Federal Register #2026-22700

Commerce seeks comments on duty-free entry applications for scientific instruments

The U.S. Department of Commerce is seeking input on domestic availability of scientific instruments proposed for duty-free entry. - Government buyer and office: U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, Statutory Import Programs Staff. This is a notice requesting comments, not a government purchase solicitation. - Applicants named: Oakland University; University of Virginia; University of Iowa; University of Miami; UChicago Argonne LLC; Iowa State University (doing business as Ames National Laboratory); Massachusetts Institute of Technology; New York University; University of Massachusetts-Amherst; Rice University; Battelle Memorial Institute; Stanford University; University of California, Riverside; Clemson University; University of Maryland; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; University of Michigan; University of Pittsburgh; University of Kentucky; University of South Carolina; Mass General Brigham Inc.; Michigan State University; University of Arizona; University of Alabama at Birmingham; University of Illinois Chicago; Brookhaven National Laboratory; Mayo Clinic; Columbia University; University of Texas at Austin; University of Illinois; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; University of California; and University of Wisconsin-Madison. - Named manufacturers and product brands include: Leica, PicoQuant (FluoTime 300), Rigaku (ZSX Primus IV), Tekna, DEBEN, JEOL (JSM and JEM instruments), Thermo Fisher Scientific (Krios G4 and Apreo), Bruker (timsTOF flex and BioSpec), Santec (TSL-570A), ID Quantique (ID281), Coherent (Chameleon Discovery NX), and Kastl (Custom Kastl HighRes System V2). - Equipment listed: electron and confocal microscopes, radio telescope, fluorescence and X-ray spectrometers, NMR and MRI equipment and probes, cryostats and cryocooling systems, RF amplifiers and electronics, lasers, single-photon detectors, mass spectrometer, induction-plasma wind-tunnel equipment, and related accessories. See line items for listed models and identifiers; quantities are not specified. - Notable requirement: Comments are sought on whether instruments of equivalent scientific value for their intended purposes are manufactured in the United States. The comment notice does not describe a purchase quantity, contract value, or performance period.

Description

The Department of Commerce invites comments on whether instruments of equivalent scientific value for the intended purposes are manufactured in the United States. The notice lists scientific instrument applications from Oakland University and other institutions, including microscopes, radio telescopes, and spectrometers. Comments must comply with 15 CFR 301.5(a)(3) and (4), be postmarked by November 27, 2026, and be sent to the Statutory Import Programs Staff, with a copy emailed to SIPSFlorence@trade.gov.

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