We are the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a non-regulatory federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce. For more than a century, NIST has helped to keep U.S. technology at the leading edge. Our measurements support the smallest of technologies to the largest and most complex of human-made creations. NIST's mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life. See what innovative work we’re doing to support it: https://www.nist.gov/