NIST AI center in Gaithersburg seeks input on securing AI agents

The era of AI is shifting from models that simply "chat" to agents that "act." As we move toward systems capable of planning, executing tasks, and interacting with the real world autonomously, a critical question emerges: How do we keep these agents secure? To answer this, the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI) at NIST in Gaithersburg has issued a Request for Information (RFI). This is a call to action for the tech community to help shape the security standards for the next generation of AI.

Unlike traditional AI, agentic systems don't just provide information; they take actions. They can navigate software environments, manage files, or even interact with physical infrastructure. While this autonomy promises a massive leap in productivity, it also introduces a new "attack surface" that goes beyond traditional software vulnerabilities.

The RFI highlights that while agents share some common risks with standard software (like memory leaks or authentication bugs), they also face unique AI-driven threats:

Indirect Prompt Injection: Where an agent processes data from the web or an email that contains hidden instructions, tricking the agent into performing unauthorized actions.

Data Poisoning: Using insecure or manipulated models that have been "trained" to behave maliciously under specific conditions.

Alignment Risks: "Specification gaming," where a model achieves its goal in a way that is technically correct, but is at the same time harmful or dangerous to the computer network or software system it is working within.

NIST is looking for data and insights across several topics: 

Threat Landscape: How do agent-specific threats evolve over time?

Development Best Practices: How can we build security into the agent's "brain" from day one?

Cybersecurity Gaps: Where do current security protocols fall short when applied to autonomous agents?

Measurement & Monitoring: How do we quantify the "safety" of an agent before it's deployed?

Guardrails: What interventions can limit an agent’s access to sensitive environments?

The responses NIST receives from industry leaders, researchers, and developers will directly inform voluntary guidelines and best practices used by organizations worldwide. As these systems become integrated into national security and public safety infrastructure, establishing a baseline for "what good looks like" is essential. "The security challenges not only hinder adoption today but may also pose risks for public safety and national security as AI agent systems become more widely deployed," NIST/CAISI warned in a press release announcing the RFI this week.

If you are a developer, security researcher, or deployer of AI systems, NIST wants your case studies, actionable recommendations, and technical insights. The submission deadline is March 9, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. To submit any materials in response to this RFI, go to www.regulations.gov and search for docket no. NIST-2025-0035.

NIST awards potential $1.5 million to develop regenerative medicine curricula

Gaithersburg's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded a potential $1.5 million to two organizations, with the goal of developing regenerative medicine standards curricula. Brammer Bio, LLC, and Gaithersburg's own Standards Coordinating Body (SCB) for Gene, Cell and Regenerative Medicines and Cell-Based Drug Discovery, will each receive $250,000 per year, with the option to renew for up to three addition years of funding. 

Regenerative medicine includes cell therapy, gene therapy, and therapeutic tissue engineering. It relies on the human body's own healing abilities to regenerate or replace damaged organs, cells, and tissue. As a rapidly-growing field in medicine and research, regenerative medicine is a promising new avenue in preventing, treating, and curing cancer and genetic disorders.

NIST was charged by the U.S. Congress last year to help develop the regenerative medicine workforce of the future. It oversaw a competitive process earlier this year, through which the two winning organizations were identified. Now these organizations will endeavor to create training programs on the standards, protocols, and measurements that will provide a foundation for the field going forward.

“We are thrilled to announce our new partnerships to develop an innovative standards education program, paving the way for flexible and immersive learning experiences that support advanced biomanufacturing,” Sheng Lin-Gibson, chief of NIST’s Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, said in a statement this morning. “These educational programs will facilitate the adoption of standards and best practices to increase quality and consistency of advanced therapies and ultimately bring down costs.”

Photo courtesy Robert Rathe/NIST

NIST begins joint research on Secure Digital ID for public benefits

The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg has embarked on a collaborative project to adapt NIST's digital identity guidelines to the administration of public benefits programs. These include programs that help beneficiaries pay for food, housing, medical and other living expenses. The initiative gained momentum due to large-scale fraud related to COVID-19 pandemic benefits.

NIST is teaming up with the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University, and the nonprofit Center for Democracy & Technology, on the project. The partners are attempting to balance security concerns with potential impacts on privacy, "due process," and "potential biases in systems that disproportionately impact communities of color and marginalized groups."

"To improve benefits delivery to the U.S. public, it is vital that agencies balance access and security," Undersecretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Laurie E. Locascio said in a statement this morning. "Different populations have different needs, barriers and circumstances that must be considered, and this collaboration will bring together a diverse set of communities to do just that."

Van Hollen secures funding for NIST, NIH in U.S. Senate omnibus spending package

A massive $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill for FY-2023 passed by the United States Senate yesterday will include substantial funding for two major federal employers in Montgomery County, the National Institutes of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg and the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen pressed for those and other Maryland priorities in the controversial and complicated negotiations and agreement. The deal found some Republican senators joining with the Democratic majority in an attempt to lock in spending before the GOP gains control of the House of Representatives in January.

The Senate deal includes $48 billion for NIH, and $1.7 billion for NIST. It also includes renovation funds for a failing bridge over the Baltimore-Washington Parkway to Goddard Flight Center. Van Hollen and other Democrats lamented they could not get other priorities filled in the agreement, but considered the end run around potential GOP cuts in next year's session to be a success worth compromising for. "While I was deeply disappointed that Republicans refused to support a number of key priorities, it was vital that we pass a new government funding bill instead of kicking the can down the road," Van Hollen said in a statement late yesterday afternoon. "On balance, this package will meaningfully invest in the critical priorities of our state and nation.”

Senate Republicans who voted for the bill were Roy Blunt (Missouri), John Boozman (Arkansas), Shelley Capito (West Virginia), Susan Collins (Maine), John Cornyn (Texas), Tom Cotton (Arkansas), Lindsey Graham (South Carolina), Jim Inhofe (Oklahoma), Mitch McConnell (Kentucky), Jerry Moran (Kansas), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Rob Portman (Ohio), Mitt Romney (Utah), Mike Rounds (South Dakota), Richard Shelby (Alabama), John Thune (South Dakota), Roger Wicker (Mississippi) and Todd Young (Indiana). The majority of them have already publicly distanced themselves from President Donald Trump in varying degrees.

NIST helps shine a light on the moon Europa ahead of NASA's Europa Clipper mission

Scientists at NIST in Gaithersburg have assisted in a breakthrough by researchers at NASA's California Jet Propulsion Laboratory in predicting the composition of ice on the moon Europa by its glowing colors. The Europa Clipper spacecraft, launching later this decade, will study this among other details. NIST's Fred Bateman exposed ice samples to radiation beams at the institute's Medical Industrial Radiation Facility, and observed different levels of glow emanate from the samples depending upon their composition. 

"Seeing the sodium chloride brine with a significantly lower level of glow was the 'aha' moment that changed the course of the research," Bateman said in a NASA press release. Unlike our moon, Europa glows even on its dark side without light from the sun. "If Europa weren't under this radiation, it would look the way our moon looks to us - dark on the shadowed side," JPL's Murthy Gudipati said. "But because it's bombarded by the radiation from Jupiter, it glows in the dark."

Measurements made with the help of Bateman at NIST may well assist identification of salty components on the icy moon's surface when Europa Clipper arrives, NASA predicts.

Photo courtesy NASA

Gaithersburg Mayor & Council to review Washingtonian Blvd. bike facility options

Gaithersburg's Mayor & Council will receive briefings at tonight's meeting at 7:30 PM at City Hall on the MD 355 Bus Rapid Transit proposal, and on options for new bike facilities along Washingtonian Boulevard near Rio and Downtown Crown. The key goal of the bike study is to improve connectivity between Rio and the nearby NIST campus.

Options include (A) a shared use path without a "road diet," (B) a two-way separated bike lane without a road diet, (B*) a two-way separated bike lane with a road diet, or (C) dual bicycle lanes from the Sam Eig Highway bridge to Rio Boulevard. All options but C would eliminate 72 vehicle parking spaces.

City staff is recommending option A, a shared-use path without a road diet.

Lab error led to hazmat situation at NIST in Gaithersburg

I have some additional details on Tuesday's hazmat incident at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg. The specific hazardous material was a combination of nitric acid and methanol often used in the etching of metals, Jennifer Huergo, NIST's Director of Media Relations said.

A researcher working with the substance stored it at room temperature without the venting necessary, Huergo said. Realizing the error, the researcher informed a supervisor, who called NIST's emergency response team. Ultimately, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue hazmat crews were brought in, and a bomb squad robot was utilized to stabilize the situation.

An examination of a similar chemical combination manufactured by Anachemia Chemicals suggests some of the potential concerns and hazards involved. It describes the material as potentially "toxic by inhalation," "severely corrosive to the skin," and says to "use with adequate ventilation."

Its vapor can cause flash fires, according to the Anachemia document, and requires firefighters to use carbon dioxide, chemical powder or foam to extinguish, rather than water.

No injuries were reported in relation to the incident.

Update: Hazmat situation at NIST in Gaithersburg

Updated at 5:10 PM:

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue personnel assisted in the response to a hazmat incident at the National Institute of Standards in Gaithersburg this morning.

The as-yet-unspecified hazardous material was reportedly confined to a laboratory area. That particular building was evacuated as a precaution, MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer said.

MCFRS hazmat crews consulted with NIST's own fire chief and personnel on the situation. Ultimately, a county bomb squad robot was brought in to contain and secure the unidentified substance.

As of this update, NIST itself has only described the material as a "contained chemical hazard."

Hopefully we will find out at some point just what the hazardous material is, and what happened in there. I will update this as soon as that information is available.

Photos by Pete Piringer