Request for Information on Innovation Ecosystem Access

Content

ACTION:

Notice of Request for Information (RFI).

SUMMARY:

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), on behalf of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)
Lab-to-Market (L2M) Subcommittee, seeks information to improve inclusive and equitable access to Federal programs and resources
by broadly engaging stakeholders in the U.S. innovation ecosystem. The public input provided in response to this RFI will
inform OSTP and NSTC on work with Federal agencies and other stakeholders to improve existing programs and/or develop new
programs to improve inclusive and equitable access in the Federally-funded research and development-driven sector.

DATES:

Interested persons and organizations are invited to submit responses on or before 5:00 p.m. ET on July 5, 2022.

ADDRESSES:

Responses should be submitted electronically to LabtoMarketRFI@ostp.eop.gov and include “L2M RFI Response” in the subject line of the email. Due to time constraints, mailed paper submissions will not
be accepted, and electronic submissions received after the deadline cannot be ensured to be incorporated or taken into consideration.

Instructions: Response to this RFI is voluntary. Each responding entity (individual or organization) is requested to submit only one response.
Respondents need not reply to all questions listed. Responses must not exceed 6 pages in 12 point or larger font, with a page
number provided on each page. Responses should include the name of the person(s) or organization(s) filing the comment, as
well as the respondent type (e.g., academic institution, advocacy group, professional society, community-based organization, industry, trainee/student, member
of the public, government, other). Respondent's role in the organization may also be provided (e.g., researcher, faculty, student, administrator, program manager, journalist) on a voluntary basis. Comments containing references,
studies, research, and other empirical data that are not widely published should include copies or electronic links of the
referenced materials. Please be aware that comments submitted in response to this RFI, including the submitter's identification
(as noted above), may be posted on OSTP's website or otherwise released publicly. OSTP, therefore, requests that no business
proprietary information, copyrighted information, or personally identifiable information be submitted in response to this
RFI.

In accordance with FAR 15.202(3), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Federal Government
to form a binding contract. Additionally, those submitting responses are solely responsible for all expenses associated with
response preparation.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For additional information, please direct questions to Kylie Gaskins at LabtoMarketRFI@ostp.eop.gov or 202-456-4444.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Our nation's people are rich with diverse experiences. However, there is tremendous untapped science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics (STEM) innovative potential throughout the nation. Demographic and socioeconomic groups in every geographic
region of the country are full of talent that should have access to Federal programs and resources that afford them opportunities
to contribute to the nation's innovation enterprise. There is ample evidence that our nation's potential in the arenas of
innovation and entrepreneurship can be enhanced by engagement with the untapped talent of people who belong to groups that
have historically been and are currently underrepresented.

Through this RFI, the L2M Subcommittee seeks input from the public to identify and better understand: (1) Barriers that prevent
innovators from underrepresented groups or underserved communities from participating in the innovation ecosystem; (2) Recommendations
of methods to include and meet the specific needs of innovators from underrepresented backgrounds and communities to increase
their participation in the innovation ecosystem; and (3) Examples of government programs or initiatives which have seen success
in supporting

  innovators from underrepresented backgrounds.

For this RFI, examples of Federal programs and resources to support the innovation ecosystem include STEM education programs,
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program participation, entrepreneurial
training for researchers (e.g., the Innovation Corps I-Corps TM program), collaboration with Federal laboratories, commercialization funding, and other phases of the research, development,
demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D) continuum.

Background: The NSTC L2M Subcommittee was established to strengthen the nation's ability to transition Federally-funded innovations from
the laboratory to the marketplace. One strategy to accomplish this aim is to enhance participation in the innovation ecosystem.
Innovation ecosystem describes the complex community of participants and resources needed to develop and commercialize technology.
This ecosystem includes the people (e.g., students, faculty, industry researchers, investors) that make up the institutional entities (e.g., universities, businesses, funding agencies, venture capital firms, state and local economic development organizations, entrepreneur
support organizations), material resources (e.g., funding, equipment, facilities), and the relationships among these interconnected actors. Innovation ecosystems may operate
at different geographic levels (e.g., city, regional, national) and within multiple sectors (e.g., health, energy, agriculture).

Entrepreneurs may lack knowledge about these resources and have difficulty navigating them, which poses significant barriers
to participation. Ensuring that access to resources and capital are available to all Americans as well as ensuring the benefits
of entrepreneurship are accessible across the nation are critical in creating a robust and dynamic workforce with inclusive
growth.

Information Requested

OSTP seeks responses to the following questions to improve inclusive and equitable access for our nation's diverse pool of
innovators and emerging entrepreneurs in Federal science and technology programs. Respondents may provide information for
one or as many topics below as they choose. In your response, please indicate your role in the innovation ecosystem (e.g., entrepreneur, investor, ecosystem connector, researcher in academia, state economic development representative).

Executive Order 13985 defines underserved communities as populations sharing a particular characteristic that have been systematically
denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life.

1. a. In your experience, what are barriers to participation in the innovation ecosystem?

b. Do barriers exist that are unique to innovators from specific underrepresented backgrounds or underserved communities?
If so, what are those barriers?

c. How can the Federal government identify the specific barriers, problems, or issues faced by innovators and emerging entrepreneurs
from underrepresented backgrounds or underserved communities as they seek to engage with Federal programs and services?

2. How can the Federal government increase participation in the innovation ecosystem by innovators from backgrounds and communities
underrepresented in the current ecosystem? In your response, please provide your definition of “underrepresented” or “underserved”.

3. How can the Federal government meet the specific needs (e.g., training, support, other) of innovators and emerging entrepreneurs
from backgrounds and communities underrepresented in the innovation ecosystem by either improving existing government programs
or initiatives, or by offering new government programs or initiatives?

4. Are there examples of programs that have seen success in supporting innovators from underrepresented backgrounds and underserved
communities in the innovation ecosystem? What are the critical success factors of these programs?

Dated: May 27, 2022. Stacy Murphy, Operations Manager. [FR Doc. 2022-11844 Filed 6-2-22; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3270-F1-P

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