Information Exchange

To encourage the exchange of information, NIST holds many workshops, seminars, tours and other events available to the public. Some of these events are free; some have a registration fee. See the Conference/Events, Colloquium Series, and NIST Technicalendar for further information. Maps to NIST and other useful information can be found under Visitor Information.

Researchers may make special arrangements to stay for extended periods of time through NIST's Guest Researcher program. Non-U.S. Citizens please register with NIST's Office of International and Academic Affairs. 

Confidential and Proprietary Information

NIST welcomes organizations wishing to hold technical discussions with NIST staff, but suggests limiting discussions to non-proprietary information.

-What to do if you need to give proprietary information to NIST staff:

NIST does not accept proprietary information unless absolutely necessary, and requires prior approved by NIST management. In situations where proprietary information must be disclosed to enable effective technical discussions, please arrange for a Non-disclosure Agreement between your organization and NIST before your visit. The Non-disclosure Agreement defines the treatment of this proprietary information by NIST under terms that are acceptable to NIST and the discloser.

Procedure: If a NIST employee and an outside party feel the need for non-NIST proprietary information to be disclosed in the absence of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), the NIST employee should first consult the Office for the Chief Counsel of NIST, then he or she must initiate a Nondisclosure Agreement - Receipt of Proprietary Information, along with other relevant information, through the management chain for review and approval. If approved, copies of the Agreement are signed by both parties.

­Any deviation from the standard language of the NIST NDA must be reviewed and approved by the NIST Counsel prior to initiating the signature process:

NIST Office of the Chief Counsel
100 Bureau Drive
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1052
301-975-2803
mark.madsen [at] nist.gov (mark[dot]madsen[at]nist[dot]gov)

-What to do if NIST staff must disclose its proprietary information to you:

NIST personnel may need to disclose information pertaining to intellectual property that NIST may file for a patent. A Nondisclosure Agreement preserves NIST's ability to pursue patent protection while defining the treatment of the information by the recipient organization under terms acceptable to both NIST and the recipient.

Procedure: If a NIST employee and an outside party feel the need for NIST proprietary information to be disclosed, the NIST employee must obtain management's approval by initiating a Nondisclosure Agreement - Disclosure of Confidential Information, along with other relevant information, through the management chain for review and approval. If approved, copies of the Agreement are signed by both parties.