The National Institute of Standards and Technology asks the public to submit input on the modernization of a platform through which inventors report on their federally-funded products.
The agency said Monday it plans to update and simplify the Interagency Edison System or iEdison for improvements in functionality, information security and user experience.
The National Institutes of Health has been managing iEdison since 1995 and intends to grant the platform's management to NIST upon modernization.
The platform allows federal grant recipients to electronically report on invention- and patent-related matters for work under 35 federal agencies. Recipients also use iEdison to submit extension requests and document work progress.
NIST now seeks to identify the platform's existing features that need to be retained, user challengers and areas that hold potential for improvement.
“A modern iEdison system is critically important to efficiency in research administration and reporting of inventions that ultimately create value for society and the economy,” said Walter Copan, undersecretary of commerce for standards and technology and NIST director.
Interested parties may submit input through Jan. 27. The agency will also host workshops and other events to inform the public on the updated iEdison's development.
NIST plans to deploy the modernized platform by early 2022.
