H.R. 4373 — what changed

National Science Foundation— As part of the Initiative, the National Science Foundation shall—

support basic research in engineering biology through individual grants and through interdisciplinary research centers;

support research on the environmental, legal, and social implications of engineering biology;

provide support for research instrumentation for engineering biology disciplines, including support for research, development, optimization and validation of novel technologies to enable the dynamic study of molecular processes in situ;

support curriculum development and research experiences for secondary, undergraduate, and graduate students in engineering biology and biomanufacturing; and

award grants, on a competitive basis, to enable institutions to support graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who perform some of their engineering biology research in an industry setting.

Department of Commerce— As part of the Initiative, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology shall—

establish a bioscience research program to advance the development of standard reference materials and measurements and to create new data tools, techniques, and processes necessary to advance engineering biology and biomanufacturing;

provide access to user facilities with advanced or unique equipment, services, materials, and other resources to industry, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies to perform research and testing; and

provide technical expertise to inform the potential development of guidelines or safeguards for new products, processes, and systems of engineering biology.

Department of Energy— As part of the Initiative, the Secretary of Energy shall—

conduct and support research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities in engineering biology, including in the areas of synthetic biology, advanced biofuel development, biobased materials, and environmental remediation;

support the development, optimization and validation of novel, scalable tools and technologies to enable the dynamic study of molecular processes in situ; and

provide access to user facilities with advanced or unique equipment, services, materials, and other resources, as appropriate, to industry, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies to perform research and testing.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration— As part of the Initiative, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall—

conduct and support basic and applied research in engineering biology, including in synthetic biology, and related to Earth and space sciences, aeronautics, space technology, and space exploration and experimentation, consistent with the priorities established in the National Academies’ decadal surveys; and

award grants, on a competitive basis, that enable institutions to support graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who perform some of their engineering biology research in an industry setting.