[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 75 (Wednesday, April 18, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23224-23226]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-9254]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and Technology
[Docket No. 120322215-2213-01]
Request for Technical Input--Standards in Trade Workshops
AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.
ACTION: Request for Workshop Recommendations.
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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
invites all interested parties, including U.S.-based manufacturers,
U.S. industry and trade associations and federal government agencies,
to submit recommendations and suggestions for workshops covering
specific sectors and targeted countries or regions of the world where
training in the U.S. approaches to development and use of standards,
including assessment of conformity to standards, may facilitate trade,
increase U.S. exports, and/or benefit U.S. industry. Standards in Trade
(SIT) workshops are designed to introduce U.S. stakeholders to emerging
standards and conformity assessment issues in other countries and
regions; identify regulatory information and market access issues; and
provide timely information to foreign officials on U.S. practices in
standards, metrology and conformity assessment. Interested parties must
consider Administration priorities outlined in the current National
Export Strategy. NIST will offer a limited number of workshops each
year. Most workshops will be scheduled for a 3 to 5 day period at NIST
in Gaithersburg, Maryland. NIST will evaluate all recommendations and
may use the suggested topics in planning its workshops, subject to the
availability of resources. Additional guidance is available on the NIST
Standards in Trade (SIT) workshop program Web page. This notice is not
an invitation for proposals to fund grants, contracts or cooperative
agreements of any kind.
DATES: Recommendations may be submitted at any time and will be
considered on a quarterly basis.
ADDRESSES: All recommendations must be submitted to the Standards in
Trade Workshop Program through a webform at http://gsi.nist.gov/global/index.cfm/L1-4/L2-14. The National Export Strategy: Powering the
National Export Initiative is available at http://trade.gov/publications/pdfs/nes2011FINAL.pdf. NIST's Three-Year Programmatic Plan
is available at http://www.nist.gov/director/upload/nist-master-3-year-plan-fy2012-fy2014.pdf. Additional information about the NIST Standards
in Trade Workshop Program is available at http://gsi.nist.gov/global/index.cfm/L1-4/L2-14.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Standards in Trade Workshop Program
Coordinator, Mary Jo DiBernardo, (301) 975-5503, [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In June 2011, the Secretary of Commerce
released the National Export Strategy: Powering the National Export
Initiative. The report reinforces the importance of U.S. exports of
goods and services, which in 2010 totaled $1.84 trillion, an
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increase of nearly 17% over 2009 levels, and supported more than 9
million jobs in the United States. In March 2010, President Obama
issued an executive order creating the National Export Initiative,
which calls for the doubling of U.S. exports by the end of 2014.
NIST's mission is to promote 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. NIST's Three-Year Programmatic Plan for fiscal years
2012-2014 summarizes the current focus and priorities of the NIST
programs.
Since 1995, U.S. industry has looked to the NIST Standards in Trade
(SIT) program to provide opportunities for cooperation on important
topics related to standards, conformity assessment and trade that are
vital to the success of their businesses. SIT workshops are designed to
introduce U.S. stakeholders to emerging standards and conformity
assessment issues in other countries and regions; identify regulatory
information and market access issues; and provide timely information to
foreign officials on U.S. practices in standards, metrology, and
conformity assessment. Improved understanding of U.S. standards,
conformity assessment and regulatory practices by foreign governments
and private sector officials helps to provide an important basis for
improving trade opportunities in key foreign markets, particularly
those where standards and conformity assessment practices differ
substantially from those in the United States. Each SIT workshop is
targeted to aid U.S. industry in becoming more competitive in foreign
markets through increased transparency of market and regulatory
requirements and/or promotion and use of international standards, U.S.
approaches and information exchange, thus increasing trade
opportunities and exports. The goals of the program are directly
aligned with the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and NIST missions.
In 2003, NIST began soliciting public input on topics for SIT
workshops via the Federal Register. The SIT program criteria have since
been updated to reflect the current priorities and initiatives of the
Administration, DOC, and NIST. The process for submitting
recommendations has also been updated.
To better inform NIST of timely topics for workshops, NIST solicits
recommendations and suggestions from the public. To assist the public
in formulating their suggestions, NIST poses the following questions to
the public for their consideration in developing their workshop
recommendations:
1. Recommending Organization and Primary Contact Information
Provide a primary point of contact, including the contact's name,
organization, title, mailing address, telephone number and email
address. Include a description of the recommending organization(s).
2. Recommended Workshop(s) and Principal Topics
What is the subject of the recommended workshop? Provide a
description of the recommended workshop theme(s), industry sector(s) of
focus, and targeted country or region. Provide a list of the suggested
topics for the workshop and a description of each topic.
3. Goals and Objectives of Recommended Workshop
What are the recommended workshop goals and objectives to be
attained? Include why they are important to U.S. industry and how they
support new U.S. exports or sustain or expand current U.S. exports.
Include a detailed list outlining the specific workshop objectives.
Demonstrate the possibility of significant progress during and
immediately after the recommended workshop(s), as well as lasting
benefits extending beyond the recommended workshop(s).
4. U.S. Stakeholders
Who will likely participate at the recommended workshop and support
the recommended workshop? Include a list of interested U.S.
stakeholders, including U.S.-based manufacturers, U.S. industry trade
associations, and federal, state and local government agencies.
Additional stakeholders may include standards organizations, academia,
professional societies, testing and certification organizations, etc.
5. Link to NIST and/or Other Federal Agencies
How is the recommended workshop linked to NIST activities and/or
research and/or activities and/or research at other federal agencies,
and what are the appropriate NIST or other agency organizational units,
laboratories or programs? What is the relevance of the activity to NIST
and/or other federal agencies? If known, identify the specific staff
who could serve as the point of contact for each agency included in the
recommendation and experts who could provide technical expertise and
participate at the workshop.
6. Suggested Timing for Workshop(s)
What are some possible timeframes in which the recommended workshop
might take place (e.g. fall 20XX, April-May 20XX)? Indicate if the
workshop recommendation is time sensitive and, if so, provide an
explanation (e.g. Is there a proposed regulation in another country
that will have a significant bearing on U.S industry and U.S. exports?
Is there a window of opportunity that will close by a certain date? Is
there a relevant event that coincides with the recommended workshop?)
How many workshops may need to occur over a defined period of time, if
more than one, to achieve the stated goals and objectives outlined in
Point 3? The recommended workshop should be not expected to start
earlier than 6 months from the date the recommendation is submitted.
7. Expected Outcomes/Measures of Success
What are the expected outcomes and measures of the recommended
workshop's success? Include a description of the following, including
data and the sources of the data, where applicable:
a. Anticipated short and long-term benefits of the recommended
workshop to U.S. industry for trade and market access;
b. Potential for future opportunities for collaboration and trade
as a result of the recommended workshop; and
c. Desired short and long-term results of the recommended workshop
and appropriate short and long-term measures for evaluating the success
of the recommended workshop, including a suggested timeline.
All recommendations must address each of the above seven points.
Applicants should also consider and may provide additional information
on the following 2 points:
8. Additional Resources
What external funding, including cost share capability and in-kind
cost sharing, is available to support the recommended workshop, and
what is the source of this funding? Identify possible in-country
partners if recommended workshop is to take place outside of the U.S.
9. Related Site Visits and Events
Workshops can include visits to relevant business sites or events.
Provide a list of suggested site visit locations, events or other areas
of interest and discuss the relevance of
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each to the overall purpose of the recommended workshop's goals. NIST
will consider the following when developing the workshops that it will
offer: Does the recommended workshop align with the Administration and/
or NIST priorities? Is the workshop recommendation compatible with or
complementary to these priorities? Is the recommended country,
countries or region of focus identified in the National Export Strategy
as a key market (target market, next tier market or mature market)? Is
the product sector export-intensive and/or have the potential to
enhance U.S. export opportunities? Is the recommended country/region
developing infrastructure? Is there a need for standards and conformity
assessment to support the changes? Have or will new regulations be
proposed that will impact market entry for U.S. industry? Is there a
market access issue in a specific sector, country or region? If
appropriate, is there support from a regulatory or other federal agency
for the workshop recommendation? Is there a significant and possible
long-term commitment from U.S. industry stakeholders to support the
recommendation and the goals and objectives of the recommended
workshop?
All recommendations must be submitted through the webform at http://gsi.nist.gov/global/index.cfm/L1-4/L2-14.
Dated: April 6, 2012.
Willie E. May,
Associate Director for Laboratory Programs.
[FR Doc. 2012-9254 Filed 4-17-12; 8:45 am]
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