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From automated
teller machines and atomic clocks to mammograms and semiconductors,
innumerable products and services rely in some way on technology,
measurement, and standards provided by the National
Institute of Standards and Technology.
Founded in 1901,
NIST is a non-regulatory federal agency within the U.S. Commerce
Department's Technology Administration. NIST's mission is to
develop and promote measurement, standards, and technology to enhance
productivity, facilitate trade, and improve the quality of life.
NIST carries out its mission in four cooperative programs:
- the NIST
Laboratories, conducting research that advances the nation's
technology infrastructure and is needed by U.S. industry to continually
improve products and services;
- the Baldrige
National Quality Program, which promotes performance excellence
among U.S. manufacturers, service companies, educational institutions,
and health care providers; conducts outreach programs and manages
the annual Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award which recognizes
performance excellence and quality achievement;
- the Manufacturing
Extension Partnership, a nationwide network of local centers
offering technical and business assistance to smaller manufacturers;
and
- the Advanced
Technology Program, which accelerates the development of innovative
technologies for broad national benefit by co-funding R&D
partnerships with the private sector.
NIST has an
operating budget
of about $771 million and operates in two locations: Gaithersburg,
Md., (headquarters234-hectare/578-acre campus) and Boulder,
Colo., (84-hectare/208-acre campus). NIST employs about 3,000 scientists,
engineers, technicians, and support and administrative personnel.
About 1,800 guest researchers complement the staff. In addition,
NIST partners with 2,000 manufacturing specialists and staff at
affiliated centers around the country.
Our
Organization
Find
a Specific NIST Program
What
We Do
Quotes,
Speeches, Testimony
Impacts,
FAQs, Links
|