June 2022 NIST Congressional and Legislative Affairs Constituent Newsletter

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) sent this bulletin at 06/09/2022 05:57 PM EDT

NIST Congressional and
Legislative Affairs

Constituent Newsletter – June 2022

Hearings

Securing the DotGov: Examining Efforts to Strengthen Federal Network Cybersecurity

On May 17, 2022, Dr. Charles Romine, Director of the Information Technology Laboratory at NIST testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Innovation. The hearing was entitled “Securing the DotGov: Examining Efforts to Strengthen Federal Network Cybersecurity”.

Additional witnesses included:

Mr. Christopher DeRusha, Deputy National Cyber Director for Federal Cybersecurity, Office of the National Cyber Director & Federal Chief Information Security Officer, Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the President of the United States
Mr. Eric Goldstein, Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Mr. David Shive, Chief Information Officer, General Services Administration

You may read a copy of his statement or view the virtual hearing.

Recent News

National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee Holds First Meeting

The National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee (NAIAC) held their first meeting on May 4, 2022. Congress has directed the NAIAC to provide recommendations on topics including the current state of U.S. AI competitiveness; progress in implementing the Initiative; the state of science around AI; issues related to AI workforce; how to leverage Initiative resources; the need to update the Initiative; the balance of activities and funding across the Initiative; the adequacy of the National AI R&D strategic plan; management, coordination, and activities of the Initiative; adequacy of addressing societal issues; opportunities for international cooperation; issues related to accountability and legal rights; and how AI can enhance opportunities for diverse geographic regions.

A recording of the first meeting can be found here and for more information on the NAIAC, please visit the website.

Cybersecurity Framework 2.0

Through a recent Request for Information (RFI), NIST asked the public for feedback to evaluate the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, alignment of the Framework with other resources, and efforts to improve cybersecurity supply chain risk management. In total, NIST received more than 130 comments in response to the RFI, which are available on the Cybersecurity Framework website. NIST has published a Summary Analysis of the RFI comments.

Based on this feedback, NIST is planning to work with stakeholders to revise the widely adopted and well-known NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF). To learn more about the CSF update process, read our NIST blog, which explains what to expect with the update to the CSF (CSF 2.0) and highlights ways stakeholders can engage in the process.

NIST Awards Funding to Strengthen Advanced Manufacturing for Critical and Emerging Technologies

NIST has awarded a total of $2.08 million to seven organizations in six states to develop manufacturing technology roadmaps to strengthen U.S. innovation and productivity across entire industry sectors. This is the second round of grants awarded to universities, industry and nonprofit organizations through NIST’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Roadmap Program (MfgTech).

Each award of up to $300,000 will fund projects for up to 18 months to address national priorities such as manufacturing of critical infrastructure, communication, and transformative approaches and technologies in construction. NIST plans to make additional awards under different categories.

FirstNet Authority, NIST Launch Immersive Virtual Experience Center for Public Safety

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) and NIST announced the launch of the Public Safety Immersive Test Center in Boulder, Colorado, to spur the development and deployment of technologies critical to effective public safety response.

Through this partnership, NIST’s Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Division and the FirstNet Authority plan to enable research and development, education, and training, by offering the facility at no cost to public safety agencies and organizations that support public safety response efforts, including private sector and academic institutions. The facility is designed to help answer key research questions around the future of user interfaces and location services for public safety training and operations.

2021 MEP Advisory Board Report

The 2021 MEP Advisory Board Annual Report presents an overview of the national Board’s activities and focuses for the year. This year’s report focuses on MEP National Network™ resilience and resourcefulness during the global pandemic, CARES Act funding impacts, MEP’s role in executive orders, and the MEP-Assisted Technology and Technical Resource (MATTR) service, which facilitates the connection of the technical needs of MEP Center manufacturing clients with the technology and expertise of the NIST laboratories. The report also describes accomplishments toward MEP National Network 2017-2022 Strategic Plan goals, the NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program, and results of the Summit Consulting and W.E. Upjohn Institute study.

Funding Opportunities

Prize Challenge Seeks Innovative Incident Command Dashboards for Public Safety

NIST has launched a new prize competition to advance incident command dashboard technologies that would allow for real-time tracking of assets, personnel and objects of interest during emergency scenarios.

The competition is now accepting entries and will have multiple stages running through April 2023. Up to $1 million will be awarded in prizes throughout four stages of the challenge. Prize recipients will be determined by a panel of judges, assisted by a team of subject matter experts, through each stage of the competition.

NIST encourages all user interface/user experience (UI/UX) developers and innovators to bring their ideas to this competition. To learn about eligibility requirements, visit challenge.gov, and for additional information about the challenge and to register, visit the challenge website.