Unleashing American Innovation Initiative Request for Information and Forum Announced

The objective of this initiative is to increase the return on investment (ROI) from the roughly $150 billion annual investment in research and development (R&D).  To produce economic gain and maintain a strong national security innovation base, the results must be transferred to private companies to create new products and services. In order to advance the President's Management Agenda to modernize government for the 21st century, including the associated Lab-to-Market cross-agency priority (CAP) Goal in coordination with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is initiating an effort to refocus Federal technology transfer on sound business principles based on private investment.

NIST requests information from the public regarding the current state of Federal technology transfer and the public's ability to engage with Federal laboratories and access federally funded R&D through collaborations, licensing, and other mechanisms. Responses to this RFI will inform NIST's evaluation of Federal technology transfer practices, policies, regulations, and/or laws that promote the transfer of Federal technologies and the practical application of those technologies, including through commercialization by the private sector. NIST will hold public meetings regarding the initiative and the stakeholder engagement process at the times and locations indicated below.

Please note: The closing date for the RFI is Monday, July 30, 2018.  The public forum dates are: May 17th in San Jose California, May 21st in Denver Colorado, May 31st in Chicago Illinois, and June 14th at the NIST Campus in Gaithersburg, MD.  
Federal Register Notice Link:  https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/05/01/2018-09182/request-for-information-regarding-federal-technology-transfer-authorities-and-processes  

Direct link to the RFI Website:  https://www.nist.gov/tpo/rfi-response