[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 82 (Friday, April 28, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26345-26347]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-08995]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Request for Information (RFI) on Developing a Roadmap for the
Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships at the
National Science Foundation
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Request for information.
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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) requests input from the
full range of institutions and organizations across all sectors--
industry, academia, non-profits, government, venture capital, and
others--to inform the development of a roadmap for its newly-
established Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) Directorate,
in accordance with the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. This legislation
tasks the TIP Directorate to develop a roadmap to guide investment
decisions in use-inspired and translational research over a 3-year time
frame, working towards the goal of advancing U.S. competitiveness in
the identified key technology focus areas and addressing the identified
societal, national, and geostrategic challenges. Investments would be
in use-inspired research, translation of research results to impact,
and education, training, and development of talent in the key
technology areas and societal, national, and geostrategic challenges.
DATES: Interested persons or organizations are invited to submit
comments on or before 11:59 p.m. (EST) on July 27, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Comments submitted in response to this notice may be sent by
the following methods:
Email: [email protected]. Email submissions should be
machine-readable and not be copy-protected. Submissions should include
``RFI Response: Roadmap for TIP'' in the subject line of the message.
Mail: Attn: Chaitan Baru, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue,
Alexandria, VA 22314, USA.
Responses may address one or as many topics as desired from the
enumerated list provided in this RFI, noting the corresponding number
of the topic(s) to which the response pertains. Submissions must not
exceed 10 pages (exclusive of cover page) in 11-point or
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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, member of the public, government, other). Respondent's role
in the organization may also be provided (e.g., researcher,
administrator, student, 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; these materials, as well
as a list of references, do not count toward the 10-page limit. No
business proprietary information, copyrighted information, or
personally identifiable information (aside from that requested above)
should be submitted in response to this RFI. Comments submitted in
response to this RFI may be posted online or otherwise released
publicly.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information, please
direct questions to Chaitan Baru at [email protected], (703) 292-
4596.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 authorized
the creation of a Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and
Partnerships (TIP) at NSF with the purpose of (i) supporting use-
inspired and translational research and accelerating the development
and use of federally funded research, (ii) strengthening United States
competitiveness by accelerating the development of key technologies,
and (iii) growing the domestic workforce in key technology focus areas
and expand the participation of United States students and researchers
in areas of societal, national, and geostrategic importance, at all
levels of education.
In establishing this new directorate, Congress identified ten
initial key technology focus areas in which TIP investments should
focus on advancing U.S. competitiveness, along with related societal,
national, and geostrategic challenges to be addressed through TIP-
supported research, as listed below.
Key Technology Focus Areas
(1) Artificial intelligence, machine learning, autonomy, and
related advances.
(2) High performance computing, semiconductors, and advanced
computer hardware and software.
(3) Quantum information science and technology.
(4) Robotics, automation, and advanced manufacturing.
(5) Natural and anthropogenic disaster prevention or mitigation.
(6) Advanced communications technology and immersive technology.
(7) Biotechnology, medical technology, genomics, and synthetic
biology.
(8) Data storage, data management, distributed ledger technologies,
and cybersecurity, including biometrics.
(9) Advanced energy and industrial efficiency technologies, such as
batteries and advanced nuclear technologies, including but not limited
to for the purposes of electric generation
(10) Advanced materials science, including composites 2D materials,
other next-generation materials, and related manufacturing
technologies.
Societal, National, and Geostrategic Challenges
(1) United States national security.
(2) United States manufacturing and industrial productivity.
(3) United States workforce development and skills gaps.
(4) Climate change and environmental sustainability.
(5) Inequitable access to education, opportunity, or other
services.
The legislation tasked the Directorate to develop a roadmap to
guide investment decisions in use-inspired and translational research
over a 3-year time frame, working towards the goal of advancing U.S.
competitiveness in the identified key technology focus areas and
addressing the societal, national, and geostrategic challenges.
Terminology
This RFI uses the following definitions:
--Use-Inspired Research: Research that is motivated based on challenges
seen in human society.
--Translational Research: Research that moves an idea, invention, and/
or other research output past the fundamental discovery stage toward
results and outcomes that directly benefit people through societal or
economic impacts.
Information Requested. Respondents may provide information for one
or as many topics below as they choose. Through this RFI, NSF seeks
information to inform development of a roadmap to guide TIP research
and development and workforce investments over a 3-year period.
1. Prioritization. What evidence exists that should guide NSF in
determining priorities across the technologies listed above in
advancing or maintaining U.S. competitiveness? Within each technology
area, are there critical use-inspired and translational research topics
that should be prioritized for NSF investment in a 1- to 3-year time
frame to advance U.S. competitiveness, and if so, why? Which research
topics within each of the technology areas can be reasonably expected
to be funded by others, making them less critical for TIP funding?
2. Suitability. Which technologies, or topics within the
technologies listed above, are well-suited for the type of use-inspired
and translational research that TIP has the mandate to support? What
kind of investment approaches or funding vehicles would have the
greatest impact in maturing said technology?
3. Workforce. Which of the technologies listed above will have the
greatest workforce needs in the next 1 to 5 years, understanding that
investments in workforce initiatives often have longer time horizons to
produce results? To meet this growing demand, how could TIP programs be
structured to best supply these workforce needs, including pathways to
the state and local levels, considering education and training at every
level?
a. How could TIP collaborate with other government and private
organizations to ensure workforce development activities address
industry priorities across the key technology focus areas and societal,
national, and geostrategic challenges while broadening the talent base
through diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility?
b. How could the directorate inform state, local, and tribal
government of the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to build
pathways to prepare future workers and reskill current workers for
entry into the key technology focus areas?
4. Addressing societal challenges. Considering the ways each of the
key technology focus areas will impact each of the societal, national,
and geostrategic challenges, which of the technology areas should
receive investment priority and why? This includes investments in use-
inspired and translational research, education, training, as well as
general literacy on a given topic. On what specific challenge problems
related to the societal, national, and geostrategic challenges could
TIP focus that would, in turn, drive technological development in the
key technology areas?
5. Additions. Are there technology areas that should be prioritized
for TIP
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investment in the near term that are not included in the above list,
such as those included on the National Science and Technology Council's
Critical and Emerging Technologies List, and if so, why?
6. Crosscutting investments. What translational research
investments can be made to drive innovation by addressing critical
needs common to multiple technology focus areas? What are these shared
needs, and among which technology areas?
7. Other topics, in your view, that are relevant to developing a
roadmap for TIP.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 1861, et al.
Dated: April 24, 2023.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2023-08995 Filed 4-27-23; 8:45 am]
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