[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 175 (Tuesday, September 10, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47561-47562]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-19470]


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OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY


Request for Information on the Bioeconomy

AGENCY: Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

ACTION: Notice of request for information (RFI) for Bioeconomy.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Science Technology and Policy (OSTP) requests 
input from all interested parties on the U.S. Bioeconomy. The 
Bioeconomy represents the infrastructure, innovation, products, 
technology, and data derived from biologically-related processes and 
science that drive economic growth, promote health, and increase public 
benefit. Through this Request for Information (RFI), OSTP seeks input 
from the public, including those with capital investments, performing 
innovative research, or developing enabling platforms and applications 
in the field of biological sciences, to include healthcare, medicine, 
pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, manufacturing, energy production, and 
agriculture. This RFI will inform notable gaps, vulnerabilities, and 
areas to promote and protect in the U.S. Bioeconomy that may benefit 
from Federal government attention. The information can include 
suggestions on those areas of greatest priority within the Bioeconomy, 
as well as past or future Federal government efforts to build, promote, 
and sustain the U.S. Bioeconomy. The public input provided in response 
to this RFI will inform the Executive Office of the President as well 
as private sector, academia, non-governmental entities, and other 
stakeholders with interest in and expertise relating to the promotion 
of a Bioeconomy ecosystem encompassing shared values and core American 
principles.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
11:59 p.m. (ET) on October 22, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Comments submitted in response to this notice may be 
submitted online to: [email protected]. Email 
submissions should be machine-readable [pdf, word] and not be copy-
protected. Submissions should include ``RFI Response: Bioeconomy'' in 
the subject line of the message.
    Instructions: Response to this RFI is voluntary. Each individual or 
institution is requested to submit only one response. Submission must 
not exceed 10 pages in 12 point or larger font, with a page number 
provided on each page. Responses should include the name of the 
person(s) or organization(s) filing the comment. Comments containing 
references, studies, research, and other empirical data that are not 
widely published should include copies or electronic links of the 
referenced materials. Comments containing profanity, vulgarity, 
threats, or other inappropriate language or content will not be 
considered.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice are subject to FOIA. 
Responses to this RFI may also be posted, without change, on a Federal 
website. Therefore, we request that no business proprietary 
information, copyrighted information, or personally identifiable 
information be submitted in response to this RFI.
    In accordance with FAR 15-202(3), responses to this notice are not 
offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding 
contract. Additionally, the U.S. Government will not pay for response 
preparation or for the use of any information contained in the 
response.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paige Waterman at: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A prosperous bioeconomy provides a host of 
opportunities for the current and future growth of all sectors of the 
U.S. economy. Today, the Bioeconomy ecosystem in the United States is a 
rapidly changing technological and economic environment. Data rights, 
analysis, use, storage and security are all critical components of 
biotechnology, healthcare, medicine, public health, data science, 
energy, environment, and agriculture. Ongoing research and innovation 
in these areas provide the foundation for solving the problems of today 
and the potentially unforeseen issues of tomorrow. To that end, 
stimulating the research enterprise, developing and sustaining 
workforce talent, and supporting the infrastructure for the 
manufacturing of products remain critical components to any Bioeconomy 
objective.
    To inform the Federal government's decision-making and establish 
the Nation's guiding values and principles in the promotion and 
protection of the U.S. Bioeconomy, OSTP seeks public input on how U.S. 
Government action regarding the Bioeconomy can support

[[Page 47562]]

scientific discovery, the development of technological advances, and 
increase the impact of a vibrant bioeconomy on the Nation's vitality 
and our citizens' lives. To that end, responders are specifically 
requested to answer one or more of the following questions in their 
submissions. Consortia responses are also encouraged.
    1. What specific actions could the U.S. Government take to 
reinforce a values-based ecosystem that will guide the transformation 
and expansion of the U.S. Bioeconomy, in both the short- and long-term? 
Please consider:
    a. Policy or regulatory opportunities and gaps throughout the 
continuum of basic science translation, product development and 
commercialization;
    b. Scientific areas where research funding could be strategically 
targeted to stimulate discovery;
    c. Novel public-private partnership mechanisms;
    d. International opportunities;
    e. Challenges to taking identified actions or implementing change.
    2. In what ways can the U.S. Government partner with the private 
sector, industry, professional organizations, and academia to ensure 
the training and continued development of a skilled workforce to 
support the growth of the Bioeconomy? Please consider:
    a. Potential needs and solutions at the skilled technical, 
undergraduate, professional master's program or graduate level;
    b. Specific needs within basic science, translational research, 
product development, and commercialization;
    c. Approaches for the development of non-traditional, multi-
disciplinary educational backgrounds that address the convergent nature 
of emerging technologies and integrate core values including safety and 
security;
    d. Effective geographic distribution of workforce and talent 
development across the United States;
    e. The development of a public and private ecosystem that will 
attract and retain domestic and foreign talent within the United States 
at all skill levels.
    3. In what ways can the U.S. Government partner with the private 
sector, industry, professional organizations, and academia to establish 
a more robust and efficient Bioeconomy infrastructure? Please consider:
    a. Current infrastructure--from databases to world-class technology 
and manufacturing capabilities;
    b. Geographic distribution of manufacturing capabilities compared 
to future manufacturing needs;
    c. Leveraging existing public-private partnerships and identifying 
trusted information sharing mechanisms to accelerate innovation and 
facilitate fruitful, equitable domestic and international 
collaborations;
    d. Institutional models for achieving translation of basic science 
discoveries to application and/or entry into the marketplace.
    4. Across the spectrum, from basic discovery to practical 
application, what data policies, information-sharing mechanisms, and 
safeguards will be necessary for a prosperous U.S. Bioeconomy? Please 
consider:
    a. Scientific, regulatory, manufacturing standards and/or 
benchmarks and/or best practices around data that should be developed 
to best accelerate Bioeconomy growth;
    b. Possible safeguards for technology, data, and emergent products, 
such as patent/intellectual property protection, data quality and 
provenance validation, and privacy and security assurances.

Sean Bonyun,
Chief of Staff, Office of Science and Technology Policy.
[FR Doc. 2019-19470 Filed 9-9-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3270-F9-P