Responses to NIST Federal Register Request for Information on How to Structure Proposed New Program: Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia (AMTech)

On July 22, 2011, NIST published a Request for Information (RFI) in the Federal Register inviting opinions from the public on how to structure a proposed new program: Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia (AMTech) (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-07-22/pdf/2011-18580.pdf). The RFI offered interested parties an opportunity to answer 23 questions about eligibility for consortia membership, evaluation criteria for research funds, best practices for maximizing small business participation or disseminating results, and a number of other topics. Initially, comments were accepted until September 20, 2011. On September 23, 2011, NIST extended the response period for this request to October 20, 2011: (www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-09-23/pdf/2011-24538.pdf). NIST received a total of 55 responses from industry, academia, and private citizens.