President's FY 2014 Budget Request for NIST Supports Research in Advanced Manufacturing, Cybersecurity

WASHINGTON — The President's fiscal year (FY) 2014 budget released today proposes $928.3 million for the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an increase of $177.5 million from FY 2012 enacted levels. The budget prioritizes NIST research in advanced manufacturing and crucial cybersecurity initiatives.

"The FY 2014 budget increases will allow NIST to address high-priority scientific and technical issues that are critical to U.S. economic competitiveness and innovative capacity," said Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Patrick Gallagher. "NIST collaborative research in fields like manufacturing, cybersecurity and forensics will spur new technology, standards and product development in the private sector and grow the economy."

The proposed NIST budget includes $127 million in new research funding, $25 million for new regional centers to help small and mid-sized manufacturers adopt innovative technologies more quickly and $21.4 million for new public-private consortia to prioritize research needs.

The total FY 2014 NIST budget request of $928.3 million includes the following:

Scientific and Technical Research and Services (STRS), $693.7 million
The FY 2014 STRS request funds NIST's laboratory programs, among a number of important initiatives. NIST research laboratories, facilities and services programs work on cutting edge  science to ensure that U.S. industry, and the broader science and engineering communities, have the measurements, data and technologies to further innovation and industrial competitiveness. Initiative funding requests include:

• Advanced Manufacturing (+$50 million)
• Cybersecurity: R&D and Standards (+$15 million), National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) (+$8 million), and National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) (+$1 million)
• Advanced Communications (+$10 million)
• Cyber-Physical Systems ($+10 million)
• NIST Centers of Excellence (+$20 million)
• Health Information Technology (+$3 million)
• Measurement Science and Standards in Support of Forensic Science (+$5 million)
• Disaster Resilience and Natural Hazards Risk Reduction (+$5 million)

Industrial Technology Services (ITS), $174.5 million

• Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) ($153.1 million). MEP's 1,300 technical experts work directly with their local manufacturing communities to strengthen the competitiveness of the nation's domestic manufacturing base. This request includes $25 million for new MEP Manufacturing Technology Acceleration Centers (M-TACs). The centers will provide technology acceleration support to small and mid-sized U.S. manufacturers through a program that is nationally connected and locally deployed.
• Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia (AMTech) ($21.4 million). This program will provide grants to leverage existing consortia or establish new industry-led consortia to develop roadmaps of critical long-term industrial research needs, and fund research at leading universities and government laboratories directed at meeting these needs. This program would be based on NIST's experience with the successful Nanoelectronics Research Initiative (NRI) partnership.

Construction of Research Facilities (CRF), $60 million

• The budget requests an increase of $4.2 million to expedite the maintenance and repair of facilities and to reduce the impact of facility deficiencies on laboratory projects. The increased funding will allow NIST to reduce the backlog of renovation projects across NIST facilities as well as continue work on the Boulder Building 1 renovation.

As part of the Administration's efforts to revitalize American manufacturing, the President's budget proposes a one-time $1 billion investment to launch the National Network of Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI), a network of up to 15 manufacturing innovation institutes across the country to serve as regional hubs of manufacturing excellence that will help to make our manufacturers more competitive and encourage investment in the United States. Program coordination would be led by the NIST-hosted, interagency Advanced Manufacturing Program Office.

Additional information on the NIST FY 2014 budget request >>

U.S. Commerce Department's full FY 2014 budget request >>

As a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, NIST promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life. To learn more about NIST, visit www.nist.gov.