National Research Council Laboratory Assessment

Since 1959, the National Research Council (NRC) has assessed the technical merit, relevance, and quality of NIST's (previously NBS's) laboratory programs in the context of NIST's mission. The NRC review is independent, technically sophisticated, and extensive.

Beginning in FY 2007, the NRC conducted an assessment process where half of the NIST Laboratories will be reviewed each year. This restructuring promotes the increased technical exchange between NIST scientists and the expert review panels (one for each of the NIST Laboratories). Each panel deliberates their findings in a closed session panel meeting and prepares a report summarizing its assessment findings. Panel members are selected by the NRC from leaders in industry, academia, non-profit organizations, and other federal agencies and government laboratories. The Laboratory Assessments Board of the National Academies oversees the NRC assessment activities.

FY 2012 Assessments

For the FY 2012 assessment cycle, the NRC will focus on NIST-wide ongoing needs and activities. There will be two studies in FY 2012:

1. The NRC will convene a Panel of Experts to conduct a technical assessment of the crosscutting NIST laboratory efforts supporting manufacturing.

2. The NRC will convene a Panel of Experts to prepare a study of best practices in the assessment of R&D organizations, in order to provide NIST information on peer review and performance evaluation systems.

FY 2011 Assessments

FY 2011 NRC Assessment Reports of NIST Laboratories (Posted with permission from the National Academy of Sciences, courtesy of the National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.) Reports on this page are presented in .pdf. To read these files, you can download Adobe Acrobat Reader free.

• An Assessment of the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, FY 2011
• An Assessment of the NIST Center for Neutron Research, FY 2011
• An Assessment of NIST Information Technology Laboratory, FY 2011
  
  

FY 2010 Assessments

FY 2010 NRC Assessment Reports of NIST Laboratories (Posted with permission from the National Academy of Sciences, courtesy of the National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.) Reports on this page are presented in .pdf. To read these files, you can download Adobe Acrobat Reader free.

• An Assessment of the NIST Building and Fire Research Laboratory, FY 2010
• An Assessment of the NIST Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory, FY 2010
• An Assessment of the NIST Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory, FY 2010
• An Assessment of the NIST Center for Neutron Research, FY 2010
• As Assessment of the Physics Laboratory, FY 2010

 
FY 2009 Assessments

FY 2009 NRC Assessment Reports of NIST Laboratories (Posted with permission from the National Academy of Sciences, courtesy of the National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.) Reports on this page are presented in .pdf. To read these files, you can download Adobe Acrobat Reader free.

• An Assessment of the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, FY 2009
  
• An Assessment of the NIST Center for Neutron Research, FY 2009
  
• An Assessment of the NIST Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory, FY 2009
  
• An Assessment of the NIST Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory, FY 2009
  
• An Assessment of the NIST Information Technology Laboratory, FY 2009

FY 2008 Assessments

FY 2008 NRC Assessment Reports of NIST Laboratories (Posted with permission from the National Academy of Sciences, courtesy of the National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.) Reports on this page are presented in .pdf. To read these files, you can download Adobe Acrobat Reader free.

• An Assessment of the NIST Center for Neutron Research, FY 2008
  
• An Assessment of the NIST Building and Fire Research Laboratory, FY 2008
• An Assessment of the NIST Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory, FY 2008
• An Assessment of the NIST Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory, FY 2008
• An Assessment of the NIST Physics Laboratory, FY 2008

 

FY 2007 Assessments

FY 2007 NRC Assessment Reports of NIST Laboratories (Posted with permission from the National Academy of Sciences, courtesy of the National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.) Reports on this page are presented in .pdf. To read these files, you can download Adobe Acrobat Reader free.

• An Assessment of the NIST Center for Neutron Research, FY 2007
• An Assessment of the NIST Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory, FY 2007
• An Assessment of the NIST Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory, FY 2007
• An Assessment of the NIST Information Technology Laboratory, FY 2007