National Institute of Standards and Technology

Funds United States innovation through measurement science, standards development, manufacturing partnerships, and technology prize initiatives.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is a U.S. federal agency in the Department of Commerce. Established in 1901, it promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology, and it spans five laboratories, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the Baldrige program, and the CHIPS program offices. Its FY26 enacted budget was about $1.847 billion.

NIST funds and coordinates work through SBIR, cooperative agreements, the Broad Agency Announcement, CHIPS R&D Office programs, and prize activity. The portfolio spans advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, quantum, cyber hardware, materials, AI infrastructure, photonics, and IoT edge systems, with named programs including NIST SBIR, NIST BAA, the CHIPS R&D Office programs, CAISI, and Baldrige. The public record lists a $200,000 NIST SBIR Phase I cap, a $400,000 Phase II quantum information science cap, and a $10 million CAISI cap.

Applicants that fit NIST usually bring measurement, standards, or testbed problems that matter to industry and federal infrastructure. The agency is also the home for CHIPS for America, where the program office and R&D office handle large semiconductor investments, and the Technology Partnerships Office provides the SBIR and CRADA-facing entry point.