NIST within the Department of Commerce has completed their three year programmatic plan for 2015-2017 containing information on plans for healthcare and bioscience to include data analytics and big data, bioscience, along with collaborations and partnerships.
In today’s scientific undertakings, Stakeholders are faced with handling, archiving, storing, and analyzing data in order to transform the data into products that can be reliably and broadly shared and used for sophisticated scientific endeavors.
To address this trend, NIST’s Materials Measurement Laboratory is establishing an Office of Data and Informatics. The plan is to concentrate, integrate, and coordinate capabilities needed to meet data challenges and then leverage data-driven research opportunities related to chemicals, materials, and biological science communities.
Also, to further address data needs, the laboratory is establishing methods to acquire more biological data faster and more efficiently. However, little is known on how to use the data to understand the fundamental organizing principles of biological responses.
In the area of bioscience, NIST has identified the need to strengthen capabilities that will enable the delivery of measurement tools to support multiplex analysis of proteins, genetic material, and metabolites. In addition, NIST has also identified the need to develop more comprehensive measurement tools and standards relative to both x-ray and magnetic based imaging platforms.
NIST’s consortium of industry, government, and academic members called the “nSoft Consortium” is going to provide predictable and timely access to neutron facilities and research and development programs focusing on high impact issues in soft materials, manufacturing, and provide increased scientific capacity through training programs and collaborative activities.
Another collaborative effort called the “Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research” being conducted among the campuses at the University of Maryland, is focusing on fundamental measurement problems in structural biology, biophysics, bio-engineering, and computational biology to support innovation in biotechnology with an emphasis on advanced therapeutics.
Go to www.nist.gov/director/planning/upload/NIST-2015-2017-Three-Year-Plan.pdf to view the “NIST Three Year Programmatic Plan 2015-2017.”