Short for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST is a non-regulatory federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce. Founded in 1901, NIST aims to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security. NIST maintains four cooperative programs including the NIST Laboratories which conducts research that advances the nation’s technology infrastructure and the Technology Innovation Program, which provides cost-shared awards to industry, universities, and consortia for research on potentially revolutionary technologies.