The Department of Commerce released the President’s budget request of $1.1 billion for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) www.nist.gov. Funding for $755 million would go to Scientific and Technical Research and Services (STRS) to support NIST’s laboratory programs.
The Advanced Communications program is requesting $22 million to pioneer new technology platforms, for interdisciplinary research to develop advanced communications, to support the adoption of standard technologies into commercial networks and to research develop, test, and evaluate what is needed for first-responder communications interoperability.
To further advance communications, NIST and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) have established a national “Center for Advanced Communications” in Boulder Colorado. The plans for the Center are to combine NIST and NTIA research efforts to promote interdisciplinary research, to develop and test radio frequency technology, and to enable spectrum sharing for public safety.
The NIST budget request for the advanced communications program asks for additional funding to develop capabilities to support advanced 5G networks. NIST would like measurement and test platforms to support both existing and future frequency spectrum bands allocated for wireless communication systems.
Today, $445 billion is the estimated cost to the global economy from cybercrime. The NIST cybersecurity program is requesting $109 million to continue to conduct fundamental research and to improve techniques for measuring elements of security.
The research would help to develop, review, and coordinate the development of large sets of standards to protect IT systems. The information would also help scientists test cybersecurity technologies and produce the needed security for emerging information technologies.