[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

[[Page 26346]]

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]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P