Standards Information Center

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) within the Department of Commerce operates the Standards Information Center (Assistance Listing 11.610), an information and referral service rather than a grant-funded research or project program.

This program is marked "TO BE ARCHIVED" in the source material, signaling that NIST is in the process of discontinuing or significantly restructuring it. The program does not fund grant awards to external recipients. Instead, it operates as a direct federal service: NIST maintains a standards and conformity assessment information center that responds to inquiries from state and local governments, private organizations, nonprofit institutions, and individuals seeking information on domestic and foreign standards, regulations, certification procedures, and standards-related activities. Response time for 90 percent of inquiries ranges from immediate to several weeks, with trade-related inquiries involving foreign information potentially requiring longer periods.

The center provides lists, guidance, and referral services but does not analyze, evaluate, or interpret standards themselves. Its stated objectives are to enhance U.S. industry competitiveness on technical standards and conformity assessment issues and to improve federal agency coordination in standards development and use.

Because this program is structured as a direct-service information center rather than as a grant program with external recipients, there are no grant awards to pursue, no award economics to evaluate, and no grant opportunities to apply for. The archival status further indicates that NIST is moving away from this funding vehicle. Organizations seeking NIST support for standards-related work should explore other NIST grant and cooperative agreement programs focused on measurement science, advanced manufacturing, or industry engagement rather than pursuing funding under this Assistance Listing.