[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 107 (Friday, June 3, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33786-33787]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-11844]


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EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT


Request for Information to Make Access to the Innovation 
Ecosystem More Inclusive and Equitable

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

ACTION: Notice of Request for Information (RFI).

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SUMMARY: The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy 
(OSTP), on behalf of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) 
Lab-to-Market (L2M) Subcommittee, seeks information to improve 
inclusive and equitable access to Federal programs and resources by 
broadly engaging stakeholders in the U.S. innovation ecosystem. The 
public input provided in response to this RFI will inform OSTP and NSTC 
on work with Federal agencies and other stakeholders to improve 
existing programs and/or develop new programs to improve inclusive and 
equitable access in the Federally-funded research and development-
driven sector.

DATES: Interested persons and organizations are invited to submit 
responses on or before 5:00 p.m. ET on July 5, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Responses should be submitted electronically to 
[email protected] and include ``L2M RFI Response'' in the 
subject line of the email. Due to time constraints, mailed paper 
submissions will not be accepted, and electronic submissions received 
after the deadline cannot be ensured to be incorporated or taken into 
consideration.
    Instructions: Response to this RFI is voluntary. Each responding 
entity (individual or organization) is requested to submit only one 
response. Respondents need not reply to all questions listed. Responses 
must not exceed 6 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, as well as the 
respondent type (e.g., academic institution, advocacy group, 
professional society, community-based organization, industry, trainee/
student, member of the public, government, other). Respondent's role in 
the organization may also be provided (e.g., researcher, faculty, 
student, administrator, program manager, journalist) on a voluntary 
basis. Comments containing references, studies, research, and other 
empirical data that are not widely published should include copies or 
electronic links of the referenced materials. Please be aware that 
comments submitted in response to this RFI, including the submitter's 
identification (as noted above), may be posted on OSTP's website or 
otherwise released publicly. OSTP, therefore, requests 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 Federal Government to form a 
binding contract. Additionally, those submitting responses are solely 
responsible for all expenses associated with response preparation.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information, please 
direct questions to Kylie Gaskins at [email protected] or 
202-456-4444.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Our nation's people are rich with diverse 
experiences. However, there is tremendous untapped science, technology, 
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) innovative potential throughout the 
nation. Demographic and socioeconomic groups in every geographic region 
of the country are full of talent that should have access to Federal 
programs and resources that afford them opportunities to contribute to 
the nation's innovation enterprise. There is ample evidence that our 
nation's potential in the arenas of innovation and entrepreneurship can 
be enhanced by engagement with the untapped talent of people who belong 
to groups that have historically been and are currently 
underrepresented.
    Through this RFI, the L2M Subcommittee seeks input from the public 
to identify and better understand: (1) Barriers that prevent innovators 
from underrepresented groups or underserved communities from 
participating in the innovation ecosystem; (2) Recommendations of 
methods to include and meet the specific needs of innovators from 
underrepresented backgrounds and communities to increase their 
participation in the innovation ecosystem; and (3) Examples of 
government programs or initiatives which have seen success in 
supporting

[[Page 33787]]

innovators from underrepresented backgrounds.
    For this RFI, examples of Federal programs and resources to support 
the innovation ecosystem include STEM education programs, Small 
Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology 
Transfer (STTR) program participation, entrepreneurial training for 
researchers (e.g., the Innovation Corps I-Corps\TM\ program), 
collaboration with Federal laboratories, commercialization funding, and 
other phases of the research, development, demonstration, and 
deployment (RDD&D) continuum.
    Background: The NSTC L2M Subcommittee was established to strengthen 
the nation's ability to transition Federally-funded innovations from 
the laboratory to the marketplace. One strategy to accomplish this aim 
is to enhance participation in the innovation ecosystem. Innovation 
ecosystem describes the complex community of participants and resources 
needed to develop and commercialize technology. This ecosystem includes 
the people (e.g., students, faculty, industry researchers, investors) 
that make up the institutional entities (e.g., universities, 
businesses, funding agencies, venture capital firms, state and local 
economic development organizations, entrepreneur support 
organizations), material resources (e.g., funding, equipment, 
facilities), and the relationships among these interconnected actors. 
Innovation ecosystems may operate at different geographic levels (e.g., 
city, regional, national) and within multiple sectors (e.g., health, 
energy, agriculture).
    Entrepreneurs may lack knowledge about these resources and have 
difficulty navigating them, which poses significant barriers to 
participation. Ensuring that access to resources and capital are 
available to all Americans as well as ensuring the benefits of 
entrepreneurship are accessible across the nation are critical in 
creating a robust and dynamic workforce with inclusive growth.

Information Requested

    OSTP seeks responses to the following questions to improve 
inclusive and equitable access for our nation's diverse pool of 
innovators and emerging entrepreneurs in Federal science and technology 
programs. Respondents may provide information for one or as many topics 
below as they choose. In your response, please indicate your role in 
the innovation ecosystem (e.g., entrepreneur, investor, ecosystem 
connector, researcher in academia, state economic development 
representative).
    Executive Order 13985 defines underserved communities as 
populations sharing a particular characteristic that have been 
systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of 
economic, social, and civic life.
    1. a. In your experience, what are barriers to participation in the 
innovation ecosystem?
    b. Do barriers exist that are unique to innovators from specific 
underrepresented backgrounds or underserved communities? If so, what 
are those barriers?
    c. How can the Federal government identify the specific barriers, 
problems, or issues faced by innovators and emerging entrepreneurs from 
underrepresented backgrounds or underserved communities as they seek to 
engage with Federal programs and services?
    2. How can the Federal government increase participation in the 
innovation ecosystem by innovators from backgrounds and communities 
underrepresented in the current ecosystem? In your response, please 
provide your definition of ``underrepresented'' or ``underserved''.
    3. How can the Federal government meet the specific needs (e.g., 
training, support, other) of innovators and emerging entrepreneurs from 
backgrounds and communities underrepresented in the innovation 
ecosystem by either improving existing government programs or 
initiatives, or by offering new government programs or initiatives?
    4. Are there examples of programs that have seen success in 
supporting innovators from underrepresented backgrounds and underserved 
communities in the innovation ecosystem? What are the critical success 
factors of these programs?

    Dated: May 27, 2022.
Stacy Murphy,
Operations Manager.
[FR Doc. 2022-11844 Filed 6-2-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3270-F1-P