This bill creates a new Biometrology Laboratory Program at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The program would fund measurement science and technology research for engineering biology, biomanufacturing, and biotechnology. It directs NIST to develop technical standards, guidelines, best practices, and measurement tools; support access to user facilities; form partnerships and consortia; convene industry, universities, and agencies to create technical roadmaps; support graduate and postgraduate training; maintain a public lexicon of common terms; and support extramural research. The bill also directs NIST to support the development of engineering biology foundries, coordinate with other Federal programs (including Manufacturing USA), put in place appropriate security controls, and produce an implementation plan and a report on progress.
If enacted and funded, NIST would have a new program focused on improving how biological measurements are made and shared. Researchers, universities, and companies could get better measurement tools, shared facilities, and guidance for data and materials. The program would aim to make biological data and materials more reliable and interoperable, and to provide training and partnerships that could support commercial development in biomanufacturing. Federal agencies would coordinate with NIST on standards and measurements. The bill sets deadlines for an implementation plan and a public report.
The bill authorizes these appropriations to carry out the program:
Total authorized across these five years: $348,000,000.
The bill text states the program's purposes: to enable innovation and industrial competitiveness in engineering biology and biomanufacturing; to improve the accuracy, interoperability, and reliability of biological data and materials; and to support the safe, secure, and responsible development and use of biological technologies. Proponents therefore seek to create measurement standards, shared facilities, training, and coordination to support these goals.
No publicly available information.