America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2014

Short title— This Act may be cited as the “America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2014” or “America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Reauthorization Act of 2014”.

Table of contents— The table of contents of this Act is as follows:

Applied research— The term applied research means a systematic study to gain knowledge or understanding necessary to determine the means by which a recognized and specific need may be met.

Appropriate committees of Congress— The term appropriate committees of Congress means the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives.

Basic research— The term basic research means a systematic study directed toward fuller knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific applications toward processes or products in mind.

Evidence or evidence-based— With respect to STEM education programs or activities authorized under this Act, the term evidence or evidence-based means the systematic collection and analysis of information about the characteristics and outcomes of Federal STEM education programs and activities to improve effectiveness, efficiency, quality, or other desired characteristics and to inform decisions about current and future programming, including collection and analysis through a variety of research methods or combination of methods, as appropriate to the research question.

Federal science agency— The term Federal science agency has the meaning given the term in section 103 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 6623).

STEM— The term STEM has the meaning given the term in section 2 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 6621 note).