National Institute of Standards and TechnologyNational Institute of Standards and TechnologyNIST_01d51db7-6789-4d1b-8157-3c42aa4442e1NIST’s mission is to develop and promote measurement, standards, and technology to enhance productivity, facilitate trade, and improve the quality of life._71973779-0b09-4701-8c50-5c3c207eb91ePeopleWe respect, value and support each other in all our activities.IntegrityWe are objective, ethical, and honest.Customer FocusWe anticipate the needs of our customers and are committed to meeting or exceeding their expectations.ExcellenceWe expect world-class performance and continuous improvement in all we do.Measurement and Standards InfrastructurePromote innovation, trade, security, and jobs by strengthening the Nation’s measurements and standards infrastructure _eff16393-07ee-4112-a565-5b030effbb491The nation’s ability to innovate, grow, and create high value jobs will rely ever more on a robust scientific and technical infrastructure—including the measurements and standards provided by the NIST Laboratories. The NIST Laboratories perform research to advance the state of the art of measurement science and to develop leading-edge measurement tools, data, and models for advanced science and technology. This forward-looking research yields improvements in NIST’s measurement competencies and generates new knowledge, capabilities, and techniques that NIST transfers to its customers in industry, universities, and other government agencies. Maintaining pre-eminence as the world’s foremost National Measurement Institute requires not only state of the art measurement science but also state of the art mechanisms for transferring new measurement methods and capabilities to users. U.S. industry requires NIST’s high quality measurements to underpin technical standards for product development, testing, instrumentation, process monitoring, and product performance enhancement. NIST’s measurement capabilities and services provide a common infrastructure that allows customers to verify and gain domestic and international acceptance of their measurement results by tracing them back to the primary national standards. Measurement equivalency among international, national, and local laboratories also is critical for the acceptance of test results for commerce, trade, and health and safety. Over time, NIST’s ability to provide these capabilities will reside in part in the Institute’s continued ability to build and mine the interdisciplinary measurements and standards competencies needed to support emerging technologies throughout the manufacturing sector, service industries, university research system, and technology-intensive governmental agencies. Looking forward, NIST sees high rates of growth and broad potential impact for its measurement and standards expertise in the areas of nanometrology, bioscience and health, information and knowledge management, and public safety and security. Measurement ScienceAdvance the state of the art of measurement science _50aa52af-9979-4ac7-9ea2-0484dd2547081.aAs the National Measurement Institute for the United States, NIST operates at the pinnacle of the measurement system. NIST is uniquely responsible for establishing the ultimate value of the fundamental units of measurement: length, mass, time, electric current, thermodynamic temperature, amount of substance, and luminous intensity. NIST also is responsible for establishing and maintaining an efficient system that links the fundamental units of measurement to the measurement methods used in applied settings. Through these core roles, NIST’s measurement science provides a common set of fundamental reference points and a system for using measurement tools that are an essential component of the nation’s scientific and technological research base. Much of NIST’s research will continue to focus on laboratory-specific research competencies required to advance specific fields of measurement science, as well as information science, and improve the efficiency of the system that links primary standards defined by NIST to measurement methods and tools used by end users in industry, universities, governmental agencies, and other technology-intensive organizations. Transfer of CapabilitiesAssure the availability and efficient transfer of measurements and standards capabilities to manufacturing and service industries, universities, and other R&D-intensive organizations _8e340239-3026-4b04-ad96-50876d4ee2691.bToday’s technology-driven marketplace demands rapidly conducted and highly accurate measurements. NIST’s measurement services support an increasingly diverse and dynamic group of customers whose needs rapidly change with advances in technology. NIST must deliver high quality, rapid service and continually react to emerging measurements and standards needs. In technology-based industries, NIST also needs to respond to quality and cost pressures that call for more measurements with increasingly high precision and selectivity, as well as technically rigorous standards for product quality and production performance.3 In many measurement-intensive research areas, the intense growth in data collection and data mining will outstrip currently available techniques for understanding and ensuring data validity and integrity. , Simulation and modeling are now common and often essential scientific tools, and are rapidly becoming an integral part of the planning, design, development, and discovery infrastructure of U.S. industry. Similarly, efforts to tackle complex national challenges in homeland security, energy sufficiency, and environmental sustainability will rely increasingly on simulation and modeling tools to guide decisions and policies. Reliable use of these tools depends on the availability of trustworthy data across a wide spectrum of scientific and technical domains. Assuring access to these data will demand new informatics methods and common data-sharing standards. As new technologies become commercialized, the competitive performance and growth of U.S.-based industries will continue to be shaped by the technical underpinnings of standards and tests for production process control, product quality and performance, and other aspects of production and market exchange. In addition, since technology-based industries also produce and sell on a global basis, U.S.-based businesses will need more rapid and extensive harmonization of different measurement and documentary standards systems. Increasingly, access to foreign markets can be restricted by sophisticated measurements, standards, testing and certification requirements, quality system registration, and other technical prerequisites. With the rapid move toward a global economy, many segments of U.S. industry have identified harmonization with international standards as a high priority for maintaining global competitiveness. NIST’s capabilities will be increasingly needed to resolve issues that often create technical barriers to trade. Emerging TechnologyBuild capabilities in Strategic Focus Areas for emerging technology-based industries_f7c7f10a-9558-46dc-8a0a-2011772c878b1.cNext-generation measurement and standards needs in many emerging technology-based industries create special challenges and opportunities for NIST: the technologies and applications are changing rapidly; the nature of the technical demands requires collaboration and coordination within NIST and between NIST and its external partners; and the potential economic and societal impacts of adoption and commercialization are exceedingly high. NIST will focus on three technology areas that exhibit these features as well as measurements and standards-related barriers to development and commercialization: nanometrology, biosciences and health, and information / knowledge management. In addition, new demands and governmental priorities for public safety and security will continue to exert a strong influence on NIST’s program portfolio. NIST currently has a broad range of competencies to draw on in each area, but these emerging measurements and standards needs require a higher level of strategic focus, internal and external collaboration, and organizational commitment. Private InvestmentAccelerate private investment in and development of high-risk, broad-impact technologies _48d67d6c-8ec0-4b8e-b9f5-756fa4a8bcbd2While private sector funds nearly 70 percent of the nation’s R&D, market pressures often deter firms from investing in particular types of technology. Private industry never has accounted for a large percentage of the nation’s basic R&D, because firms must be able to appropriate returns within a timeframe and at a level satisfactory to investors. For the same reasons, industry tends to avoid investing in certain types of enabling technologies: infrastructural technologies, which require distinct competencies and are broadly applied; multi-use technologies, which benefit multiple segments of an industry or group of industries; and high-potential breakthrough technologies, which typically involve risk levels and timeframes that far exceed the horizons of individual firms. These enabling technologies are the focus of the Advanced Technology Program: ATP works with industry and universities to identify and promote investment in technologies with significant potential for broad-based economic benefits but inadequate levels of private investment. The Program uses joint ventures and teaming arrangements to combine private investment and the best available scientific and technological talent in industry, universities, and government. Industry and AcademiaEncourage industry and academia to increase R&D investments in high-risk, broad-impact technologies. _82f10ad5-fb8a-4a6a-b840-0ac8908c07872.1ATP will use partnership strategies for identifying and stimulating investment in emerging, infrastructural, and/or multi-use technologies. ATP will continue to fund industry- and academia-driven, cost-shared research in technologies identified through a broad and rigorous assessment of 1) the economic potential of advancements in particular technologies; 2) the technical strength of project proposals and the degree of commitment; and 3) the opportunity for ATP funds to complement and leverage private investment in those technologies. 2. Engage all elements of the national R&D enterprise in the ATP. National R&DEngage all elements of the national R&D enterprise in the ATP _fb86b55b-18af-4c3d-b72a-1b7b3a01181b2.2ATP will expand its partnership activities with both the public and private sectors, and strengthen linkages among various sources of innovation—such as small entrepreneurial firms, universities and other sources of basic research, and new research consortia (particularly those involving small businesses and universities).Small ManufacturersRaise the productivity and competitiveness of small manufacturers _fde32688-d95e-4b32-a4f2-b0121e2a85763U.S. manufacturing firms are among the most productive in the world, but small manufacturers consistently lag behind their larger counterparts in value added per employee. Large firms typically have greater financial, technical, and human resources available for production modernization and continuous performance improvement. However, the nation’s 360,000 small manufacturing establishments employ about 12 million people—nearly two-thirds of all manufacturing jobs—and produce intermediate parts and equipment that contribute more than half of the value of finished products. Due to the pervasive role of small firms in the manufacturing supply chain, the future productivity of the nation’s supply base will rest largely on the ability of small firms to improve quality, raise efficiency, and lower costs. The comparatively low productivity growth of small U.S. firms can be attributed to numerous factors, including technical, cost, and information barriers. Through the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), NIST helps to overcome these barriers by providing information, decision support, and implementation assistance in adopting new and more advanced manufacturing technologies, techniques, and business practices. The national MEP network helps small companies transform themselves into high-performance enterprises—productive, innovative, customer-driven, and competitive businesses—by efficiently providing high value technical and advisory services, including access to industry best practices. MEP’s ultimate goal is to measurably improve the productivity of all its clients. Business PracticesCollect and disseminate data and information related to high performance business practices, expand MEP advisory services, and improve the effectiveness of MEP Centers. _1e744ce6-a278-4e94-86ef-253538b307ae3.1Given a stable federal funding base and the current distribution of Centers, MEP will continue to develop and deploy shared programs and resources that will increase the breadth, depth, and effectiveness of services delivered by the MEP manufacturing and business experts. MEP also will deploy best practices in performance-based management to improve the performance and effectiveness of MEP Centers. MEP also can broaden its scope of services by leveraging NIST’s laboratory capabilities and competencies. Potential avenues for expanding the scope of services include but are not limited to: utilizing NIST expertise in networking technologies; evaluating new IT-based process technologies; learning about and managing new production process technologies and related standards issues; advising on technical issues relating to clean production materials and similar factors driven by environmental regulatory considerations; and adopting efficient building environment systems and advanced materials. System Integration and DevelopmentImprove efficiency and effectiveness through system integration and development of a broader and more stable revenue base. _3a0444ae-70b3-478f-a081-37bfbe881fc93.2MEP will increase overall system efficiency by gradually integrating the Centers and field offices into an administratively efficient and programmatically synergistic national network that will be more widely recognized and utilized by the nation’s small businesses. In addition, MEP will seek to improve program effectiveness by broadening and stabilizing the funding base of the MEP Centers, and in cooperation with the Minority Business Development Agency will expand MEP services to better assist small minority-owned enterprises. Required content not provided Catalyze and reward quality and performance improvement practices in U.S. businesses and other organizations _0b16798f-449a-4527-8ed5-c99d46e7a0a84Quality and performance improvement have become requirements—not options—for competitive businesses and high performance organizations of all types. Through the Baldrige National Quality Program (BNQP), NIST provides a systematic and well-tested set of values, performance criteria, and assessment methods that all organizations can adopt to improve their productivity and overall effectiveness. BNQP catalyzes organizations to define what they must do to improve their performance and attain (or retain) market leadership, and provides a mechanism for broadly disseminating that information. The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award is granted annually to businesses—manufacturing and service, small and large—and to education and health care organizations that apply and are judged to be role models in seven areas: leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, information and analysis, human resource focus, process management, and organizational results. In addition to the annual Award competition, the Baldrige Program represents an entire value system, a definition of performance excellence, a vehicle for cooperation, and a catalyst for change. The Baldrige Program reflects the nation’s commitment to excellence, elevates quality as a national priority, and provides a mechanism for identifying and disseminating best practices. Performance Educational MaterialsDevelop and disseminate educational materials designed to help businesses and other organizations initiate and sustain performance improvement strategies._026baa31-d53a-4b2d-a376-71d94c1295b94.1These materials will include case studies, self-assessment primers, and data on best practices for performance improvement. State and Local Quality ProgramsLead an expanding national system of state and local quality programs. _203b1367-667f-4675-a45c-73c29ace6ffb4.2The BNQP will seek to broaden and deepen state and local quality efforts already based on Baldrige principles, in order to provide these regional programs with a nationwide system that can better serve small businesses. Quality/Performance Management ResearchConduct research to further quality/performance management as a business discipline. _441ba0d1-99aa-48cc-92b2-c4e5dc0c62444.3The BNQP promotes quality awareness as well as the learning and dissemination of successful performance management practices, principles, and strategies. Since its inception in 1987, the BNQP has generated a wealth of knowledge from the experiences of its applicants. Because much of the information in Baldrige applications is proprietary, this valuable knowledge base has not yet been researched for key business insights. Given the great potential utility of this information, NIST will conduct research to identify best practices and articulate the underlying principles of leading management practices and performance evaluation techniques. The BNQP will seek new channels for disseminating this information; for instance, it will encourage colleges and universities to adopt BNQP research within course curricula. Non-Profit OrganizationsExplore possibilities for creating a new Baldrige Award category for not-for-profit organizations. _58d14623-8744-4b10-9c6e-126c785ff7e94.4The Baldrige Program could greatly expand its impact by extending its coverage to include not-for-profit organizations. Organizational ExcellencePursue Organizational Excellence _421b79c1-a88c-4c72-a725-d5a51fe899395To complement its long-standing focus on technical excellence, NIST will continue to set high performance standards and expectations for all aspects of the organization. NIST will strive for state-of-the-art organizational performance through continuous improvement strategies that are driven by assessments of best practices in similar types of research organizations. Key components of NIST’s pursuit of organizational excellence will include NIST’s focus on its customers; its ability to plan for, acquire, and manage its people; and its use of information technology to produce and efficiently deliver high-value products and services. Customer FocusIncrease NIST’s impact by focusing on the customer_4cbb5001-e46d-4c72-aa99-abfd1170c95a5.a Customer-focused organizations are able to anticipate and quickly respond to market movements, are more efficient because there is a shared understanding of mission and direction, and deliver results and impacts that customers value and recognize. Delivering high-value products and services requires constant attention to best practices in cognate organizations, continuous evaluation of opportunities for improvement, and thorough integration with customers from planning to delivery of service improvements. NIST will continuously improve the Institute’s understanding of and responsiveness to customer needs; expand customer interactions and thoroughly integrate customer input and market knowledge into NIST’s planning processes and evaluation mechanisms; and build customer focus into work systems and processes. WorkforceIncrease NIST’s impact by focusing on our people _c5c18b76-9a6a-4874-bcdb-e0d320dbe2345.bChanges in the technological and demographic landscape are shaping a workforce that will be increasingly diverse, entrepreneurial, highly mobile, and team-oriented. NIST’s workforce will have a broader span of expertise; multi-disciplinary training will be used extensively, and high potential staff will be offered management and leadership training as a fundamental part of their professional preparation. In this context, NIST will continuously improve internal communications, strive for clarity and transparency in all organizational decisions, encourage innovation through cross-organizational interactions, and provide every available resource needed to sustain a highly motivated, high-performance workforce. To achieve its 2010 mission, NIST also will reinforce high levels of knowledge sharing and teamwork by using best practices in performance management and organizational development. Information Science and TechnologyLeverage information science and technology _6978c4f5-2aa1-435d-a022-35fefe72efe25.cThe adequacy of NIST’s information technology and knowledge management processes will shape the ability of its employees to effectively and efficiently accomplish their work. The laboratory research programs substantially shape the Institute’s information technology strategies because they use the bulk of NIST’s high-performance computing resources. In addition, the efficiency and quality of other NIST activities—including not only internal administrative functions but also technology transfer services and other customer interfaces—will depend increasingly upon seamless, secure, powerful, and highly accessible information technology resources. In light of these needs, NIST will implement strategies that are designed to: 1) produce a reliable, transparent, and cost-effective information technology infrastructure; 2) provide computationally-intensive modeling capabilities, high-speed database search and retrieval mechanisms, and integrated access to experimental data that can be used to validate computational models; and 3) support full electronic submission of data to NIST by customers (where needed) and permit efficient customer access to relevant NIST data. 2004-06-012010-09-012010-02-08http://www.nist.gov/director/planning/nist2010_plan.pdfArthurColman (www.drybridge.com)colman@drybridge.com