The following statement can be attributed to Paul Lekas, Senior Vice President, Software & Information Industry Association.
The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) is proud to support the Expanding Partnerships for Innovation and Competitiveness (EPIC) Act. This legislation, which establishes the Foundation for Standards and Metrology (FSM), represents a critical step forward in fostering innovative and flexible partnerships essential for advancing NIST’s mission. By granting NIST the same operational flexibility as other leading science agencies by positioning FSM as a Congressionally-authorized independent foundation, the EPIC Act empowers the agency to maximize its important role in our innovation ecosystem and propel forward the commercialization of advanced technologies such as AI. Specifically, we are excited about the opportunity for FSM’s ability to enable NIST to enhance collaborative efforts with industry and other stakeholders in order to accelerate the development of technical standards and emerging technologies, increase access to funding, and support workforce initiatives.
The EPIC Act is a step towards unlocking the full potential of NIST, and SIIA looks forward to working with Congress to advance this legislation.
