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Summary of NIST Laboratory Economic Impact Studies
Over 11-year period, 2000-2011, 16 economic impact studies conducted of NIST research programs
Average benefit-cost ratio of 47:1
Selection of projects for study based on perceived existence of industry impact (not randomly selected)
But, topics cover wide range of technologies and industries
And, estimates derived only from industries receiving direct transfer of research output from NIST (no multiplier effect estimated)
Hence, studies collectively provide good indicator of past and potential economic impacts
Bottom line: NIST has done a relatively large number of impact studies covering a wide range of technologies and industries. Therefore, these studies collectively can be viewed as a legitimate indicator of NIST industry impact.
Economic Studies of NIST Laboratory Programs, 2000-2009
For access to individual studies, see list on this web page.
Note: a number of studies were conducted prior to 2000, but are not included in this list
| Year | Industry | Project/Output | BCR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Pharmaceuticals | cholesterol measurement/SRM | 4 |
| 2000 | Photonics | laser and fiber optic power and energy calibration/calibrations* | 7 |
| 2000 | Chemicals | sulfur in fossil fuels/SRM | 113 |
| 2000 | Building Technology | construction system integration & automation technologies (industrial) | 5 |
| 2001 | Building Technology | Fire Dynamics Simulation | 101 |
| 2001 | Electronics | Josephson voltage standard/SRM | 5 |
| 2001 | Building Technology | construction system integration & automation technologies (commercial) | 4 |
| 2001 | Information Technology | data encryption standards/standard conformance test methods* | 102 |
| 2001 | Information Technology | role-based access control/reference models (RBAC) | 109 |
| 2002 | Chemicals | National Traceable Reference Materials Program/SRD; calibration services | 21 |
| 2002 | Manufacturing | STEP/stds; conformance test methods & services | 8 |
| 2008 | Semiconductors | superfilling research techniques | 6 |
| 2008 | Semiconductors | low-k materials characterization | 9 |
| 2009 | Materials | consortium-based combinatorial methods development and transfer | 9 |
| 2010 | Information Technology | search engines (TREC) | 5 |
| 2010 | Information Technology | computer security (RBAC) | 249 |
| 16 total studies | Average BCR: 47 | ||