NIST Update

Walter Copan

Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology, and

NIST Director

VCAT February 7, 2018
Thank You! 

Dr. William Holt

Executive Vice President and Senior 

Fellow Emeritus, 

Intel Corporation’s Technology and 

Manufacturing Group

Term: May 13, 2012 – May 12, 2018

Key VCAT Achievements:

Vice-Chair April 1, 2016 – March 31, 2018

Subcommittees: 

- Communications Subcommittee (2017) 

- Cybersecurity Subcommittee (2014)

- Manufacturing Subcommittee (2012)

Bill Holt - Thanks for your service with VCAT, on behalf of NIST and the Nation.

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NIST Safety Incident Metrics - Progress

Slips, trips and falls – focus

Safety and Security: 

Leadership from the Top

Situationally aware

“Always keep our heads in the 

game”

Projected 

number of 

cases for FY18

• Data includes Federal Employees and Associates

Recordable case (RC)

• To a first approximation, a work-related injury or 

illness that results in any of the following: death, 

days away from work, restricted duty, transfer to 

another job, medical treatment beyond first aid, 

loss of consciousness. 

DART case

• A work-related injury or illness that results in any 

of the following: Days Away from work, 

Restricted duty, Transfer to another job. 

Data shown is to February 1, 2018 Goal = Zero

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NIST Security Culture

We are systematically instilling a 

positive security culture at NIST

Culture is both a mindset and mode of operation. We – the leaders of 

NIST – are leading this change. We have established and communicated 

the expectations, and will consistently reinforce them. NIST is closely 

partnered with Department of Commerce Office of Security. 

Safety and Security organizations and operations are being integrated.

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Communicating NIST’s Baseline Security Requirements

• All-hands meetings in Gaithersburg and Boulder 

• All managers leading by example

• Article in NIST Connections

• Mandatory online training for all employees and associates (5000+ 

completions)

• Posters

• Signage at prominent building access points

• Frequently Asked Questions

• Physical security webpage

• Physical security in all performance plans 

• Security training videos and messages from NIST Director

• Increased on site security presence

• Employees and Associates helping each other with Security 

awareness

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NIST Management Changes

Walter Copan

NIST Director

Under Secretary of Commerce for 

Standards and Technology

Director 

Under Secretary of Commerce for 

Standards and Technology 

Chief of Staff

Associate Director for 

Laboratory Programs/ 

Principal Deputy

Associate Director for 

Innovation and Industry 

Services

Associate Director for 

Management Resources

Office of Advanced 

Manufacturing

Baldrige Performance 

Excellence Program

Hollings Manufacturing 

Extension Partnership

Office of Acquisition and 

Agreements Management

Office of Safety, Health and 

Environment

Office of Financial Resource 

Management

Office of Human Resources 

Management

Office of Information Systems 

Management

Office of Facilities and 

Property Management

Material Measurement 

Laboratory

Communications Technology 

Laboratory

Physical Measurement 

Laboratory

Engineering Laboratory

Information Technology 

Laboratory

Center for Nanoscale Science 

and Technology

NIST Center for Neutron 

Research

Eric Lin

Director

Material Measurement Laboratory

6
Administration Priorities

• Emerging technologies prioritized for both 

national security and economic prosperity

– data science, encryption, autonomous 

technologies, gene editing, new materials, 

nanotechnology, advanced computing 

technologies, quantum computing, and artificial 

intelligence/machine learning

• Domestic manufacturing critical for 

security, prioritizes defense industrial base

• Significant interest in the U.S. quantum 

strategy

• Federal R&D as a partner to industry, and 

maximize interagency coordination

• FY 2019 President’s Request to be released 

February 12, 2018

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NIST Breakthrough in Quantum Simulation

• Team from the NIST/University of 

Maryland Joint Quantum Institute 

(JQI) made 53-atom quantum 

simulator 

• Quantum simulators are 

specialized quantum computers 

that can model complex quantum 

systems

8
Global City Teams Challenge 

• 2018 co-hosting with DHS the Smart 

and Secure Cities and Communities 

Challenge to focus on privacy and 

cybersecurity

• Kickoff in DC, February 6-8, 2018

NIST’s GCTC Program enables local governments, nonprofit organizations, academic 

institutions, technologists, and corporations from all over the world to form teams to 

work on groundbreaking Internet of Things (IoT) applications within the city and 

community environment.

9
2017 Baldrige Award Recipients

• Baldrige celebrated 30th anniversary in 2017

• To date, 

– Nearly 1,700 U.S. organizations have applied for the 

Baldrige Award, 

– More than 30 independent Baldrige-based state and 

regional award programs covering nearly all 50 states.

– There are nearly 80 programs internationally based in 

whole, or in part, on the Baldrige Program. 

• 2017 Winners, to be presented in April 2018

– Bristol Tennessee Essential Services, Bristol, TN, small 

business sector

– Stellar Solutions, Palo Alto, CA, small business sector

– City of Fort Collins, Fort Collins, CO, nonprofit sector

– Adventist Health Castle, Kailua, HI, health care sector

– Southcentral Foundation, Anchorage, AK, health care 

sector

“This program is about much more than recognizing 

successful organizations or winning a single award. The 

organizations which are given the Baldrige Award 

embody the competitive spirit which drives the 

American economy forward.” 

Wilbur Ross, Commerce Secretary

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NIST post-Hurricane Support

• The Manufacturing Extension Partnership 

awarded $5M through local MEP centers to help 

small and medium sized manufacturers in Texax, 

Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, and Puerto Rico 

recover from hurricanes

– $2M to FloridaMakes and $1M to PRiMEX

– Follows previous $3M award to MEP centers in 

Texas and Louisiana after Harvey

– 17,000 manufacturers, employing 330k workers in 

FL counties affected by Irma

– 100% of PR’s 1,620 manufacturers and 18k 

workers affected by Maria

• NIST Disaster and Failure Studies program sent 

Preliminary Reconnaissance Teams to Texas, 

Florida, and PR

11
Steam Pipe Failure on Gaithersburg Campus

• Thursday, December 7: Steam pipe leak 

discovered near Building 245.

– Bldg 245 staff notified of need for closure

– Steps taken to prepare for heat shutoff.

• Friday, December 8: Building 245 staff must 

secure space by noon, building closed for 

business

• Wednesday, December 20: Repairs 

complete, Building 245 reopens for 

business

• Estimated cost to NIST:

– $140k for repair

– $2M in lost productivity of research in Bldg 245

– $10-15k in daily management meetings

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Core Priorities

• Cybersecurity

• Advanced Manufacturing Innovation and Quality

• Return on Investment

• One NIST

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Cybersecurity

• Cybersecurity is central to current and 

emerging policy issues and technical areas:

– cryptography, 

– access and identity management and authentication 

– privacy, 

– Internet of Things, 

– Smart Grid, 

– Cloud and mobile device security

• NIST will focus on leveraging its intramural and 

extramural programs to expand the use of the 

Cybersecurity Framework and related tools 

across all U.S. industries. 

“America’s response to the challenges and 

opportunities of the cyber era will determine 

our future prosperity and security.”

U.S. National Security Strategy

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Advanced Manufacturing Innovation & Quality

• NIST has a proven track record in delivering useful 

tools and technical assistance to America’s 

manufacturers and start-up companies. 

• NIST’s technical programs drive advances in 

– precision sensing and process control, 

– advanced computing and communications, 

– the human-device interface (internet of things),

– autonomous systems

– advanced materials and product design

• NIST’s extramural programs provide ability to work 

with manufacturers small and large. 

• NIST will aggressively advance these unique 

capabilities, also using enhanced partnership 

opportunities and other tech transfer mechanisms. 

“Support for a vibrant domestic manufacturing 

sector, a solid defense industrial base, and 

resilient supply chains is a national priority.”

U.S. National Security Strategy

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ROI (Return on Investment)

• The role of NIST in federal technology transfer 

brings with it the obligation to assess and 

enhance the effectiveness of innovation 

policies and tools to enable the highest 

achievable returns on investment from 

federally funded research. 

• NIST will work with stakeholders to the review 

and prioritization of technology transfer issues 

and will lead the improvement process. 

• NIST will pilot new mechanisms and 

approaches to enhance U.S. innovation, 

technology commercialization and 

partnerships.

“Strong partnerships with the private sector will 

be critical to maximizing the efficacy of Federal 

funding.” 

FY 2019 Administration R&D Budget Priorities

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One NIST - All About Executing on Mission

• NIST agility. 

– Relentless pursuit of betterment 

• Proud to be NIST: 

– World Class Talents

– One Mission. One Team. 

– Communicating the NIST Brand 

– No barriers

• Interdisciplinary. Seek Innovation at the Interfaces

• Engaged in pursuit of betterment 

– Live true to our values: Perseverance, Integrity, 

Inclusivity, Excellence

NIST will work seamlessly across its organization, and with government and partners, 

public & private, to achieve the highest levels of organizational performance and 

effectiveness while operating at the speeds demanded by the American economy.

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Underpinning Priorities

• We must keep NIST Healthy as we execute on our Mission for the 

Nation.

• To continue to improve Safety and Security culture and practices

• To have access to the modern facilities and infrastructure necessary to 

support NIST’s high-tech mission.

• To effectively and clearly communicate NIST roles and impacts with 

both internal and external stakeholders.

• To ensure that NIST maintains its program integrity, by ensuring the 

necessary resources (both funding and skills) to sustain its long-term 

research enterprise that is at the core of its mission.

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Strategic Priority: Revolutionizing Commerce with Quantum Science

Leverage NIST’s global leadership in 

basic and applied quantum science 

research to transform the foundational 

blocks of commerce: 

• Measurements on emerging quantum 

systems to understand and harness 

quantum-based technology to transform 

computing, and communications

• Disruptive new class of reference standards 

re-thinking traceability through “selfcalibrating” sensors – e.g. “NIST-on-a-chip”

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Strategic Priority: Enabling the Future Bioeconomy

Building the foundations of trust in 

bioscience:

• Measurements, calibrations, and standards 

ensuring accuracy and efficacy of medical 

treatments and test procedures. 

• Data and measurement infrastructure to 

support industry’s development and 

manufacture of new biopharmaceuticals

• Measurement science research efforts to 

support advances in synthetic biology, 

personalized medicine, and the microbiome

• NIST tools bridge the gap between proof-ofconcept efforts and market realization

53 pharmaceutical companies, 

biomedical instrument businesses and 

research institutions bought NISTmAb

in first 3 months of sales

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Strategic Priority: Connected, Secure and Interoperable IoT

IoT impact: $4 - $11 T per year by 2025

Keys to realizing this potential:

• Cybersecurity

• Reliable connectivity

• Interoperability

NIST’s expertise:

• Applying Cybersecurity Framework principles for 

IoT cybersecurity – advanced manufacturing, connected vehicles, medical 

devices, etc. 

• Advanced Communications

– Spectrum sharing, wireless co-existence, next- gen 

communication systems, etc.

• Interoperability test beds - Standards and 

conformance suites

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Strategic Priority: Trusted Data and Analytics

New insights in data science needed for 

confidence in Artificial Intelligence and 

Machine Learning (AI/ML)

Data science to help address concerns about:

• Bias

• Unintended/emergent behavior

• Malicious AI/ML implementations

NIST will build upon existing expertise and 

develop new skills for measurement tools and 

standards:

• Apply AI/ML and advanced learning algorithms for 

big data problems

• Data science to model AI behavior

• Understand training influence

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Agenda

Finalize 2017 VCAT Report. Hold Elections. 

Session II: Return on 

Investment (ROI) 

from Federal 

Research

Federal Law and Policy in Tech Transfer, and Related NIST Authorities Paul Zielinski, Director, Technology Partnerships Office

Benefits and Limitations of Current Technology Transfer Policy 

Moderator: Phil Singerman, Associate Director for Innovation and Industry 

Services

Panelists: 

• Stephen Auvil, Senior Vice President, Technology Transfer & 

Commercialiation, Maryland Technology Development Corporation 

(TEDCO)

• Rochelle Blaustein, Deputy Director, Office of Technology Transitions, US 

Department of Energy

• Gayatri Varma, Director, Collaborations Partnering & Strategy Washington 

D.C. Metro Area Biotechnology MedImmune

Plan and Vision for NIST Efforts in Federal Technology Transfer Policy Walter Copan

Lunch

Session III: NIST 

Roles in 

Cybersecurity

Update on NIST Cybersecurity Programs, Current Mandates, and Calls 

for Expanded NIST Roles in Cybersecurity

Donna Dodson, Chief Cybersecurity Advisor, Information Technology 

Laboratory & Director of the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence 

NIST’s Role in Cybersecurity – a view from the private sector Matthew Eggers, Executive Director, Cybersecurity Policy, U.S. Chamber of 

Commerce

Path forward to support adoption of Cyber Security Framework Matt Barrett, Program Manager for the NIST Cybersecurity Framework

Meeting Wrap up and Discussion of Future Agenda Items

Adjourn for tours of National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence

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