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FY 98 Competitions Select 79 Projects for Partnering
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FY98 Competitions Select 79 Projects for Partnering
New technologies to provide stand-alone sources of clean, reliable electric power; a possible method to restore nerve function to victims of spinal-cord injuries; advanced materials and manufacturing technologies for future generations of integrated circuits; and a truly three-dimensional computer display technology are among the diverse goals set by 79 new industrial research projects selected for co-funding with industry by the Advanced Technology Program.
The majority of the awards, 54, went to small businesses, including several new companies, either for single-company projects or as the lead company in an industry joint venture. Eleven universities and more than 150 companies are involved in the projects as formal participants, with many more participating as subcontractors or consultants.
The awards are the result of nine ATP competitions conducted in 1998, including a general competition open to proposals from any area of technology and eight competitions in focused technology areas.
If carried through to completion, the 79 projects will be funded at approximately $224 million from private industry, matched by approximately $236 million from the ATP.
Detailed lists of the 1998 ATP projects and their participants are available on the World Wide Web at http://www.atp.nist.gov or by contacting NIST Public and Business Affairs, (301) 975-2762, media@nist.gov.
Media Contact:
Michael Baum, (301) 975-2763
Implementation Delay, Report to Congress Announced for FQA
NIST announced in the Oct. 7, 1998, Federal Register that the Secretary of Commerce will prepare a report for Congress on the Fastener Quality Act of 1990. The report, which must be submitted by Feb. 1, 1999, will address: (1) changes in fastener manufacturing processes that have occurred since the enactment of the FQA; (2) a comparison of the FQA to other regulatory programs that regulate the various categories of fasteners, and an analysis of any duplication that exists among programs; and (3) any changes in the FQA that may be warranted.
The agency previously announced in the Sept. 28, 1998, Federal Register that the implementation date of regulations requiring fastener manufacturers to submit their fasteners for testing by laboratories accredited by various accreditation organizations will be extended until June 1, 1999. This follows passage of Public Law 105-234 (signed by President Clinton on Aug. 14, 1998) amending the Fastener Quality Act of 1990.
NIST continues to offer strictly voluntary accreditation to qualified fastener testing laboratories as well as allow voluntary compliance with other provisions of the regulations.
NIST will post updates on FQA developments periodically on the World Wide Web at http://www.nist.gov/fqa. Interested persons also may contact Subhas Malghan, (301) 975-5120.
Media Contact:
Michael Newman, (301) 975-3025
Baldrige Teams Will Examine Nine for 1998 Award
Teams of business and quality experts will visit nine companies--five manufacturers, one service company and three small businesses as part of the application process for the 1998 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Thirty-six companies applied for the award.
Site-team members will verify information in the company's application, examine company records, conduct interviews and clarify any issues or questions raised by earlier reviews. A private-sector panel of judges will review the site-visit findings and make recommendations concerning winning companies to NIST. All 36 applicants receive an extensive feedback report highlighting strengths and opportunities for improvement.
Baldrige award recipients for 1998 will be announced in November.
Media Contact:
Jan Kosko, (301) 975-2767
Pact to Enhance Foreign Sales of U.S. Info Tech Security Products
Five nations made history on Oct. 5, 1998, with the signing of the Common Criteria Mutual Recognition Arrangement, a pact that establishes a precise but common language specifying security requirements in information technology products and systems. This development is expected to make it easier for American companies to sell their products abroad.
"We see this as a critical step toward resolving the issues that could potentially cripple the growth of domestic and international electronic commerce," said Commerce Deputy Secretary Robert L. Mallett.
The signing culminates five years of work by NIST, the National Security Agency and their computer security/standards counterparts in Canada, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The signatory nations agree to recognize the results of security evaluations conducted by each other's accredited testing laboratories. This eliminates the need for costly and time-consuming duplicative testing by different countries.
Once the arrangement leads to a standardized evaluation process across borders, its creators hope that it will foster a barrier-free, worldwide market for IT security products.
For more information, contact Ronald Ross, Rm. 644, Bldg. 820, NIST, Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-0001, (301) 975-5390.
Media Contact:
Philip Bulman, (301) 975-5661
New NIST-ANSI Agreement Targets Conformity Assessment Issues
With the aim of advancing national industrial, consumer and environmental interests, NIST and the American National Standards Institute--a federation of more than 1,300 organizations--have pledged to help boost U.S. participation in international decisions on standards and conformity assessment issues, which play an increasingly significant role in world trade.
The commitment to "enhance and strengthen" the nation's voluntary standards system was formalized in a memorandum of understanding signed by NIST Director Raymond Kammer and ANSI President Sergio Mazza. The signing took place on Sept. 23, 1998, following a national meeting to discuss options for developing a "national standards strategy." Representing companies, government agencies and U.S.-based standards developing organizations--or SDOs--the more than 300 participants generally agreed on the need for a more coordinated U.S. approach to international standards setting. Without it, many said, U.S. industrial and economic competitiveness will suffer.
Building on an earlier NIST-ANSI agreement, the new MOU affirms ANSI's role as the U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission. It further recognizes ANSI's role in accrediting U.S. SDOs as competent to develop consensus standards. Finally, NIST and ANSI agreed to help foster more effective public and private-sector responses to conformity assessment issues.
For more information, contact NIST's Belinda Collins, (301) 975-4000; or ANSI's Stacy Leistner, (212) 642-4931.
Media Contact:
Mark Bello, (301) 975-3776
New Marine Research Lab Has NIST Connection
A new environmental lab in Charleston, S.C., will allow NIST's Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory to expand its efforts in quality assurance for monitoring and assessment of the U.S. coastal marine environment. Ground-breaking ceremonies for the Marine Environmental Health Research Laboratory, or MEHRL, were held Oct. 10, 1998. Construction of the 7,246 square meter (78,000 square foot) facility will begin early in 1999 and is expected to be completed in 2000.
MEHRL will be a joint research center of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the Medical University of South Carolina, the College of Charleston and two agencies within the Department of Commerce--the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NIST. Appropriations of $19.7 million to fund the MEHRL have been provided by DoC. NOAA and NIST, who have collaborated since 1985 on quality assurance for marine environmental samples, are cooperating in the development of the MEHRL.
Media Contact:
Linda Joy, (301) 975-4403
NIST, NCWM Solidify 93-Year-Old Partnership
A newly signed memorandum of understanding between NIST and the National Conference on Weights and Measures will make the jobs of state weights and measures inspectors easier in the coming months. Among other things, the MOU paves the way to posting all Certificates of Conformance issued under the National Type Evaluation Program on the Internet. States require NTEP certificates for weighing and measuring devices used in trade. The availability of the certificates on the World Wide Web should boost efficiency during inspections.
The new memorandum leads off a series of pacts to implement an earlier agreement--the first ever--between NIST and NCWM. This agreement, signed in July 1998 at the NCWM annual meeting, seeks to preserve and formalize the historical cooperation between NIST and NCWM. The two have worked together since 1905.
Since January 1998, NTEP has been posting all new NTEP Certificates of Conformance on the World Wide Web at http://www.nist.gov/ntep. In the coming months, NTEP will be adding all certificates issued prior to January 1998 as well as the ability to search for certificate information.
For more information on the NIST OWM or the NCWM, call (301) 975-4004 or visit the website at http://www.nist.gov/owm.
Media Contact:
Linda Joy, (301) 975-4403
Congress Told 'CARB Research Impacts Industry'
Research at NIST's Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology in Rockville, Md., is yielding benefits to the biotechnology industry, CARB Associate Director Edward Eisenstein told a House subcommittee in recent testimony. CARB was established in 1986 by the University of Maryland, NIST and Montgomery County, Md., as a unique center for government, academic and industry scientists.
"Motivated by their interests in fundamental problems in biotechnology, and as a result of their close interactions with industrial scientists, CARB investigators have collaborated extensively with local and national biotechnology companies on a number of research projects," Eisenstein told the subcommittee. He highlighted three examples of CARB research projects with significant industrial impact.
First, CARB scientists have altered the structure of the subtilisin enzyme. The enzyme, secreted by common soil bacteria to digest proteins, is used as a laundry additive. The CARB-engineered form is much more effective and has been licensed by the Procter and Gamble Corp. Secondly, CARB investigators, in collaboration with NIST's Biotechnology Division, are working with several biotechnology companies on projects that could use enzymes to improve the production of biodegradable plastics and other chemical products. Thirdly, CARB and The Institute for Genomic Research recently have entered a partnership to provide structural information on proteins whose functions are not known.
For more information on CARB, contact Eisenstein at (301) 738-6272 . CARB also is on the Internet at http://www.carb.nist.gov/.
Media Contact:
Linda Joy, (301) 975-4403
U.S. Department of Commerce
Technology Administration
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Editor: Michael
Newman
HTML conversion: Crissy Wines
Last updated: October 13, 1998
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