§18951 International Standards Development

Summary

The Director must lead how federal agencies share information and work with U.S. businesses and others on international technical standards. The Director must help make sure the United States takes part effectively in making and using those standards. To do this, the Director will look at the government’s needs, which international standard groups matter, and who has technical and leadership expertise. The Director must support experts from small businesses, universities, and other partners to join and lead standards work. The Director will promote U.S. standards for use overseas, help create training and education about standards (including material for college courses in science, engineering, business, public policy, and law), do outreach to bring in more U.S. participants, and carry out other steps needed to protect U.S. competitiveness and security. The Director must also set up a 5-year pilot grant program, with help from the National Science Foundation and other agencies, to fund U.S.-based small businesses (as defined in section 632 of title 15), colleges and universities, and nonprofit institutions (as defined in section 3703 of title 15). Grants will pay reasonable costs up to a limit set by the Director, such as travel, training, and fees to participate in standards bodies. Grant decisions must weigh factors like having full-time staff with standards expertise, knowing how a standards group works, clear project goals, plans to fund extra work if needed, commits to regular participation, and a clear market need for the proposed work. The Director will publish rules for applications, run a competitive merit-review process using expert panels, consult with agencies and the private sector, and brief Congress after year two and each year after. The brief must report how the pilot helped U.S. small businesses, colleges, and nonprofits take part and lead in international standards and, if it worked, propose making the program permanent.