify 

existing standards ready for implementation, priorities for future standardization, as well as outline a Smart Grid 

architectural framework;

• Developing a revised Testing and 

Certification Framework to help ensure 

the interoperability of Smart Grid 

devices and systems;

• Promoting the international harmonization of Smart Grid standards in 

collaboration with the International 

Trade Administration (ITA) and the 

Office of the U.S. Trade Representative 

(USTR); and

• Developing measurement methods 

and tools to enable performance measurement and optimization of devices 

and systems to ensure that the Smart 

Grid provides adequate power quality 

and stable, reliable, and secure delivery 

of electricity.

(Credit Novelo/Shutterstock)
Accelerating the adoption and deployment of advanced technology solutions

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Cloud Computing: 

Cloud computing is a model for enabling 

ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network 

access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, 

applications, and services) that can be rapidly 

provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. As 

part of federal IT reform, the U.S. government 

has implemented a “Cloud First” policy, which 

mandates that agencies increase the use of available cloud and shared services. NIST plays an 

important role in implementation of this policy 

and of the Federal Cloud Computing Strategy, 

and seeks to catalyze the use of cloud computing 

within industry and government through the 

development of standards and guidelines. NIST 

aims to foster cloud computing systems and 

practices that support interoperability, portability, and security requirements that are appropriate and achievable for important usage scenarios. 

Early accomplishments include publication of 

The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing (Special 

Publication 800-145) and U.S. Government 

Cloud Computing Technology Roadmap, Volumes 

I (High-Priority Requirements to Further USG 

Agency Cloud Computing Adoption) and II 

(Useful Information for Cloud Adopters, Special 

Publication 500-293 in public draft). 

 

Cybersecurity: 

Cybersecurity is vital to the economic and 

national security interests of the United States. 

In addition to enabling more than $200 billion 

in annual e-commerce, interconnected networks of computers are essential for life-critical 

functions such as air traffic control and electric 

power distribution. Our nation’s information 

technology resources face ever-increasing threats 

from malicious individuals, organizations, and 

nation states. The result is a large, direct economic impact; estimates show that billions of 

dollars are spent repairing systems damaged by 

cyber intrusions (http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/

investigate/cyber/computer-intrusions).

NIST conducts the research, development and 

outreach necessary to provide standards and 

guidelines, tools, metrics and practices to protect 

the nation’s information and communication 

infrastructure. NIST also plays a vital role in 

national and international cybersecurity standards-setting. The responsibilities assigned to 

(Credit: Andrea Danti/Shutterstock)
NIST 3-Year Programmatic Plan FY 2013-2015

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NIST under the Federal Information Security 

Management Act of 2002 (FISMA)(44 U.S.C. 

§ 3541, et seq.) to assist federal agencies in 

securing their information systems are a major 

part of NIST’s work in cybersecurity. 

NIST will continue to update existing standards and guidance for use by federal agencies 

in securing their systems, as well as add to the 

NIST guidance in areas such as mobile security, anchors of trust, security automation, and 

basic input/output system (BIOS) security. 

Additionally, NIST is providing continuing 

leadership for the development of standards 

for cloud computing, identity management 

and cybersecurity education. NIST will also 

continually provide reference specifications in 

multiple areas, allowing others to leverage our 

work to increase the security of their systems 

and products.

Finally, NIST will encourage the adoption of 

strong security by the private sector through 

the Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, to be 

established in FY 2012. Established in cooperation with the State of Maryland, the Center will 

provide support and information on cybersecurity, and will also assist the private sector in 

securing their digital data.

Next-Generation Robotics 

and Automation: 

Innovative measurement science and standards 

are necessary to enable the next generation of 

smart robots and automation systems and to 

foster their adoption in manufacturing in the 

United States at dimensions ranging from the 

very small to the very large. NIST has made 

significant contributions in addressing this 

significant advanced manufacturing need. Due 

to NIST’s efforts, new International Standards 

Organization (ISO) 10218 robot safety standards were balloted in 2011 and have since been 

approved. The new standards resolve differences 

in robot safety requirements for the United 

States, Canada, and other countries, and provide 

for important new features for safe human-robot 

collaboration. NIST contributed key content to 

the Speed and Separation Monitoring (SSM) 

provision, which ensures safety by monitoring 

and maintaining a safe minimum separation 

distance and relative speed between the robot 

system and the human operator rather than 

relying solely on fixed guards. This provision is 

expected to result in increased productivity and 

reduced floor space and cost requirements for 

robot installations, and will enable new types of 
Accelerating the adoption and deployment of advanced technology solutions

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human-robot collaborative tasks 

while still ensuring safe operation. 

In support of this effort, NIST 

also worked with German ISO 

representatives to produce draft 

speed- and position-monitoring 

guidelines for ISO TS 15066, the 

technical specification that provides 

guidelines for implementing ISO 

10218 standards. The NIST standards contributions are supported 

by experimental research conducted 

on a prototype SSM safety system 

implementation in the NIST 

manufacturing robotics testbed.

NIST has also teamed with Willow 

Garage, a developer of robotics hardware 

and open-source software, to conduct 

the first-ever “Perception Challenge” 

to drive improvements in sensing and 

perception technology algorithms. This 

event was held at the IEEE Conference 

on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in 

Shanghai, China, in May 2011. Robust 

perception is a core enabling technology 

for next-generation robotics used in 

manufacturing and other applications. 

Many of these applications will require robots to 

be able to identify objects reliably and determine 

their position accurately, while operating in 

unstructured and cluttered environments. 

NIST measured the ability of each team to 

detect objects and compute their position in 

space for the challenge, and Willow Garage 

provided a common system on which to test 

the algorithms. The object of the challenge was 

for competing robot systems to identify and 

determine the position and orientation of each 

of a set of 35 objects. Techniques and metrics 

demonstrated in this and other competitions 

provide foundations for new standards and 

test methods for measuring perception system 

performance. 

NIST is partnering with industry to enable the next 

generation of robots that can work safely next 

to humans, and to ensure that industrial robots 

and automated guided vehicles have the ability 

to see humans and avoid them. The images show 

examples of “robot eye views” of typical factory 

scenes that are used to develop performance 

standards to evaluate if the robot’s sensor systems 

can identify humans and their relative positions in 

order to avoid collisions with them. (Credit: NIST)

This “robot’s eye view” shows how some common 

household objects appear through the vision system being 

used in the Perception Challenge. The objects are fuzzy 

because the cameras have limited resolution. However, the 

images do provide information on depth (distance of every 

point on an object). The checkered patterns help to define 

and verify objects in space. (Credit: Courtesy Willow Garage)
NIST 3-Year Programmatic Plan FY 2013-2015

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World class, unique, cutting-edge 

research facilities 

I

ndustry, academia, and other government 

agencies have access to unique NIST user 

facilities that support innovation in materials 

science, nanotechnology, and other emerging 

technology areas. The NIST Center for Neutron 

Research (NCNR) provides world-class 

neutron measurement capabilities to the U.S. 

research community, and the NIST Center for 

Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) 

Nanofab facility supports nanotechnology 

developments from discovery to production. The 

customer-focused mission of both NCNR and 

CNST includes the safe and reliable operation 

of the facilities, as well as the development and 

application of entirely new and cutting-edge 

measurement and fabrication techniques. 

NIST Center for Neutron 

Research (NCNR): 

The NCNR develops, delivers and maintains 

world-class neutron measurement capabilities 

and applies them to science and engineering 

problems of national interest. The NCNR is 

operated as a major national user facility with 

merit-based access made available to the entire 

U.S. scientific and technological community. In 

a typical year, more than 2,200 research participants, representing some 42 states, 32 government agencies, and 46 U.S. corporations, utilize 

the NCNR for neutron measurement studies. 

Between 1998 and 2007, these users contributed 

over 2,500 high-impact research papers to the 

open scientific literature. 

Neutrons are powerful probes of the structure 

and dynamics of materials, and can be used to 

study a range of material 

behavior, ranging from 

molecules inserted into 

Guide Hall of the NIST 

Center for Neutron 

Research. The NIST 

Center for Neutron 

Research (NCNR) 

serves more customers 

than all other U.S. 

neutron facilities 

combined. Beams of 

cold, slowed down 

neutrons pass through 

guide tubes (blue 

structures) to reach 

specialized instruments 

where they are used as 

probes to see material 

structures.

(Credit: Robert Rathe)
World class, unique, cutting-edge research facilities

17

membranes simulating cell walls 

to protons migrating through fuel 

cells. The NCNR’s neutron source 

provides the intense beams of 

neutrons required for these types 

of measurements. Neutron-based 

research covers a broad spectrum of 

disciplines, including engineering, 

biology, materials science, polymers, 

chemistry, and physics. 

The NCNR currently contains 28 

experiment stations, of which six provide 

high neutron flux sources for irradiation, 

and 22 are beam facilities, the majority 

of which are used for neutron scattering research. In April 2011, the NCNR 

undertook the planned shut-down of its 

neutron source in order to complete the 

NCNR Expansion Project, which began in 

2007. This major initiative includes a new guide 

hall for neutron instruments, a technical support 

building, design, and construction of five new 

cold neutron instruments, and a new cold source 

dedicated to the NIST Multi-Axis Crystal 

Spectrometer (MACS), one of the world’s most 

intense cold neutron spectrometers. The facility 

is scheduled to re-open in FY 2012 and installation of the new instruments will be completed 

by the end of CY 2012. Beyond CY 2012, 

additional new cold neutron instruments will be 

developed and installed to take full advantage 

of the new neutron beamlines, allowing an 

expected 500 additional research users annually. 

The Polymers Division of NIST’s Material 

Measurement Laboratory (MML) is partnering 

with the NCNR to develop a research consortium called nSoft, made up of industrial, government and academic members, whose mission is 

to lower barriers to NCNR access and collaboratively develop neutron-based measurement 

solutions for manufacturers of soft materials. 

With a kick-off in FY 2012, nSoft will provide 

industry partners with (1) predictable and timely 

access to neutron facilities, (2) research and 

development programs focused on high impact 

issues in soft materials manufacturing, and (3) 

increased scientific capacity through training 

programs and collaborative activities. 

Highlights:

• Neutron-based tools developed at 

NIST are being utilized to probe the 

structure and behavior of new materials at the nanoscale, making it possible 

to improve process technologies and 

develop new materials applications 

ranging from light-weight advanced 

materials for the auto industry to 

novel nanocomposites for polymerbased solar cells to innovative materials 

and approaches for the efficient 

energy storage.

NCNR technical staff members Dan Adler and Mike 

Rinehart perform installation work on the new, advanced 

neutron guides as part of the NCNR Expansion Project. 

This particular guide will provide a very high flux of 

neutrons for experiments performed by the Physical 

Measurement Laboratory Neutron Physics group

(Credit: Yiming Qiu/NIST) 
NIST 3-Year Programmatic Plan FY 2013-2015

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• NIST neutron imaging has made 

it possible to look through the steel 

casings of operating hydrogen fuel cells 

and watch the flow and movement of 

water molecules as the cell functions, 

leading to better designs and performance. Neutron imaging capabilities 

can also probe internal stresses in 

materials such as pipelines, turbine 

blades, railroad rails, and shock 

absorbers in order to understand and 

improve the performance of products 

used in industry, transportation, and 

national defense.

• In studies of the structure and motions 

of very large biological molecules such 

as proteins, NIST is using neutrons 

to probe the bending and folding 

properties essential to protein function. 

The insights gained could lead to the 

development of new drug therapies, 

new anti-toxins, and improved vaccines.

• The unparalleled penetration and 

imaging power of neutron-based tools 

developed at NIST allows study of 

chemical interactions with porous or 

other complex structured materials, 

leading to the development of new, 

more efficient industrial catalysts and 

better ways to remove toxins from the 

environment, as well as a better understanding of complex biological systems 

at the cellular level.

• The advance of information technology 

requires a concomitant increase in the 

density of stored information, requiring 

the development of new nanostructured 

magnetic materials. NCNR capabilities 

enable NIST research teams to develop 

a detailed understanding of magnetism 

critical to the performance of these new 

data storage systems.

A typical fuel cell and neutron image of water 

formed inside during operation (Credit: NIST)
World class, unique, cutting-edge research facilities

19

NIST Center for Nanoscale Science 

and Technology (CNST):

The CNST user facility was created to reduce 

barriers to innovation by providing industry, 

academia, and other government agencies with 

access to world-class nanoscale measurement 

and fabrication methods and technology. The 

unique CNST operating model is designed to 

support both the current and future needs of the 

national nanotechnology enterprise. The shareduse NanoFab facility provides convenient, rapid 

access to a comprehensive, state-of-the-art commercial tool set for nanoscale measurement and 

fabrication. Looking beyond the current state of 

the art, CNST research creates the next generation of nanoscale measurement instruments and 

methods, which are made available through to 

the scientific community through collaboration.

In the few years since its inception, the CNST 

has become a major national resource for 

nanoscale science and the development of nanotechnology. The number of research participants 

at the CNST is increasing rapidly, exceeding 1,400 in FY 2011 (the fourth full year of 

operation), and continues to grow. The research 

participants represent diverse communities, 

including 170 universities, 80 companies, and 28 

government laboratories from across 43 states 

and the District of Columbia.

CNST’s measurement and instrumentation 

research is currently focused on three nanotechnology areas broadly covering (1) nanoscale 

devices, architectures, and interconnects for 

future electronics; (2) nanomanufacturing and 

nanofabrication; and (3) energy conversion, 

storage, and transport at nanostructured interfaces. CNST is developing new instrumentation to fabricate and characterize a range of 

electrochemical energy conversion and storage 

devices in order to improve their efficiency and 

performance, including a novel electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)-based spectroscopy 

system for probing the chemistry of nanoscale 

catalysts needed to produce photovoltaic cells, 

and an environmental transmission electron 

microscopy system with unique spectroscopic 

capabilities for observing the atomic-scale formation and growth of commercially important 

nanomaterials. 

Within the CNST, the NanoFab facility is a 

world-class, 5,600 square meter (60,000 square 

foot) shared resource for nanofabrication and 

measurement – with more than 1,800 square 

meters (19,000 square feet) of cleanroom 

laboratory space and more than 85 major 

commercial measurement and processing tools. 

To meet specific needs of industry, the NIST 

NanoFab has created a quick and easy process 

for researchers to obtain equitable access to the 

equipment. Research at the NanoFab can be 

carried out by individual users or with the assistance of a technical expert from the NanoFab 

staff, imparting the flexibility needed to satisfy 

the widest range of needs, from expert academic 

NIST measurements show that interactions 

of the graphene layers with the insulating 

substrate material causes electrons (red, 

down arrow) and electron holes (blue, up 

arrow) to collect in “puddles”. The differing 

charge densities creates the random pattern of 

alternating dipoles and electon band gaps that 

vary across the layers. (Credit: NIST)
NIST 3-Year Programmatic Plan FY 2013-2015

20

researchers to small companies with an innovative new technology but limited expertise in 

nanofabrication. Within the next three years, the 

NanoFab will add a variety of new commercial 

tools, including those for automated, reproducible lithography; wet chemical processing; and 

nanoscale patterning and chemical analysis of 

metals and other hard materials.

Highlights:

• NIST research is helping uncover the 

nanoscale structural changes that occur 

inside an individual nanowire battery 

during charging and discharging, providing valuable information for improving the efficiency and performance of 

future rechargeable power sources being 

developed based on nanowire technology. Scientists at CNST have fabricated 

complete, functional single-nanowire 

lithium ion batteries optimized for 

characterization in a transmission 

electron microscope. 

• Working directly with a major U.S. 

manufacturer of nanotechnology 

instrumentation, researchers at NIST 

adapted a commercial focused ion beam 

column to use photoionized lasercooled lithium atoms as an ion source, 

and demonstrated that NIST’s patented 

Magneto-Optical Trap Ion Source 

(MOTIS – which builds on NIST 

researcher William D. Phillips’ NobelPrize-winning work using lasers to 

trap and cool atoms - offers 

imaging performance competitive 

with the liquid metal ion sources 

used in current commercial systems. 

Their success establishes that NIST’s 

MOTIS ion source and similar 

NIST develops new 

measurement techniques 

and instruments and 

provides expertise and 

shared-use facilities to 

support the advancement 

of nanotechnology 

and semiconductor 

manufacturing. The NIST 

Center for Nanoscale 

Science and Technology’s 

Nanofabrication Facility 

features about 1765 square 

meters (19,000 square 

feet) clean room space for 

photolithography and other 

nanoscale fabrication tasks

(Credit: NIST/CNST)
World class, unique, cutting-edge research facilities

21

systems may enable a wide range of 

new capabilities for such systems — 

from nanoscale imaging and defect 

metrology to ion implantation and 

material modification.

• Nanomanufacturing holds great promise across a number of application areas. 

For example, roll-to-roll manufacture of 

carbon-based nanostructured materials 

is a revolutionary process for producing 

high volumes of advanced materials for 

applications in aerospace and flexible 

electronics. However, cost-effective, 

rapid methods are needed that are 

capable of characterizing the nanoscale 

structure/properties of a material or 

device array as it is processed at high 

speed. NIST researchers are tackling 

these challenges. They are also working on understanding fundamental 

nanoparticle interactions by developing 

new particle- tracking methods as well 

as a suite of tools for accurate, precise, 

and reproducible measurements that 

could be used for determining potential 

environmental, health and safety effects 

of nanomaterials.

• Access to the NanoFab facility is accelerating important technology developments, including a new method to make 

precisely shaped holes in diamond, 

potentially leading to long-lasting 

micromachines. Research participants 

from industry are using the NanoFab 

to develop key chemical modifications 

needed to make nanoparticles that are 

10 times more effective for use in a 

commercial medical diagnostic system, 

and to create a novel nanoscale measurement device to spur the development of fuel cell power sources.

CNST researchers developed a nanomechanical cantilever probe with a high-sensitivity 

nanophotonic interferometer on a single silicon chip. Replacing the traditional bulky laser 

detection system with this integrated device allows cantilevers that are orders of magnitude 

smaller than those used in conventional atomic force microscopy to be built. This innovation 

creates opportunities for rapid, compact, and low-cost nanoscale metrology for a wide 

range of applications. (Credit: NIST)
NIST 3-Year Programmatic Plan FY 2013-2015

22

NIST
NIST 3-Year Programmatic Plan FY 2013-2015

23

NIST Innovation and Industry 

Services (IIS) Programs 

I

n support of the Administration’s emphasis on serving industry through outreach services, NIST 

provided three major externally-focused services through FY 2012: The Hollings Manufacturing 

Extension Partnership (MEP), the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program (BPEP), and the 

Technology Innovation Program (TIP).

The Baldrige Performance Excellence Program (BPEP) provides criteria for organizational performance self-assessment and serves as a resource to improve U.S. innovation, entrepreneurship, 

and competitiveness in businesses/industry, education, health care, and government and other 

public benefit organizations. The BPEP is responsible for managing the Malcolm Baldrige Quality 

Improvement Act of 1987 (Public Law 100-107), in cooperation with senior U.S. business, education, health care, and nonprofit leaders. The Baldrige Foundation, the private 501(c) 3 that has 

supported BPEP for over 20 years with the contributions of the private sector, has agreed to support 

operations of the Baldrige Program through 2012, while key program partners explore alternative business and funding models to sustain the mission of Baldrige in the future. The Technology 

Innovation Program (TIP), which supports, promotes, and accelerates innovation in the United 

States through high-risk, high-reward research in areas of critical national need, is beginning the 

process for an orderly shut-down and completion of on-going awards. Neither BPEP nor TIP are 

detailed further in the discussion below because beginning in FY 2012, they will no longer receive 

NIST-appropriated funds. 

NIST’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) provides technical and business 

assistance to smaller manufacturers through a nationwide network in all 50 states and Puerto Rico 

through grant-supported partnerships between Federal and state governments and non-profit 

organizations. Field agents and programs in 60 centers nationwide help manufacturers understand, 

adopt, and apply new technologies and business practices, resulting in increased productivity, better 

performance, cost savings, waste reduction, and creation and retention of manufacturing jobs. MEP 

also acts as a strategic advisor to promote business growth and innovation and to connect manufacturers to public and private resources essential for expanding into new markets, developing efficient 

processes and training an advanced workforce. To enable future profitable manufacturing growth, the 

long-term focus of NIST’s MEP Program will be on encouraging cultures of continuous improvement, accelerating the adoption of new technology to build business growth, responding to evolving 

supply chains, implementing environmentally sustainable processes, and establishing and enabling a 

strong workforce.
NIST 3-Year Programmatic Plan FY 2013-2015

24

Highlights:

Accelerating 

Technology Transfer: 

Transferring technology and 

commercialization of inventions from federal laboratories 

is part of MEP’s mission 

responsibilities. Through its 

renewed focus on innovation. 

MEP will assist manufacturers 

in adopting technology in their 

manufacturing processes and 

products by scouting for technology solutions to meet current needs, presenting business 

opportunities to innovatively 

apply new technologies to attract new customers 

and enter new markets, and connecting manufacturers with partner resources to accelerate the 

development, intellectual property management 

and commercialization of these technologies.

National Innovation 

Marketplace (NIM): 

In partnership with other organizations, 

MEP is developing the National Innovation 

Marketplace (NIM) which facilitates connections between original equipment manufacturers 

(OEMs) and potential suppliers, encourages 

technology translation and adoption, and 

provides analysis of business growth potential of 

new products. As an innovation clearinghouse, 

MEP, through and with its network of NIM 

partners, is facilitating the building of technology-based supplier networks. The NIM encourages the translation of emerging technologies: 

first, into business applications; second, into 

market opportunities; and third, into the 

adoption of new products. The NIM uses an 

“open innovation strategy,” which involves 

partnering, licensing, and co-developing 

innovation with partners outside of a company 

instead of traditional internal research and 

development. Through the NIM, innovation 

sellers, buyers, investors and distributors across 

industries are connected through a threepronged approach incorporating translation 

training, business opportunity forecasting, and 

access to manufacturers.

ExporTech: 

In today’s economy, U.S. companies are increasingly turning to international markets to offset 

declines in domestic sales. In fact, exporting is 

rapidly becoming the fastest growing segment of 

the market. ExporTech leads companies through 

a facilitated process that prepares them for 

profitable growth in global markets. ExporTech 

is deployed nationally as a collaboration between 

MEP, U.S. Export Assistance Centers, and other 

partners including District Export Councils, 

State Trade Offices, Export-Import Bank and 

the Small Business Administration. ExporTech 

MEP provides strategic business and technical assistance to 

numerous small and medium businesses such as Lee Spring 

(Brooklyn, NY), which produces custom wire forms manufactured 

to customer specifications (Credit: Kristen Dill)
I n n o v a t i o n a n d I n d u s t r y S e r v i c e s P r o g r a m s 

25

helps companies enter or expand in global 

markets by assisting participating companies to 

develop an international growth plan, providing 

experts who will vet their plans, and connecting 

the companies with organizations to help them 

move quickly beyond planning to actual export 

sales. Throughout the program, local experts 

knowledgeable in all aspects of exporting are 

brought in to provide information and guidance, 

enabling companies to accelerate their growth 

plan and speed to market. 

Economy, Energy, and 

Environment (E3): 

E3 is a coordinated federal and local technical 

assistance initiative that is helping manufacturers across the nation adapt and thrive in 

a new business era focused on sustainability. 

Leveraging the resources of the Department 

of Commerce, the Department of Labor, the 

Department of Energy and the Environmental 

Protection Agency, the E3 Initiative provides 

customized assistance to manufacturers as they 

improve their competitiveness and business 

performance. E3 serves as a unique model by 

working directly with local manufacturers, 

utilities, and business communities to streamline 

the delivery of the most suitable technical and 

financial resources. 

Make It In America: 

To make a measurable impact on rebuilding 

U.S. manufacturing and creating jobs, MEP 

is focused on a “Make It In America” agenda. 

MEP supports job creation now and in the 

future by encouraging manufacturers to 

collaborate in developing products in America. 

Through various public-private partnerships, 

MEP provides a valuable infrastructure that 

fosters resilient processes for manufacturers to “make it in America.” The national 

MEP system scouts for U.S. manufacturing 

capabilities and capacities in an effort to solve 

difficult supply chain and procurement issues 

by connecting potential suppliers with federal 

procurement sources, assisting manufacturers 

with product expansion and/or alteration for 

additional uses, and securing the engineering 

necessary to produce technical data needed for 

product manufacturing. 

Innovation Engineering: 

Innovation Engineering is a process to help 

companies increase innovation speed and 

decrease risk. The system provides results in 

process efficiency and risk reduction through 

the use of advanced education programs and 

digital tools that build confidence in executives’ 

ability to lead the creation, communication and 

commercialization of new ideas. The key focus is 

on developing a quantified pipeline of innovations starting with the acceleration of existing 

ideas and moving to the definition and discovery 

of new ideas that address companies’ problems 

and opportunities. Through the system and 

related training, companies are able to transform 

cultural attitudes, achieving acceptance of and 

proactive involvement with innovation. 
NIST 3-Year Programmatic Plan FY 2013-2015

26
P r i o r i t i e s f o r N I S T , F Y 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 5 

27

Priorities for NIST, FY 2013-2015 

For FY 2013 – 2015, NIST will align its programs with the following strategic priorities to ensure that targeted program investments meet its mission of advancing U.S. innovation and 

industrial competitiveness.

Strengthening U.S. advanced manufacturing capabilities: 

NIST supports long-term U.S. economic competitiveness by strengthening development 

and deployment of advanced manufacturing capabilities. NIST will:

• Develop and deliver the measurement science tools that will support advanced manufacturing technologies (including materials modeling, nano and biomanufacturing, sensors, quality 

control processes, robotics, and other enabling technologies); 

• Support technologies and practices that increase the competitiveness and resiliency of 

our nation’s small and medium manufacturing base, through the Hollings Manufacturing 

Extension Partnership;

• Host the interagency Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office to coordinate 

private sector/government collaboration on the development and implementation of U.S. 

advanced manufacturing capabilities and policies; and

• Launch the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia (AMTech) initiative that 

will bring together industry, universities, and the federal government to invest in highly 

promising R&D pre-competitive long-range industry focused R&D and accelerate the 

transfer of innovative technologies and products into the hands of American manufacturers. 

 

( Credit: Rainer Plendl/Shutterstock)
NIST 3-Year Programmatic Plan FY 2013-2015

28

Advancing the state of the art in 

cybersecurity solutions: 

NIST is a recognized world leader in 

cybersecurity, with a track record of accelerating the development and deployment 

of cybersecurity solutions and standards 

that are reliable, usable, interoperable, 

and secure, as well as the measurements 

and standards infrastructure for emerging 

cybersecurity applications. NIST will:

• Encourage the rapid adoption 

of advanced security technology 

through the National Cybersecurity 

Center of Excellence (est. FY 2012) 

that will bridge the gap between the public and private sectors and provide U.S. companies 

with technical resources for developing, evaluating, and transferring the technology needed 

to secure their intellectual property and data; and

• Support the Administration’s National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace 

(NSTIC) initiative by facilitating the creation of an Identity Ecosystem that gives 

participants access to secure credentials and increases the opportunities for trusted 

on-line transactions. The National Program Office for NSTIC at NIST will support the 

development and activities of a private sector-led governance structure for the Identity 

Ecosystem as well as support pilots to increase access and usage of trusted credentials.

Credit: Valerie Potapova/Shutterstock
P r i o r i t i e s f o r N I S T , F Y 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 5 

29

Accelerating technology transfer and commercialization: 

Technology transfer is the process by which NIST knowledge, facilities and capabilities are 

deployed to fulfill public and private needs, and NIST plays a unique role in advancing the federal 

government’s technology transfer goals. Technology transfer enables NIST to utilize its measurement science, standards, technology, and external partnership programs to fulfill its responsibility 

to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness. The October 2011 Presidential 

Memorandum, “Accelerating Technology Transfer and Commercialization of Federal Research 

in Support of High-Growth Businesses,” challenges all federal agencies to increase the successful 

outcomes of technology transfer while simultaneously achieving excellence in basic and missionfocused research activities. NIST’s responsibility for tracking and measuring the impact of technology transfer activities from federal laboratories represents a distinctive policy role. 

Accordingly, NIST will:

• Establish and implement a five-year plan to increase technology transfer activities with 

external partners, including private firms, research organizations, and non-profit entities;

• Develop a comprehensive definition of the full range of NIST’s technology transfer mechanisms and execute a coordinated effort to track the outcomes and impacts of such activities;

• Exercise continuing leadership through convening the Interagency Working Group on 

Technology Transfer to identify opportunities for improving technology transfer from 

Federal laboratories, and support OMB and OSTP in the review and monitoring 

of agency plans;

• Improve and expand the collection of metrics and develop rigorous economic impact models and tools for technology transfer; and

• Establish new competitive Centers of Excellence in measurement science areas defined by 

NIST, which will provide an interdisciplinary environment for NIST, academia and industry 

to collaboratively carry out basic and applied research with the end goal of enabling innovation and technology transfer.
NIST 3-Year Programmatic Plan FY 2013-2015

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