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NIST in Colorado
1:9
each dollar spent on NIST results in $9 in economic output
NIST Helps Colorado Grow
- The NIST Boulder Laboratories began operations in 1954. NIST is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, with additional facilities in Charleston, South Carolina.
- Of NIST’s total budget of approximately $1 billion (FY 2024), 15% is devoted to operations on the Boulder campus.
- The campus employs 560 people, and an additional 940 contractors and visiting associates work at NIST in Boulder where they live, shop, dine and use other services nearby.
- In Boulder, NIST spent $335 million on construction design, management and execution from FY 2021 to FY 2024.
- Experts at the NIST Boulder laboratories have conducted pioneering research that underlies U.S. competitiveness in manufacturing, electronics, communications, aerospace and other key sectors of our economy.
- JILA is a joint institute of NIST and the University of Colorado Boulder founded in 1962. It is currently home to two Nobel laureates in physics. JILA conducts world-leading research on quantum measurements and technologies, precision optical and X-ray lasers, the fundamental principles underlying the interaction of light and matter, the role of quantum physics in chemistry and biology, and the evolution of the universe. From FY 2021 to FY 2025, NIST has committed $64.4 million to the institute.
$174.9M
in recent and planned financial awards from NIST to organizations in the state of Colorado since 2021.
NIST supports key sectors in Colorado
Advanced manufacturing
- NIST’s CHIPS for America is growing the semiconductor industry in Colorado with $165 million in planned incentives for advanced manufacturing facilities and workforce development. The CHIPS R&D program is funding small businesses in Colorado with more than $800,000 in FY 2024 for the development of new measurement science tools.
- Since FY 2020, Manufacturer’s Edge, part of the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership, has received over $10 million in federal funds from NIST, with over $5.1 million matched in nonfederal funds, to provide Colorado companies with onsite technical assistance through coaching, training and consulting; collaboration-focused industry programs; and leveraging government, university and economic development partnerships.
With the help of Manufacturer’s Edge, Denver’s TruStile Doors implemented a six-week, all-staff training program on continuous improvement that did not disrupt operations. TruStile improved employee engagement and strengthened cross-organizational communication and operational efficiency, resulting in $150,000 in new and retained sales.
- NIST’s Nanofabrication Facility gives researchers from industry and academia access to state-of-the-art fabrication and measurement tools with applications to nanoelectronics, photonics, microelectromechanical systems and nano-biotechnology.
- Colorado manufacturers rely on NIST products and services to check the purity of materials and gases, the efficiency of production processes, and the quality of products made with advanced manufacturing methods. For example, every laser tracker used in advanced manufacturing of large objects like turbine blades and airplane wings is trustworthy thanks to standards developed by industry with NIST’s leadership. For emerging production methods, NIST maintains the Long Range Interferometer (LORI) facility for evaluating new technologies for large dimensions.
Aerospace, aviation, and defense
- Colorado manufacturers in these sectors rely on NIST reference materials for aluminum, titanium, glass, fuels, solders, thermal analysis, polymers, hydraulic systems and more to ensure small engineering tolerances and the highest quality control for parts where failure would cause catastrophic losses.
- NIST standards, calibrations and other services ensure accuracy in measurements of altitude and airspeed, and in remote sensing via satellites. The atomic clocks used by global positioning systems and telecommunications networks rely on precision timekeeping disseminated by NIST, starting with the NIST primary standard atomic clock in Boulder.
- NIST supports deployment of the fifth generation of wireless communications, including providing world-class test beds for characterizing antennas for space applications. This research helps industry make antennas for smaller, less expensive satellites.
Energy and climate
- Each year, NIST’s measurement standards help to validate the volume of liquid fuel in billions of dollars’ worth of transactions. Our calibrations of industrial natural gas flow meters ensure fair and transparent sales of millions of dollars’ worth of product. Trillions of dollars of commerce in the energy, aerospace, chemical, automotive and aerospace sectors are traceable back to NIST calibrations of gas flow meters.
- In FY 2023, with $1 million provided by NIST, the Colorado School of Mines explored conversion of methane to natural gas, which would have energy and environmental benefits. In FY 2022, NIST funded a $1 million project at Colorado State University that examined sequestration of carbon in soil.
- Knowing the exact electrical output of solar cells and modules is critical. NIST calibrates the electrical output of reference photovoltaic cells that companies, academia and testing laboratories use to measure the output of solar cells and modules, enabling the development and production of more efficient and less costly solar panels and systems.
Public safety, health and resilience
- From 2012 to 2022, the NIST Public Safety Communications Research Division invested $192.5 million through prize challenges, grants and contracts in Colorado companies and universities to increase the safety of first responders and their communities with virtual reality training, secure and resilient communications, and digital maps of buildings and other infrastructure. This investment also has resulted in:
$447M
in economic activity
$175.8
in household earnings
2,456
jobs
- NIST operates the FirstNET Authority Technical Facility in Boulder as a virtual reality training center for first responders and public safety research and development. The First Responder Network Authority is an independent agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
CHIPS Funding
MEP Success Stories
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News & Updates
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Learn how NIST improves the lives of all Americans by conducting research and fostering collaborations that make possible everything from reliable vaccine storage and fair fuel transactions to next-generation MRIs and fair stock trades. Check out NIST Works for You.
