"Title: Download of GAO Recommendation Results",,,,,,, "Prepared by: GAO",,,,,,, "Source: GAO recommendations database, status as of Mar 28, 2024 at 1:47 PM EST" ,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,, "Publication Name","Publication Number","Date Publication Issued","Director Name","Director Phone",Agency,Recommendation,Status,Priority,Comments "Research Security: Strengthening Interagency Collaboration Could Help Agencies Safeguard Federal Funding from Foreign Threats",GAO-24-106227,"Jan 11, 2024","Candice N. Wright","(202) 512-6888","Office of Science and Technology Policy","As part of OSTP's ongoing efforts to address research security risks, the Director of OSTP, in coordination with federal R&D awarding agencies, should facilitate the sharing of information on identifying foreign ownership, control, or influence. This could occur, for example, in conjunction with OSTP's existing efforts to support the national security strategy or its existing role to enhance the federal research agencies' awareness of research security risks and policies under NSPM-33. (Recommendation 1)",Open,No,"We will update the status of this recommendation as we obtain additional information on its implementation." "National Institute of Standards and Technology: Strengthening Disclosure Requirements and Assessing Training Could Improve Research Security",GAO-24-106074,"Dec 14, 2023","Candice N. Wright","(202) 512-6888","Office of Science and Technology Policy","The Director of OSTP should expedite the development and issuance of guidelines on foreign talent recruitment programs as required by section 10631 of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. (Recommendation 1)",Open,No,"When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information." "Artificial Intelligence: Agencies Have Begun Implementation but Need to Complete Key Requirements",GAO-24-105980,"Dec 12, 2023","Kevin Walsh","(202) 512-6151","Office of Science and Technology Policy","The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy should communicate a list of federal agencies that are required to implement the Regulation of AI Applications memorandum requirements (M-21-06) to inform agencies of their status as implementing agencies with regulatory authorities over AI. (Recommendation 3)",Open,No,"When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information." "Critical Minerals: Building on Federal Efforts to Advance Recovery and Substitution Could Help Address Supply Risks",GAO-22-104824,"Jun 16, 2022","J. Alfredo Gómez","(202) 512-3841","Office of Science and Technology Policy","The Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, in collaboration with the members of the Critical Minerals Subcommittee, should update the 2019 critical minerals national strategy as it relates to recovery and substitution. The update should address newly enacted statutory requirements and recent federal efforts and incorporate characteristics of effective national strategies, including (1) goals, subordinate objectives, activities, and performance measures; (2) resources, investments, and risk management; and (3) integration and implementation. (Recommendation 1)",Open,No,"In January 2023, OSTP staff reported that the CMS has conducted a crosswalk of the newly enacted statutory requirements. According to OSTP staff, with the ongoing efforts of the CMS agencies to prepare the many reports required in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other recent legislation that will support and inform CMS activities, OSTP does not support the development of a new strategy at this time. In March 2024, OSTP staff stated that the existing strategy provides a useful framework for the CMS as it helps coordinate critical mineral efforts across the federal government, including efforts to advance recovery and substitution. Our recommendation is for the agencies to collaborate on updates to the parts of the strategy related to recovery and substitution, not develop a new strategy. We continue to believe such updates could help in making resource and policy decisions, prioritizing federal efforts to address cross-cutting challenges, and better ensuring accountability for the strategy's implementation, as discussed in the report. As of March 2024, we are following up on this recommendation and will update it when we receive information." "High-Performance Computing: Advances Made Towards Implementing the National Strategy, but Better Reporting and a More Detailed Plan Are Needed",GAO-21-104500,"Sep 30, 2021","Candice N. Wright","(202) 512-6888","Office of Science and Technology Policy","The Director of OSTP should address each of the desirable characteristics of a national strategy, as practicable, in the implementation roadmap for the 2020 strategic plan or through other means. (Recommendation 1)","Open--Partially Addressed",Yes,"In May 2022, OSTP issued an implementation roadmap for the 2020 strategic plan for high-performance computing that addressed several of the desirable characteristics of a national strategy. For example, the implementation roadmap addressed the desirable characteristic of integration and implementation by describing collaboration and coordination across the Federal government on related initiatives and efforts, such as quantum information science, and by assigning specific activities to agencies. However, the implementation roadmap did not address other desirable characteristics, such as performance measures or a process for monitoring and reporting on progress. OSTP stated in January 2023 that it would address additional desirable characteristics in a progress report on the strategic plan for the Future Advanced Computing Ecosystem. As of October 2023, OSTP anticipated that the progress report would be in released early in 2024. We will continue to monitor OSTP's efforts to fully implement this recommendation." "High-Performance Computing: Advances Made Towards Implementing the National Strategy, but Better Reporting and a More Detailed Plan Are Needed",GAO-21-104500,"Sep 30, 2021","Candice N. Wright","(202) 512-6888","Office of Science and Technology Policy","The Director of OSTP, in consultation with the 10 NSCI agencies, should prepare publically available annual reports assessing progress made in implementing the 2020 strategic plan on the future advanced computing ecosystem. (Recommendation 2)",Open,Yes,"In January 2022, OSTP stated that a process had been initiated to develop an annual report on progress toward the goals of the 2020 strategic plan, and in May 2022, OSTP issued its implementation roadmap for the 2020 strategic plan for high-performance computing. However, the roadmap did not contain an annual report on progress toward implementing the 2020 strategic plan. As of October 2023, OSTP anticipated that the first annual progress report on the strategic plan for the Future Advanced Computing Ecosystem would be released early in 2024 . We will continue to monitor OSTP's efforts to implement this recommendation." "Federal Research: Additional Actions Needed to Improve Public Access to Research Results",GAO-20-81,"Nov 21, 2019","John Neumann",(202)512-4645,"Office of Science and Technology Policy","As the Subcommittee on Open Science moves forward, the Office of Science and Technology Policy co-chair, in coordination with other co-chairs and participating agencies, should take steps to fully implement leading practices that enhance and sustain collaboration. (Recommendation 32)","Open--Partially Addressed",Yes,"OSTP initially disagreed with GAO's November 2019 recommendation, stating that the subcommittee had already taken steps to implement the leading practices GAO identified; however, OSTP officials did not provide documentation of these efforts and GAO continues to believe the recommendation is warranted. In January 2022, OSTP provided an update on information it previously provided in October 2020 and May 2021 on steps the subcommittee has taken to address issues associated with public access to federally funded research results, including certain areas GAO identified as presenting challenges to public access plan implementation in the November 2019 report. In August 2022, the subcommittee released a new charter that outlines its functions, its member agencies including co-chairs, and identifies certain activities that may be needed to implement its functions such as convening meetings and gathering input from stakeholders. However, the charter does not fully address the three leading practices GAO evaluated in the 2019 report. For example, the charter does not discuss how the results of the subcommittee's collaborative efforts will be monitored, evaluated, and reported. In February 2023, OSTP provided additional information on the subcommittee's efforts including identifying the focus areas of the subcommittee's six subgroups and detailing the subcommittee's current agency members. However, it is not yet clear from the information OSTP provided how the subcommittee is fully implementing certain practices GAO evaluated, such as defining and articulating common outcomes and developing mechanisms to monitor, evaluate, and report on results. We will continue to collect and evaluate additional information to determine the extent to which the subcommittee's work processes incorporate leading practices for interagency collaboration that GAO has identified. By taking steps to fully implement the relevant leading practices GAO has identified, the subcommittee and its member agencies could better marshal their collective efforts to support public access to research results." "U.S. Manufacturing: Federal Programs Reported Providing Support and Addressing Trends",GAO-17-240,"Apr 27, 2017","Andrew Sherrill, John Neumann","(202) 512-7215, (202) 512-3841","Office of Science and Technology Policy","To enhance the ability of the Executive Office of the President to implement the Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act of 2014 requirements related to reporting on advanced manufacturing, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, working through the National Science and Technology Council and agency leadership, as appropriate, should identify the information they will collect from federal agencies to determine the extent to which the objectives outlined in the National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing are being achieved.",Open,Yes,"In October 2018, the Subcommittee on Advanced Manufacturing, Committee on Technology of the National Science Technology Council released a Strategy for American Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing. This strategy provided some information on progress toward achieving the objectives of the prior National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing; however, it is unclear what information is to be collected from agencies and likewise how progress toward achieving the goals of the current strategy will be measured. In October 2022, the Subcommittee on Advanced Manufacturing published an updated National Strategy for Advanced Manufacturing. While the strategy does establish a clear linkage between the goals, objectives, and recommendations, it does not include specific metrics or information to be collected to measure achievement of such goals. To fully address our recommendation, OSTP should also ensure that the plan identifies specific and measurable information it will collect from agencies to assess progress towards the plan's goals and objectives. Identifying such information will help ensure collection of consistent, comprehensive information with which to measure progress, and will enhance reporting on the progress of advanced manufacturing efforts." "Advanced Technologies: Strengthened Federal Approach Needed to Help Identify and Mitigate Supply Risks for Critical Raw Materials",GAO-16-699,"Oct 3, 2016","John Neumann","(202) 512-3841","Office of Science and Technology Policy","To enhance the ability of the Executive Office of the President to coordinate federal agencies to carry out the national materials policy outlined in the 1980 Act, and to broaden future applications of the early warning screening methodology, the Subcommittee should take the steps necessary to include potentially critical materials beyond minerals, such as developing a plan or strategy for prioritizing additional materials for which actions are needed to address data limitations.",Open,Yes,"In September 2017, OSTP provided updated information on its efforts to implement recommendations from GAO-16-699. OSTP stated that ""the Subcommittee shares GAO's interest in improving data availability and granularity. However, in some cases, private entities and foreign governments may be unwilling or unable to provide (or even collect) such data. Additionally, the Subcommittee member agencies' financial and personnel resources are limited, and significant additional resources would be required to prioritize and pursue the data for additional materials and critical materials beyond minerals. Without the appropriation of additional resources, the Subcommittee's work on these additional items will be necessarily circumscribed."" In its February 2018 report on the updated application of the early warning screening methodology, the Subcommittee stated that it saw the value in analyzing more minerals and non-minerals to help inform policy decisions, but that fulfilling this need will require additional dedicated personnel and financial resources for data collection, analysis, and distribution. In March 2020, OSTP stated that the Subcommittee has explored the possibility of expanding the scope of the early warning screening methodology to include critical materials beyond minerals. According to OSTP, possible expansion candidates include carbon fiber and critical chemicals. OSTP stated that it has initiated a discussion with the Department of Interior (U.S. Geological Survey), who has been leading the methodology development, and the Department of Commerce (Bureau of Economic Analysis) with regard to possible data that would be needed for such an expansion. However, in August 2020, OSTP stated that while the expertise to expand data collection to additional materials of interest exists in the National Minerals Information Center (NMIC) at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the capacity to expand beyond the current portfolio is not available due to budgetary constraints. In May 2021, OSTP stated that the Subcommittee is actively exploring opportunities to broaden its focus beyond the raw material and mineral challenges that have been its focus the past several years. OSTP also stated that federal agencies will work together through the Subcommittee to prioritize activities and to leverage efforts and limited resources. In May 2022, OSTP stated that multiple interagency working groups, including the Subcommittee and the Executive Order 14017 Working Group, continue to address critical materials issues relevant to our recommendation. OSTP provided several examples of interagency activities related to critical minerals data collection and mapping. In March 2024, OSTP provided additional examples of federal efforts to address critical minerals and materials, including a critical materials assessment by the Department of Energy and reviews by the Defense Logistics Agency. OSTP also stated that efforts are underway to designate NMIC as a federal statistical unit, which would provide a strong basis for the USGS to request mandatory response authority for select surveys of industry intended to collect data that are key to evaluating options to strengthen manufacturing supply chains and the circular economy. However, it remains unclear the extent to which the Subcommittee has a plan or strategy for addressing data limitations for non-mineral materials in a coordinated way. We will consider this recommendation implemented when OSTP demonstrates that it has worked with Subcommittee member agencies and other relevant interagency working groups to develop a plan to coordinate federal efforts and resources to address data limitations that hinder assessing other potentially critical materials beyond minerals."