[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 240 (Friday, December 13, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68128-68129]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-26860]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket No. 191126-0092]


Request for Information Regarding the Interagency Edison System 
for Reporting Federally Funded Inventions

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice; Request for Information (RFI).

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has 
been delegated responsibility by the Secretary of Commerce to 
promulgate regulations concerning the management and licensing of 
federally funded inventions. Under the Lab-to-Market Cross Agency 
Priority (CAP) goal co-led with the White House's Office of Science and 
Technology Policy (OSTP), NIST is initiating an effort to advance the 
President's Management Agenda and modernize government for the 21st 
century by assuming the responsibility for and rebuilding the 
Interagency Edison (iEdison) system for reporting extramural inventions 
created with federal funding. NIST requests information from the public 
regarding the current state of the iEdison system, including, but not 
limited to, specific challenges and recommended improvements. The 
information received in response to this RFI will inform NIST in 
developing a redesigned iEdison.

DATES: Comments must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on January 
27, 2020. Written comments in response to the RFI should be submitted 
according to the instructions in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 
below. Submissions received after that date will be considered to the 
extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: Electronic comments regarding the RFI should be addressed to 
Dr. Courtney Silverthorn by email to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Courtney Silverthorn, Deputy 
Director, Technology Partnerships Office, National Institute of 
Standards and Technology, Technology Partnerships Office, 100 Bureau 
Drive, MS 2200, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, 301-975-4189, or by email to 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    The Federal Government invests approximately $100B each year in 
extramural research and development at universities, non-profits, and 
small and large businesses.\1\ This results in the creation of 
thousands of inventions annually, which are required to be reported to 
the funding agency.\2\ Many agencies use the Interagency Edison 
(iEdison) system,\3\ a web-based platform that allows awardees to 
report federally funded subject inventions, elect rights, request 
extensions of time requirements, request waivers, demonstrate progress, 
inform the government of its limited use rights, upload requested 
documents, and perform other reporting tasks as required by their 
funding agency. First developed in 1995, the platform is currently used 
by 32 funding agencies and is hosted by the National Institutes of 
Health (NIH).
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    \1\ National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. 
Survey of Federal Funds for Research and Development: Fiscal Years 
2016-2017. Available at: https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvyfedfunds/.
    \2\ 37 CFR 401.14.
    \3\ https://public.era.nih.gov/iedison/public/login.do.
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    A 2016 report from the National Academies of Science \4\ 
highlighted a number of systemic challenges inherent in the current 
iEdison platform that have impeded data entry and reporting compliance. 
The challenges described in the report include the following topics 
paraphrased below:
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    \4\ National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 
2016. Optimizing the Nation's Investment in Academic Research: A New 
Regulatory Framework for the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The 
National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/21824.

 Inadequate staffing and funding
 Cumbersome reporting procedures due to (i) gated features 
preventing further action if certain requirements are left incomplete, 
(ii) requiring greater data specificity than that which is required by 
law, (iii) frequent reporting over the life of even unlicensed patents, 
and (iv) a complicated document uploading process
 Inconsistent use and reporting requirements amongst funding 
agencies

    Comments received in response to prior Requests for Information on 
related topics such as rights to federally funded inventions and 
licensing of government owned inventions \5\ as well as federal 
technology transfer authorities and processes,\6\ have noted similar 
concerns from the public. Addressing these challenges by modernizing 
the iEdison system to create a secure, interoperable platform that is 
easy to access, analyze, and use will help reduce administrative 
burdens on awardees, while further protecting public investment in 
extramural research and development.
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    \5\ ``Rights to Federally Funded Inventions and Licensing of 
Government Owned Inventions,'' 81 Federal Register 78090 (7 November 
2016), pp. 78090-78097. Available at: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/11/07/2016-25325/rights-to-federally-funded-inventions-and-licensing-of-government-owned-inventions.
    \6\ ``Request for Information Regarding Federal Technology 
Transfer Authorities and Processes,'' 83 Federal Register 19052 (1 
May 2018), pp. 19052-19054. Available at: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/05/01/2018-09182/request-for-information-regarding-federal-technology-transfer-authorities-and-processes.
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    As part of the Lab-to-Market CAP goal \7\ to ``support innovative 
tools and services for technology transfer'', NIST and OSTP have 
identified a rebuild of the iEdison system as a strategic priority. The 
rebuild will address transferring the management of iEdison operations 
from NIH to NIST, implementing Recommendation 10.1 of the 2016 National 
Academies report. NIST, to which the Secretary of Commerce has 
delegated responsibility for promulgating regulations implementing the 
Bayh-Dole Act pertaining to the management and licensing of federally 
funded inventions, is well-positioned to manage the iEdison platform 
and to implement changes on an on-going basis.
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    \7\ Copan, W. and Kratsios, M. (2018). Lab to Market: Cross 
Agency Priority Goal Quarterly Progress Update, September 2019. 
Available at: https://www.performance.gov/CAP/action_plans/sept_2019_Lab_to_Market.pdf.
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    The objectives for the rebuild of the system are to:

 Modernize the technology stack and provide increased system 
security
 Re-examine and streamline the system to align with regulatory 
requirements
 Improve user experience and facilitate user compliance with 
reporting requirements
 Improve the presentation of pertinent information requiring 
user action

    To respond to this RFI, please submit written comments by email to 
Dr. Courtney Silverthorn at [email protected] in any of the 
following formats: ASCII; Word;

[[Page 68129]]

RTF; or PDF. Please include your name, organization's name (if any), 
and cite ``iEdison RFI'' in the subject line of all correspondence.

II. Request for Information

    All responses that comply with the requirements listed in the DATES 
and ADDRESSES sections of this RFI will be considered.
    All submissions, including attachments and other supporting 
materials, will become part of the public record and subject to public 
disclosure. NIST reserves the right to publish comments publicly, 
unedited and in their entirety. Sensitive personal information, such as 
account numbers or Social Security numbers, or names of other 
individuals, should not be included. Submissions will not be edited to 
remove any identifying or contact information. Do not submit 
confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive or protected 
information. Comments that contain profanity, vulgarity, threats, or 
other inappropriate language or content will not be considered.
    The following list of topics covers the major areas about which 
NIST seeks information. The listed areas are not intended to limit the 
topics that may be addressed by respondents so long as they address the 
iEdison system, including, but not limited to, specific challenges and 
recommended improvements. Responses may include any topic believed to 
have implications for NIST's development of a redesigned iEdison, 
regardless of whether the topic is included in this document.
    NIST is specifically interested in receiving input from the 
extramural community pertaining to the following questions:
    (1) What, if any, current features of iEdison does your 
organization believe should be retained in any updated version?
    (2) What challenges, if any, is your organization experiencing in 
reporting inventions in the iEdison system? Where practicable, please 
provide specific descriptions and/or screenshots of user interface 
screens or error messages.
    (3) What improvements could be made to the iEdison system that 
would reduce your organization's reporting burdens, improve its 
experience, and facilitate your organization's ability to comply with 
reporting requirements?

    Authority: 35 U.S.C. 202(c); DOO 30-2A.

Kevin A. Kimball,
Chief of Staff.
[FR Doc. 2019-26860 Filed 12-12-19; 8:45 am]
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