Email Invitation

Dear ____:

I am writing to solicit your help with an economic impact assessment of nanotechnology documentary standards being undertaken by the Standards Coordination Office (SCO) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Congress is putting increased pressure on government agencies to document the nature and impact of programs they support. Support of documentary standards development is an important NIST mission and the role of standards in the emerging field of nanotechnology is an important national objective. Your response to this survey will help NIST and the international nanotechnology enterprise determine the impact of its work in support of documentary standards and to plan new work supportive of industry and government.

The focus of the impact assessment will be retrospective, assessing the economic impact, to date, nanotechnology documentary standards developed by ASTM E56, IEC/TC113, and ISO/TC229. We in NIST’s SCO, and our colleagues in the laboratories and research centers, request your participation in this study based on your knowledge of the standard development process and the utility of the nanotechnology standards to industry. We ask that you respond to the survey within two weeks [BY A DATE CERTAIN].

The SCO has contracted with TASC Inc., an independent consulting firm, to conduct the impact assessment. TASC has designed a survey to evaluate the economic impact of the SDOs efforts on a variety of users. We depend upon our industry partners to help both in assessing measurement and standards needs, and in evaluating the impact of the SDO’s response to that need.

In the published results of this study, the information that you provide will not be attributed to your organization. However, your organization's name will be acknowledged with appreciation in a list of survey participants.

This message serves as an introduction for Mr. David Leech (TASC Inc.) who will be gathering your responses to the attached survey questions via e-mail and analyzing the results. He will discuss the survey questions with you by phone if you desire. Mr. Leech can be reached at [email protected] or 410-346-6338.

Again, NIST/SCO would be most grateful for your participation in this study. If you cannot respond within two week please indicate when we can anticipate your response. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Erik Puskar

Manager, Global Standards & Information

Standards Coordination Office

National Institute of Standards and Technology