NIST Seeks Public Input on Draft Roadmap for USG National Standards Strategy for CET

In response to the stakeholder feedback received, United States Goverment (USG) departments and agencies worked to generate a draft Implementation Roadmap. The roadmap sets forth actions and outcomes for the USG to increase investment in pre-standards development activities for critical and emerging technologies (CETs), broaden CET standards participation, grow a CET standards-savvy workforce, and ensure inclusivity and integrity in developing CET standards. The Implementation Roadmap is intended to guide USG actions. Actual implementation of the roadmap will require extensive coordination and engagement with variety of stakeholders. NIST requests public review and comment to further support the development and application of the USG NSSCET Implementation Roadmap.  

Actions and outcomes spelled out in the USG NSSCET Implementation Roadmap define how the USG can bolster support for the private sector-led system in the United States and the U.S. Standards Strategy (USSS) published by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The roadmap supports, complements, and further communicates USG priorities for CET standards development. 

The draft of the USG NSSCET Implementation Roadmap can be reviewed here.

Please send comments to sco [at] nist.gov (sco[at]nist[dot]gov).

We request that all comments are submitted by July 12, 2024. Do not include personally identifiable information in submissions; submit only information that you wish to make available publicly.

Background

In May 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration released the United States Government’s National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technology (USG NSSCET), which will strengthen both the United States’ foundation to safeguard American consumers’ technology and U.S. leadership and competitiveness in international standards development.

The CHIPS and Science ACT of 2022 codifies NIST’s role as a convener, leader, and federal coordinator for international standards and provides a blueprint for investments in pre-standardization research that leads to innovation, cutting-edge science, and translational research (Public Law 117-167, Section 10254, codified at 42 U.S.C. § 18951). 

To support the strategy, NIST published a Request for Information (RFI) in the Federal Register in fall 2023 seeking public input on how best to implement the USG NSSCET, partner with relevant stakeholders, remove barriers to participation in international standards development, and enhance the U.S. government’s support for an international standards system that is open, consensus-based, and led by the private sector. 

NIST also held a series of listening sessions and stakeholder events about the USG NSSCET while the RFI was open. Feedback was compiled from both sources and used to inform and guide the development of the Implementation Roadmap.