§18921. Definitions — Inbound Citations
42 U.S.C. § 18921
Cited by 382 provisions in release 119-102.
Citations to §18921(1)
-
(a) The Director, in coordination with the National Engineering Biology Research and Development Initiative established pursuant to subchapter IV, shall—(1) support basic measurement science and technology research for engineering biology, biomanufacturing, and biometrology to advance—(A) measurement technologies to support foundational understanding of the mechanisms of conversion of DNA information into cellular function;(B) technologies for measurement of such biomolecular components and related systems;(C) new data tools, techniques, and processes to improve engineering biology, biomanufacturing, and biometrology research; and(D) other areas of measurement science and technology research determined by the Director to be critical to the development and deployment of engineering biology, biomanufacturing and biometrology;(2) support activities to inform and expand the development of measurements infrastructure needed to develop technical standards to establish interoperability and facilitate commercial development of biomolecular measurement technology and engineering biology applications;(3) convene industry, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, Federal laboratories, and other Federal agencies engaged in engineering biology research and development to develop coordinated technical roadmaps for authoritative measurement of the molecular components of the cell;(4) 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;(5) establish or expand collaborative partnerships or consortia with other Federal agencies engaged in engineering biology research and development, institutions of higher education, Federal laboratories, and industry to advance engineering biology applications; and(6) support graduate and postgraduate research and training in biometrology, biomanufacturing, and engineering biology.
-
(D) other areas of measurement science and technology research determined by the Director to be critical to the development and deployment of engineering biology, biomanufacturing and biometrology;
-
(a) The Director, in consultation with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Director of the National Science Foundation, the Secretary of Energy, and the heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate, shall carry out a measurement research program to inform the development or improvement of best practices, benchmarks, methodologies, procedures, and technical standards for the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions and to assess and improve the performance of greenhouse gas emissions measurement systems placed in situ and on space-based platforms.
-
(b) In carrying out such a program, the Director may—(1) conduct research and testing to improve the accuracy, efficacy, and reliability of the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions at a range of scales that covers direct measurement at the component or process level through atmospheric observations;(2) conduct research to create novel measurement technologies and techniques for the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions;(3) convene and engage with relevant Federal agencies and stakeholders to establish common definitions and characterizations for the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions, taking into account any existing United States and international technical standards and guidance;(4) conduct outreach and coordination to share technical expertise with relevant industry and nonindustry stakeholders and standards development organizations to—(A) assist such entities in the development and adoption of best practices and technical standards for greenhouse gas emissions measurements; and(B) promote consistency and traceability in international reference standards and central calibration laboratories;(5) in coordination with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Secretary of Energy, develop such standard reference materials as the Director determines is necessary to further the development of such technical standards, taking into account any existing United States or international standards;(6) coordinate with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to ensure data are managed, stewarded, and archived at all levels and promote full and open exchange at Federal and State levels, and with academia, industry, and other users; and(7) coordinate with international partners, including international standards organizations, to maintain global greenhouse gas measurement technical standards.
-
(5) in coordination with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Secretary of Energy, develop such standard reference materials as the Director determines is necessary to further the development of such technical standards, taking into account any existing United States or international standards;
-
(c) In coordination with the private sector, institutions of higher education, State and local governments, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, and other Federal agencies, as appropriate, the Director may continue to develop and manage testbeds to advance research and standards development for greenhouse gas emissions measurements from in situ and space-based platforms.
-
(1) The Director, in collaboration with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate, shall establish a Center for Greenhouse Gas Measurements, Standards, and Information (in this subsection referred to as the “Center”).
-
(a) The Director shall assign severity metrics to identified vulnerabilities with open source software and produce voluntary guidance to assist the entities that maintain open source software repositories to discover and mitigate vulnerabilities.
-
(b) The Director shall carry out research and testing to improve the effectiveness of artificial intelligence-enabled cybersecurity, including by generating optimized data sets to train artificial intelligence defense systems and evaluating the performance of varying network architectures at strengthening network security.
-
(d) Subject to available funding, the Director shall provide technical assistance to improve the education and training of individual Federal agency Inspectors General and staff who are responsible for the annual independent evaluation they are required to perform of the information security program and practices of Federal agencies under section 3555 of title 44.
-
(1) The Director shall, in coordination with industry, academia, and other Federal agencies, as appropriate, develop a set of security outcomes and practices, including security controls, control enhancements, supplemental guidance, or other supporting information to enable software developers and operators to identify, assess, and manage cybersecurity risks over the full lifecycle of software products.
-
(2) The Director shall conduct outreach and coordination activities to share technical expertise with Federal agencies, relevant industry stakeholders, and standards development organizations, as appropriate, to encourage the voluntary adoption of the software lifecycle security practices by Federal agencies and industry stakeholders.
-
(a) The Secretary, acting through the Director, shall establish a program to support measurement research to inform the development of best practices, benchmarks, methodologies, procedures, and voluntary, consensus-based technical standards for biometric identification systems, including facial recognition systems, to assess and improve the performance of such systems. In carrying out such program, the Director may—(1) conduct measurement research to support efforts to improve the performance of biometric identification systems, including in areas related to conformity assessment, image quality and interoperability, contactless biometric capture technologies, and human-in-the-loop biometric identification systems and processes;(2) convene and engage with relevant stakeholders to establish common definitions and characterizations for biometric identification systems, which may include accuracy, fairness, bias, privacy, consent, and other properties, taking into account definitions in relevant international technical standards and other publications;(3) carry out measurement research and testing on a range of biometric modalities, such as fingerprints, voice, iris, face, vein, behavioral biometrics, genetics, multimodal biometrics, and emerging applications of biometric identification technology;(4) study the use of privacy-enhancing technologies and other technical protective controls to facilitate access, as appropriate, to public data sets for biometric research;(5) conduct outreach and coordination to share technical expertise with relevant industry and nonindustry stakeholders and standards development organizations to assist such entities in the development of best practices and voluntary technical standards; and(6) develop such standard reference artifacts as the Director determines is necessary to further the development of such voluntary technical standards.
-
(6) develop such standard reference artifacts as the Director determines is necessary to further the development of such voluntary technical standards.
-
(2) In carrying out the program under this subsection, the Director shall—(A) conduct research and regular testing to improve and benchmark the accuracy, efficacy, and bias of biometric identification technologies, which may include research and testing on demographic variations, capture devices, presentation attack detection, partially occluded or computer generated images, privacy and security designs and controls, template protection, de-identification, and comparison of algorithm, human, and combined algorithm-human recognition capability;(B) develop an approach for testing software and cloud-based biometrics applications, including remote systems, in Institute test facilities;(C) establish reference use cases for biometric identification technologies and performance criteria for assessing each use case, including accuracy, efficacy, and bias metrics;(D) produce public-facing reports of the findings from such testing for a general audience;(E) develop policies and procedures accounting for the legal and social implications of activities under this paragraph when working with a foreign entity of concern (as such term is defined in section 19221 of this title);(F) establish procedures to prioritize testing of biometrics identification technologies developed by entities headquartered in the United States; and(G) conduct such other activities as determined necessary by the Director.
-
(G) conduct such other activities as determined necessary by the Director.
-
(1) Not later than one year after August 9, 2022, the Director shall, using the authorities of the Director under subsections (c)(15) and (e)(1)(A)(ix) of section 272 of title 15, disseminate and make publicly available tailored resources to help qualifying institutions identify, assess, manage, and reduce their cybersecurity risk related to conducting research.
-
(2) The Director shall ensure that the resources disseminated pursuant to paragraph (1)—(A) are generally applicable and usable by a wide range of qualifying institutions;(B) vary with the nature and size of the qualifying institutions, and the nature and sensitivity of the data collected or stored on the information systems or devices of the qualifying institutions;(C) include elements that promote awareness of simple, basic controls, a workplace cybersecurity culture, and third-party stakeholder relationships, to assist qualifying institutions in mitigating common cybersecurity risks;(D) include case studies, examples, and scenarios of practical application;(E) are outcomes-based and can be implemented using a variety of technologies that are commercial and off-the-shelf; and(F) to the extent practicable, are based on international technical standards.
-
(3) The Director shall ensure that the resources disseminated under paragraph (1) are consistent with the efforts of the Director under section 7443 of title 15.
-
(4) The Director shall review periodically and update the resources under paragraph (1) as the Director determines appropriate.
-
(a) The Director shall develop a strategic plan for the future of the NIST Center for Neutron Research after the current neutron reactor is decommissioned, including—(1) a succession plan for the reactor, including a roadmap with timeline and milestones;(2) conceptual design of a new reactor and accompanying facilities, as appropriate; and(3) a plan to minimize disruptions to the user community during the transition.
-
(c) Not later than 30 months after August 9, 2022, the Director shall submit to Congress the plan required under subsection (a), and shall notify Congress of any substantial updates to such plan in subsequent years.
-
The Director shall continue to support the development of artificial intelligence and data science, and carry out the activities of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 authorized in division E of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283), including through—
-
In accordance with section 9303 of title 15, the Director shall carry out activities in support of sustainable chemistry, including coordinating and partnering with academia, industry, nonprofit organizations, and other entities in activities to support clean, safe, and economic alternatives, technologies, and methodologies to traditional chemical products and processes.
-
(a) The Secretary, acting through the Director, shall create a program, in consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency, for premise plumbing research, including to—(1) conduct metrology research on premise plumbing in relation to water safety, security, efficiency, sustainability, and resilience; and
-
(1) Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Director shall carry out the Dr. David Satcher Cybersecurity Education Grant Program by—(A) awarding grants to assist institutions of higher education that have an enrollment of needy students, historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and minority-serving institutions, to establish or expand cybersecurity programs, to build and upgrade institutional capacity to better support new or existing cybersecurity programs, including cybersecurity partnerships with public and private entities, and to support such institutions on the path to producing qualified entrants in the cybersecurity workforce or becoming a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity; and(B) awarding grants to build capacity at institutions of higher education that have an enrollment of needy students, historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and minority-serving institutions, to expand cybersecurity education opportunities, cybersecurity programs, cybersecurity research, and cybersecurity partnerships with public and private entities.
-
(2) The Director shall award not less than 50 percent of the amount available for grants under this section to historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and minority-serving institutions.
-
(3) The Director shall carry out this section in coordination with appropriate Federal agencies, including the Departments of Homeland Security, Education, and Labor.
-
(4) The Director’s authority to award grants under paragraph (1) shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date the Director first awards a grant under paragraph (1).
-
(b) An eligible institution seeking a grant under subsection (a) shall submit an application to the Director at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director may reasonably require, including a statement of how the institution will use the funds awarded through the grant to expand cybersecurity education opportunities at the eligible institution.
-
(1) one year after the effective date of this section, as provided in subsection (f), and annually thereafter until the Director submits the report under paragraph (2), the Director shall prepare and submit to Congress a report on the status and progress of implementation of the grant program under this section, including on the number and demographics of institutions participating, the number and nature of students served by cybersecurity programs at institutions receiving grants, as well as the number of certificates or degrees awarded through such cybersecurity programs, the level of funding provided to grant recipients, the types of activities being funded by the grants program, and plans for future implementation and development; and
-
(2) five years after the effective date of this section, as provided in subsection (f), the Director shall prepare and submit to Congress a report on the status of cybersecurity education programming and capacity-building at institutions receiving grants under this section, including changes in the scale and scope of these programs, associated facilities, or in accreditation status, and on the educational and employment outcomes of students participating in cybersecurity programs that have received support under this section.
-
(1) The Director shall lead information exchange and coordination among Federal agencies and communication from Federal agencies to the private sector of the United States to ensure effective Federal engagement in the development and use of international technical standards.
-
(2) To support private sector-led engagement and ensure effective Federal engagement in the development and use of international technical standards, the Director shall consider—(A) the role and needs of the Federal Government with respect to international technical standards;(B) organizations developing international technical standards of interest to the United States, United States representation and influence in these organizations, and key contributors for technical and leadership expertise in these organizations;(C) support for persons with domain subject matter expertise, especially from small businesses located in the United States, to influence and engage in technical standards leadership positions, working groups and meetings;(D) opportunities for partnerships for supporting international technical standards from across the Federal Government, Federally funded research and development centers, university-affiliated research centers, institutions of higher education, industry, industry associations, nonprofit organizations, and other key contributors;(E) support for activities to encourage the adoption of technical standards developed in the United States to be adopted by international standards organizations; and(F) other activities determined by the Director to be necessary to support United States participation in international standards development, economic competitiveness, and national security in the development and use of international technical standards.
-
(F) other activities determined by the Director to be necessary to support United States participation in international standards development, economic competitiveness, and national security in the development and use of international technical standards.
-
(c) The Director shall support education and workforce development efforts to promote United States participation in international standards organizations. The Director shall—(1) identify and create, as appropriate, technical standards education and training resources for interested businesses, industry associations, academia, nonprofit organizations, Federal agencies, and other relevant standards contributors, including activities targeted at integrating standards content into undergraduate and graduate curricula in science, engineering, business, public policy, and law;(2) conduct outreach, including to private sector leaders, to support engagement by more United States stakeholders in international technical standards development; and(3) other activities determined necessary by the Director to support increased engagement, influence, and leadership of United States organizations in the development of international technical standards.
-
(3) other activities determined necessary by the Director to support increased engagement, influence, and leadership of United States organizations in the development of international technical standards.
-
(1) The Director, in coordination with the Director of the National Science Foundation, and the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, as appropriate, shall establish or enter into cooperative agreements with appropriate nongovernmental organizations to establish a 5-year pilot program to award grants, on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis, to private sector entities, institutions of higher education, or nonprofit institutions based in the United States to support increased participation and leadership by small business and academic interests in international standards organizations.
-
(2) Grants awarded to eligible entities under this subsection may be used to cover reasonable costs, up to a specified ceiling set by the Director, of activities to support increased engagement and leadership of eligible entity employees in international standards organizations, which may include costs associated with—(A) travel;(B) education and training;(C) dues or fees related to participation in technical standards development activities; and(D) other such costs that the Director determines may reasonably support participation of the eligible entity in international standards organizations.
-
(D) other such costs that the Director determines may reasonably support participation of the eligible entity in international standards organizations.
-
(3) The Director shall ensure that award decisions made under this subsection take into account the extent to which the eligible entity—(A) employs full-time an individual or individuals who demonstrate deep technical standards expertise;(B) employs full-time an individual or individuals who demonstrate knowledge with the processes of the standards development organization in which the eligible entity intends to engage using grant funds;(C) proposes a feasible set of standard deliverables to be completed over the period of the grant;(D) explains how the eligible entity will fund additional standards-related activities necessary to achieve the deliverables referred to in subparagraph (C) if the grant funds are insufficient to cover all costs of such activities;(E) commits personnel with appropriate expertise to regularly engage in relevant international organizations responsible for developing technical standards over the period of the grant; and(F) identifies a clearly defined current or anticipated market need or gap that would be addressed by their standards development proposal.
-
(5) The Director shall develop, and periodically update, guidance, including eligibility, applicant disclosure requirements, grant amount and duration, the merit review process, priority areas for standards development, and any additional requirements for how grants are awarded under this subsection.
-
(6) The Director shall ensure that grants under this subsection are awarded based on a competitive, merit review process including the use of merit review panels that may include experts from both government, the private sector, and, as appropriate, academic, nonprofit, or other organizations as the Director determines appropriate.
-
(7) In carrying out the pilot program established under this subsection, the Director shall consult with other Federal agencies, private sector organizations, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations to help inform the pilot program, including the guidance developed under paragraph (5).
-
(8) The Director shall brief Congress after the second year of the pilot program and each year following that includes the following:(A) An assessment of the effectiveness of the pilot program for improving the participation of United States small businesses, United States institutions of higher education, or other nonprofit research institutions in international standards organizations, including—(i) the type of activities supported, including leadership roles;(ii) the international standards organizations participated in; and(iii) the technical areas covered by the activities.(B) If determined effective, a plan for permanent implementation of the pilot program.
-
(b) The Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director, shall establish a competitive program of grants for nongovernmental standards development organizations for the purposes described in subsection (c).
-
(d) The Director may promulgate such requirements, guidelines, and procedures as may be necessary to carry out this section.
-
(a) The Director shall establish a voluntary National Supply Chain Database, subject to the availability of appropriations.
-
(c) In establishing the National Supply Chain Database, the Director shall consider the findings and recommendations from the study authorized pursuant to section 9413 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283), including measures to secure and protect the Database from adversarial attacks and vulnerabilities.
-
(1) The Director shall establish the infrastructure for the National Supply Chain Database through the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership, established pursuant to section 278k of title 15, by connecting information from the Centers (as such term is defined in such section) through the Database.
-
(2) The Director shall ensure that connections under paragraph (1)—(A) provide a national overview of the networks of supply chains of the United States; and(B) support understanding of whether there is a need for some manufacturers to retool in some critical areas to meet the urgent need for key products.
-
(e) The Director, acting through the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership program or a designee of the program—(1) shall maintain the National Supply Chain Database as an integration of State-level databases from the Center of each State or territory of the United States;(2) may populate the Database with information from past or current clients of Centers; and(3) may include in the Database information voluntarily provided by non-client private sector entities based and operating in the United States, as applicable and appropriate.
-
(2) Access to a contributing private sector entity’s nonpublic content in the National Supply Chain Database shall be limited to—(A) the contributing private sector entity, the Institute, and staff from a Center who sign a nondisclosure agreement, and(B) other Federal departments and agencies,as the Director considers appropriate.
-
(j) The Director, acting through the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership program, may work with the National Defense Technology and Industrial Base Council established under section 4812 of title 10 as the Director considers appropriate, to include in the National Supply Chain Database information regarding the defense manufacturing supply chain.
-
(1) Nothing in this section may be construed to require any private sector entity to share data, including proprietary information, with the Director or the National Supply Chain Database.
-
(2) The term “Director” means the Director of the National Science Foundation.
-
(a) Not later than 120 days after August 9, 2022, the Director shall enter into an agreement with the National Academies to conduct a study to—(1) review the research literature and identify research gaps regarding the interconnected factors that foster and hinder successful implementation of promising, evidence-based PreK–12 STEM education innovations at the local, regional, and national level;(2) present a compendium of promising, evidence-based PreK–12 STEM education practices, models, programs, and technologies;(3) identify barriers to widespread and sustained implementation of such innovations; and(4) make recommendations to the Foundation, the Department of Education, the National Science and Technology Council’s Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education, State and local educational agencies, and other relevant stakeholders on measures to address such barriers.
-
(3) The Director may, subject to the availability of appropriations, establish within the Foundation, a National STEM Teacher Corps 10-year pilot program to be administered by the Administrator, who shall be appointed by the Director. As appropriate, the Director may use existing NSF programs to establish and execute this program.
-
(I) be appointed by the Director;
-
(ii) The Director may assign the duties of the National STEM Teacher Corps Advisory Board to another advisory committee of the Foundation.
-
(8) The Director, acting through the Administrator, shall submit a report to Congress after the third year of the pilot program that includes—(A) an assessment, drawing on the evaluations the Administrator shall conduct under subparagraphs (C) and (D) of paragraph (4), and other sources of information, of the effectiveness of the pilot program in recruiting and retaining high-quality STEM teachers in the selected regions or topic areas, particularly in high-need and rural schools; and(B) if deemed effective, a proposal to Congress for permanent implementation of the pilot program.
-
(a) The Director shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to four-year institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to support research and development activities to—(1) encourage greater collaboration and coordination between institutions of higher education and industry to enhance education, foster hands-on learn experiences, and improve alignment with workforce needs;(2) understand the current composition of the STEM workforce and the factors that influence growth, retention, and development of that workforce;(3) increase the size, diversity, capability, and flexibility of the STEM workforce; and(4) increase dissemination and widespread adoption of effective practices in undergraduate education and workforce development.
-
(1) The Director shall make awards on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to advance research on the nature of learning and teaching at community colleges and to improve outcomes for students who enter the workforce upon completion of their STEM degree or credential or transfer to 4-year institutions, including by—(A) examining how to scale up successful programs at community colleges that are improving student outcomes in foundational STEM courses;(C) designing and developing new STEM curricula;(D) providing STEM students with hands-on training and research experiences, internships, and other experiential learning opportunities;(E) increasing access to high quality STEM education through new technologies;(F) re-skilling or up-skilling incumbent workers for new STEM jobs;(G) building STEM career and seamless transfer pathways; and
-
(2) In carrying out activities under this subsection, the Director shall encourage applications to develop, enhance, or expand cooperative STEM education and training partnerships between institutions of higher education, industry, and labor organizations.
-
(2) In making awards under this subsection, the Director shall give priority to institutions that demonstrate effective strategies to recruit and provide career and technical education to veterans and members of the Armed Forces transitioning to the private sector workforce.
-
(1) The Director shall carry out a 4-year pilot program under which the Director shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to establish a total of not fewer than five Centers to develop and scale up successful models for providing undergraduate students with hands-on, course-based research experiences.
-
(3) In making awards under this paragraph, the Director shall consider the extent to which the proposed Center will establish partnerships among multiple types of academic institutions, including community colleges, emerging research institutions, EPSCoR institutions, historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities, and minority-serving institutions, the private sector, and other relevant stakeholders in supporting programs and activities to facilitate faculty training and the widespread and sustained implementation of promising, evidence-based practices, models, programs, and curriculum.
-
(4) Not later than 180 days after the date on which the pilot program is completed, the Director shall submit to Congress a report that includes—(A) an assessment, that includes feedback from the research community, of the effectiveness of the pilot program in increasing the number, diversity, and workforce readiness of STEM graduates; and(B) if determined to be effective, a plan for permanent implementation of the pilot program.
-
(B) Not later than 120 days after August 9, 2022, the Director shall enter into an agreement with a qualified independent organization to evaluate the effectiveness of the postdoctoral mentoring plan requirement for improving mentoring for Foundation-supported postdoctoral researchers.
-
(A) The Director shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to develop innovative approaches for facilitating career exploration of academic and nonacademic career options and for providing opportunity-broadening experiences, including work-integrated opportunities, for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars that can then be considered, adopted, or adapted by other institutions and to carry out research on the impact and outcomes of such activities.
-
(B) In selecting award recipients under this subparagraph, the Director shall consider, at a minimum—(i) the extent to which the administrators of the institution are committed to making the proposed activity a priority; and(ii) the likelihood that the institution or organization will sustain or expand the proposed activity effort beyond the period of the award.
-
(3) The Director shall require that annual project reports for awards that support graduate students and postdoctoral scholars include certification by the principal investigator that each graduate student and postdoctoral scholar receiving substantial support from such award, as determined by1 has developed and annually updated an individual development plan to map educational goals, career exploration, and professional development.
-
(4) The Director shall carry out a five-year pilot initiative to award up to 2,500 administrative supplements of up to $2,000 to existing research awards annually, on a competitive basis, to support professional development experiences for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who receive a substantial portion of their support under such award, as determined by the Director. Not more than 10 percent of supplements awarded under this subparagraph2 may be used to support professional development experiences for postdoctoral researchers.
-
(5) The Director shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to support research on the graduate education system and outcomes of various interventions and policies, including—(A) the effects of traineeships, fellowships, internships, and teaching and research assistantships on outcomes for graduate students;(B) the effects of graduate education and mentoring policies and procedures on degree completion, including differences by—(i) sex, race and ethnicity, and citizenship; and(ii) student debt load;(C) the development and assessment of new or adapted interventions, including approaches that improve mentoring relationships, develop conflict management skills, and promote healthy research teams; and(D) research, data collection, and assessment of the state of graduate student mental health and wellbeing, factors contributing to and consequences of poor graduate student mental health, and the development, adaptation, and assessment of evidence-based strategies and policies to support emotional wellbeing and mental health.
-
(3) The Director shall ensure that students pursuing master’s degrees and doctoral degrees in fields relating to cybersecurity are eligible to apply for scholarships and graduate fellowships under the Graduate Research Fellowship Program under section 1869 of this title.
-
(1) Not later than 120 days after August 9, 2022, the Director shall enter into an agreement with a qualified independent organization to evaluate—(A) the role of the Foundation in supporting graduate student education and training through fellowships, traineeships, and other funding models; and(B) the impact of different funding mechanisms on graduate student experiences and outcomes, including whether such mechanisms have differential impacts on subsets of the student population.
-
(2) Not later than 1 year after August 9, 2022, the Director shall publish the results of the evaluation carried out under paragraph (1), including a recommendation for the appropriate balance between fellowships, traineeships, and other funding models.
-
(2) Not later than 1 year after August 9, 2022, the Director, in coordination with the Office of Personnel Management, shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, and the Committee on Oversight and Reform of the House of Representatives a report on the need and feasibility, and if appropriate, plans to implement a program to recruit and train the next generation of artificial intelligence professionals to meet the needs of Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments. The report shall include—(A) recent statistical data on the size, composition, and educational requirements of the Federal AI workforce, including an assessment of current and future demand for additional AI professionals across the Federal Government;(B) an assessment of the capacity of institutions of higher education to produce graduates with degrees, certifications, and relevant skills related to artificial intelligence that meet the current and future needs of the Federal workforce; and(C) an evaluation of the need for and feasibility of establishing a scholarship-for-service program to recruit and train the next generation of artificial intelligence professionals to meet the needs of Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments, including opportunities for leveraging existing processes and resources for administering the Federal Cyber Scholarship-for-Service Program established under section 7442 of title 15 in standing up such a program.
-
(3) Upon submitting the report required in paragraph (2), the Director, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the heads of other agencies with appropriate scientific knowledge, is authorized to establish a Federal artificial intelligence scholarship-for-service program (referred to in this section as the Federal AI Scholarship-for-Service Program) to recruit and train artificial intelligence professionals to lead and support the application of artificial intelligence to the missions of Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments.
-
(4) The Director, in coordination with the heads of other agencies with appropriate scientific knowledge, shall establish criteria to designate qualified institutions of higher education that shall be eligible to participate in the Federal AI Scholarship-for-Service program. Such criteria shall include—(A) measures of the institution’s demonstrated excellence in the education of students in the field of artificial intelligence; and(B) measures of the institution’s ability to attract and retain a diverse and nontraditional student population in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, which may include the ability to attract women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities.
-
(i) a full-time student in an eligible degree program at a qualified institution of higher education, as determined by the Director;
-
(i) fails to maintain an acceptable level of academic standing at the applicable institution of higher education, as determined by the Director;
-
(A) enter into an agreement with the Director to monitor the compliance of scholarship recipients with respect to their post-award employment obligations; and
-
(B) provide to the Director, on an annual basis, the post-award employment documentation required under paragraph (10) for scholarship recipients through the completion of their post-award employment obligations.
-
(ii) collect the repayment amounts within a period of time as determined by the Director, or the repayment amounts shall be treated as a loan in accordance with paragraph (13).
-
(C) A qualified institution of higher education may retain a percentage of any repayment the institution collects under this subsection to defray administrative costs associated with the collection. The Director shall establish a fixed percentage that will apply to all eligible entities, and may update this percentage as needed, in the determination of the Director.
-
(15) The Director may provide for the partial or total waiver or suspension of any service or payment obligation by an individual under this section whenever compliance by the individual with the obligation is impossible or would involve extreme hardship to the individual, or if enforcement of such obligation with respect to the individual would be unconscionable.
-
(A) The Director, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, shall annually evaluate and make public, in a manner that protects the personally identifiable information of scholarship recipients, information on the success of recruiting individuals for scholarships under this section and on hiring and retaining those individuals in the public sector AI workforce, including information on—(i) placement rates;(ii) where students are placed, including job titles and descriptions;(iii) salary ranges for students not released from obligations under this section;(iv) how long after graduation students are placed;(v) how long students stay in the positions they enter upon graduation;(vi) how many students are released from obligations; and(vii) what, if any, remedial training is required.
-
(B) The Director, in coordination with the Office of Personnel Management, shall submit, not less frequently than once every 3 years, to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Oversight and Reform of the House of Representatives a report, including the results of the evaluation under subparagraph (A) and any recent statistics regarding the size, composition, and educational requirements of the Federal AI workforce.
-
(C) The Director, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, shall provide consolidated and user-friendly online resources for prospective scholarship recipients, including, to the extent practicable—(i) searchable, up-to-date, and accurate information about participating institutions of higher education and job opportunities related to the AI field; and(ii) a modernized description of AI careers.
-
(1) Not later than 1 year after August 9, 2022, the Director shall conduct a full portfolio analysis of the Foundation’s skilled technical workforce investments across all Directorates in the areas of education, research, infrastructure, data collection, and analysis.
-
(2) Not later than 180 days after the date of the review under paragraph (1) is complete, the Director shall submit to Congress and make widely available to the public a summary report of the portfolio review.
-
(1) To meet evolving needs for data on the state of the science and engineering workforce, the Director shall assess, through coordination with other Federal statistical agencies and drawing on input from relevant stakeholders, the feasibility and benefits of incorporating questions or topic modules to existing National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics surveys that would vary from cycle to cycle.
-
(2) Not later than 1 year after August 9, 2022, the Director shall submit to Congress and the Board the results of an assessment, carried out in coordination with other Federal agencies and with input from relevant stakeholders, of the feasibility and benefits of incorporating new questions or topic modules to existing National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics surveys on—(A) the skilled technical workforce;(B) working conditions and work-life balance;(C) harassment and discrimination;(D) immigration and emigration; and(E) any other topics at the discretion of the Director.
-
(E) any other topics at the discretion of the Director.
-
(b) In carrying out research pursuant to subsection (a), the Director shall support research and development activities to—(1) understand the current state of the cyber workforce, including factors that influence growth, retention, and development of that workforce;(2) examine paths to entry and re-entry into the cyber workforce;(3) understand trends of the cyber workforce, including demographic representation, educational and professional backgrounds present, competencies available, and factors that shape employee recruitment, development, and retention and how to increase the size, diversity, and capability of the cyber workforce;(4) examine and evaluate training practices, models, programs, and technologies; and(5) other closely related topics as the Director determines appropriate.
-
(5) other closely related topics as the Director determines appropriate.
-
(c) In carrying out the activities described in subsection (b), the Director shall—(1) collaborate with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, including the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, the Office of Personnel Management, and other Federal departments and agencies, as appropriate;(2) align with or build on the National Initiative on Cybersecurity Education Cybersecurity Workforce Framework wherever practicable and applicable;(3) leverage the collective body of knowledge from existing cyber workforce development research and education activities; and(4) engage with other Federal departments and agencies, research communities, and potential users of information produced under this subsection.
-
The Director, acting through the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics established in section 1862p of this title and in coordination with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and other appropriate Federal statistical agencies, shall establish a cybersecurity workforce data initiative that—
-
(1) The Director shall make awards to institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, or consortia thereof, for research, development, and related activities to advance innovative approaches to developing, improving, and expanding evidence-based education and workforce development activities and learning experiences at all levels of education in fields and disciplines related to microelectronics.
-
(A) The Director shall make awards to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions and organizations) to establish traineeship programs for graduate students who pursue microelectronics research leading to a masters or doctorate degree by providing funding and other assistance, and by providing graduate students with opportunities for research experiences in government or industry related to the students’ microelectronics studies.
-
(5) The Director shall make awards under the Scientific and Advanced-Technology Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 1862h-j) to support programs for skilled technical workers in STEM disciplines that are aligned with skilled workforce needs of the microelectronics industry and lead to an associate’s degree, or equivalent certification, by providing funding and other assistance, including opportunities for internships and other hands-on experiences in industry related to the students’ microelectronics studies.
-
(6) The Director shall seek to increase opportunities for microelectronics research for students and trainees at all levels by encouraging proposals in microelectronics through existing programs including—(A) research experiences for undergraduates pursuant to section 1862p–6 of this title;(B) postdoctoral fellowship programs established pursuant to section 1862p–11 of this title;(C) graduate fellowships established pursuant to section 1869 of this title;(D) informal STEM education programs established pursuant to section 1862q of this title;(E) the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program established pursuant to section 1862n–1 of this title;(F) major research instrumentation programs established pursuant to section 1862o–14 of this title; and(G) low-income2 scholarship program established pursuant to section 1869c of this title.
-
(7) In carrying out the activities under this section, the Director shall encourage awardees to partner with industry and other private sector organizations to facilitate the expansion of workforce pipelines and enable access to industry-standard equipment and software for use in undergraduate and graduate microelectronics education programs.
-
(8) In carrying out activities under this section, the Director shall collaborate with the Subcommittee on Microelectronics Leadership of the National Science and Technology Council, established in subsection (a) of section 4656 of title 15 and the National Semiconductor Technology Center established in subsection (c) of section 4656 of title 15, and other relevant Federal agencies to maintain the effectiveness of microelectronics workforce development activities across the agencies.
-
(1) The Director, in coordination with the Secretary of Commerce, shall on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis, make awards to institutions of higher education and non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions and organizations) to establish partnerships to enhance and broaden participation in microelectronics education.
-
(3) The Director shall make an award on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis to an institution of higher education or nonprofit organization (or a consortium thereof) to establish a national network of partnerships (referred to in this section as the “National Network for Microelectronics Education”) to coordinate activities, best practice sharing, and access to facilities across the partnerships established in accordance with paragraph (1).
-
(4) To the extent practicable, the Director shall encourage participation in the National Network for Microelectronics Education through the coordination of activities and distribution of awards described in subsection (a).
-
(5) The Director shall encourage the submission of proposals that are led by historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities, and minority-serving institutions or that include partnerships with or among such institutions to increase the recruitment of students from groups historically underrepresented in STEM to pursue graduate studies in microelectronics.
-
(6) In addition to any other requirements as determined appropriate by the Director, the Director shall require that proposals for awards under this section shall include a description of how the applicant will develop and implement outreach activities to increase the participation of women and other students from groups historically underrepresented in STEM.
-
(7) In carrying out the activities under this section, the Director shall ensure awardees coordinate with, and avoid unnecessary duplication of, the activities carried out under this Section1 with the activities of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (Public Law 108–153), the National Quantum Initiative Act (Public Law 115–368), and Division E of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, and other related programs, as appropriate.
-
(8) In carrying out activities under this section, the Director shall collaborate with the Subcommittee on Microelectronics Leadership of the National Science and Technology Council, established in subsection (a) of section 4656 of title 15 and the National Semiconductor Technology Center established in subsection (c) of section 4656 of title 15.
-
(b) Not later than 5 years following August 9, 2022, the Director shall submit to Congress an assessment, that includes feedback from the research community, of the impacts of the waivers provided under subsection (a), including—(1) programmatic and scientific goals;(2) institutional commitment and stewardship of Federal resources;(3) institutional strategic planning and administrative burden;(4) equity among recipient institutions; and(5) recommendations for or against extending or making permanent such waivers.
-
(a) The Director shall issue undergraduate scholarships, including at community colleges, graduate fellowships and traineeships, postdoctoral awards, and, as appropriate, other awards, to address STEM workforce gaps, including for programs that recruit, retain, and advance students to a bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline concurrent with a secondary school diploma, such as through existing and new partnerships with State educational agencies.
-
(b) In carrying out this section, the Director shall encourage innovation in postdoctoral professional development, support the development and diversity of the STEM workforce, and study the impacts of such innovation and support. To do so, the Director may use postdoctoral awards established under subsection (a) or leveraged under subsection (d)(1) for fellowships or other temporary rotational postings of not more than 2 years. Such fellowships or temporary rotational postings shall be awarded—(1) to qualified individuals who have a doctoral degree and received such degree not earlier than 5 years before the date that the fellowship or temporary rotational posting begins; and(2) to carry out research at Federal, State, local, and Tribal government research facilities.
-
(d) In carrying out this section, the Director may leverage existing programs, including programs that issue—(1) postdoctoral awards;(2) graduate fellowships and traineeships, inclusive of the NSF Research Traineeships and fellowships awarded under the Graduate Research Fellowship Program;(3) scholarships, research experiences, and internships, including—(A) scholarships to attend community colleges; and(B) research experiences and internships under sections 1862p–5, 1862p–6, and 1862p–7 of this title; and(4) awards to institutions of higher education to enable the institutions to fund innovation in undergraduate and graduate education, increased educational capacity, and the development and establishment of new or specialized programs of study for graduate, undergraduate, or technical college students, and the evaluation of the effectiveness of the programs of study.
-
(b) To increase the diversity of participants, the Director shall support symposia, forums, conferences, and other activities to expand and enhance outreach to—(1) historically Black colleges and universities;(2) Tribal Colleges or Universities;(4) institutions of higher education that are located near or serve rural communities, including EPSCoR institutions;(5) labor organizations;(6) emerging research institutions; and(7) higher education programs that serve or support veterans.
-
(a) The Director shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to carry out a comprehensive national initiative to facilitate the development of networks and partnerships to build on and scale up effective practices in broadening participation in STEM studies and careers of groups historically underrepresented in such studies and careers.
-
The Director shall require organizations seeking a cooperative agreement for the management of the operations and maintenance of a Foundation project to demonstrate prior experience and current capabilities in or to have a plan for employing best practices in broadening participation in science and engineering and ensure implementation of such practices is considered in oversight of the award.
-
(C) the Director should carry out this subsection while maintaining or increasing proposal success rates at emerging research institutions throughout the United States and without precluding access to awards for such institutions.
-
(C) The Director shall consider prioritizing funding and activities that enable sustainable growth in the competitiveness of EPSCoR jurisdictions, including—(i) infrastructure investments to build research capacity in EPSCoR jurisdictions;(ii) scholarships, fellowships, and traineeships within new and existing programs, to promote the development of sustainable research and academic personnel;(iii) partnerships between eligible organizations in EPSCoR and non-EPSCoR jurisdictions, to develop administrative, grant management, and proposal writing capabilities in EPSCoR jurisdictions;(iv) capacity building activities for emerging research institutions, historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities, and minority serving institutions, consistent with this section and section 19183 of this title; and(v) leveraging the Partnerships for Innovation program, as well as the Foundation coordination role in the Department of Commerce technology and innovation hub program under section 3722a of title 15 as added by section 10621, to build sustainable innovation ecosystems in EPSCoR jurisdictions.
-
(D) The Director shall achieve the percentages specified in this paragraph to the maximum extent practicable, consistent with the National Science Foundation merit review process.
-
(E) In the case of an award to a consortium, the Director may count the entire award toward meeting the funding requirements of subparagraph (A) if the lead entity of the consortium is located in an EPSCoR institution1
-
(F) Beginning with the fiscal year 2023, the Director shall submit to Congress a report describing—(i) the Foundation’s implementation of this paragraph;(ii) progress in building research capacity, including both infrastructure and personnel, in EPSCoR jurisdictions, including at historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities, minority-serving institutions, and emerging research institutions; and(iii) if the Foundation does not meet the requirement described in subparagraph (A), an explanation relating thereto and a plan for compliance in the following fiscal year and remediation.
-
(G) Not later than December 31, 2026, the Director shall submit to Congress a report containing an analysis of the impacts of the requirements under subparagraphs (A) and (B). The report shall include—(i) an analysis of how the requirements under this paragraph affected the balance of total funding awarded by the Foundation to states and territories across the United States;(ii) an analysis of any changes in award success and total funding awarded to Historically black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities, minority-serving institutions, and emerging research institutions between August 9, 2022, and December 31, 2026;(iii) an analysis of the gains in academic research capacity, quality, and competitiveness and in science and technology human resource development in EPSCoR jurisdictions made between August 9, 2022, and December 31, 2026;(iv) an assessment of EPSCoR eligibility criteria and determination on whether new eligibility criteria should be developed based on the findings from clauses (i), (ii), and (iii); and(v) a plan to sustain and grow improvements in research capacity and competitiveness in EPSCoR jurisdictions.
-
(i) The Director shall ensure eligibility for current EPSCoR jurisdictions for five years from August 9, 2022, after which the Director shall determine whether new eligibility criteria should be developed based on the findings in the report required under subparagraph (G).
-
(ii) Not later than December 31, 2028, the Director shall report to Congress regarding any new eligibility criteria determined under clause (i), any changes to jurisdictional eligibility based on such criteria, and the necessity and practicality of continuing or modifying the requirement under subparagraph (A) given any such changes to eligibility. The report shall include an analysis of options to support regions in non-EPSCoR jurisdictions, adjacent to EPSCoR jurisdictions, that historically receive disproportionately low levels of funding from the Foundation, including, if appropriate, options to expand the EPSCoR program or to establish new programs.
-
(4) In carrying out this program, the Director shall—(A) require eligible institutions seeking funding under this subsection to submit an application to the Director at such time, in such manner, containing such information and assurances as the Director may require. The application shall include, at a minimum a description of how the eligible institution plans to sustain the proposed activities beyond the duration of the award;(B) require applicants to identify disciplines and focus areas in which the eligible institution can excel, and explain how the applicant will use the award to build capacity to bolster the institutional research competitiveness of eligible entities to support awards made by the Foundation and increase regional and national capacity in STEM;(C) require the awards funded under this subsection to support research and related activities, which may include—(i) development or expansion of research programs in disciplines and focus areas in subparagraph (B);(ii) faculty recruitment and professional development in disciplines and focus areas in subparagraph (B), including for early-career researchers;(iii) stipends for undergraduate and graduate students participating in research in disciplines and focus areas in subparagraph (B);(iv) acquisition of instrumentation necessary to build research capacity at an eligible institution in disciplines and focus areas in subparagraph (B);(v) an assessment of capacity-building and research infrastructure needs;(vi) administrative research development support; and(vii) other activities necessary to build research capacity; and(D) require that no eligible institution should receive more than $10,000,000 in any single year of funds made available under this section.
-
(A) require eligible institutions seeking funding under this subsection to submit an application to the Director at such time, in such manner, containing such information and assurances as the Director may require. The application shall include, at a minimum a description of how the eligible institution plans to sustain the proposed activities beyond the duration of the award;
-
(5) In making awards under this subsection, the Director may also consider—(A) the extent to which the applicant will support students from diverse backgrounds, including first-generation undergraduate students;(B) the geographic and institutional diversity of the applying institutions; and(C) how the applicants can leverage public-private partnerships and existing partnerships with Federal Research Agencies.
-
(6) The Director shall ensure the awards made under this subsection are complementary and not duplicative of existing programs.
-
(7) The Director shall submit a report to Congress after the third year of the program that includes—(A) an assessment of the effectiveness of the program for growing the geographic and institutional diversity of institutions of higher education receiving research awards from the Foundation;(B) an assessment of the quality, quantity, and geographic and institutional diversity of institutions of higher education conducting Foundation-sponsored research since the establishment of the program in this subsection;(C) an assessment of the quantity and diversity of undergraduate and graduate students graduating from eligible institutions with STEM degrees; and(D) statistical summary data on the program, including the geographic and institutional allocation of award funding, the number and diversity of supported graduate and undergraduate students, and how it contributes to capacity building at eligible entities.
-
(8) There is authorized to be appropriated to the Director $150,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to carry out the activities under this subsection.
-
(1) The Director shall establish a five-year pilot program for awards to research partnerships that involve emerging research institutions and may involve institutions classified as very high research activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education at the time of application.
-
(2) In carrying out this program, the Director shall—(A) require that each proposal submitted by a multi-institution collaboration for an award, including those under part G of this subchapter, that exceeds $1,000,000, as appropriate, specify how the applicants will support substantive, meaningful, sustainable, and mutually beneficial partnerships with one or more emerging research institutions;(B) require recipients funded under this subsection to direct no less than 35 percent of the total award to one or more emerging research institutions;(C) require recipients funded under this subsection to report on the partnership activities as part of the annual reporting requirements of the Foundation; and(D) solicit feedback on the partnership directly from partner emerging research institutions, in such form as the Director deems appropriate.
-
(D) solicit feedback on the partnership directly from partner emerging research institutions, in such form as the Director deems appropriate.
-
(4) The Director shall submit a report to Congress after the third year of the pilot program that includes—(A) an assessment, drawing on feedback from the research community and other sources of information, of the effectiveness of the pilot program for improving the quality of partnerships with emerging research institutions; and(B) if deemed effective, a plan for permanent implementation of the pilot program.
-
The Director shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to support basic, applied, and use-inspired research that yields a scientific evidence base for improving the design and emergence, development and deployment, and management and ultimate effectiveness of entities involved in technology research, including research related to diversity and inclusion in the technology sector.
-
(7) performing such additional duties and exercise such powers as the Director may prescribe.
-
(a) The Director shall make awards on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis, to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations), to enable such entities to increase the participation of women and underrepresented minorities in STEM studies and careers.
-
(c) The Director shall carry out dissemination activities consistent with the purposes of this section, including—(1) collaboration with other Federal research agencies and professional associations to exchange best practices, harmonize work-life accommodation policies and practices, and overcoming common barriers to work-life accommodation; and(2) collaboration with institutions of higher education in order to clarify and catalyze the adoption of a coherent and consistent set of work-life accommodation policies and practices.
-
(a) The Director may conduct multiple pilot programs, including through existing programs or other programs authorized in this division or division A, within the Foundation to expand the number of institutions of higher education (including such institutions that are community colleges), and other eligible entities that the Director determines appropriate, that are able to successfully compete for Foundation awards.
-
(d) Not later than 5 years after August 9, 2022, the Director shall—(1) review the results of the pilot programs under this section; and(2) develop agencywide best practices from the pilot programs for implementation across the Foundation, in order to fulfill the requirement under section 1862(e) of this title.
-
The Director shall maintain a Research Security and Policy office within the Office of the Director with not fewer than four full-time equivalent positions, in addition to the Chief of Research Security established pursuant to section 19032 of this title. The functions of the Research Security and Policy office shall be to coordinate all research security policy issues across the Foundation, including by—
-
(1) consulting and coordinating with the Foundation Office of Inspector General, with other Federal research agencies, and intelligence and law enforcement agencies, and the National Science and Technology Council, as appropriate, in accordance with the authority provided under section 1746 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 116–92; 42 U.S.C. 6601 note), to identify and address potential security risks that threaten research integrity and other risks to the research enterprise and to develop research security policy and best practices, taking into account the policy guidelines to be issued by the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy under section 19231 of this title;
-
The Director shall appoint a senior agency official within the Office of the Director as a Chief of Research Security, whose primary responsibility shall be to manage the office established under section 19031 of this title.
-
(a) Not later than 180 days after August 9, 2022, the Director shall provide a report to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate on the resources and the number of full time1 employees needed to carry out the functions of the office established in section 19031 of this title.
-
(1) Not later than one year after August 9, 2022, and annually thereafter, the Director shall submit to Congress a report on the activities carried out by the Office of Research Security, detailing—(A) a description of the activities conducted by the Office, including administrative actions taken;(B) such recommendations as the Director may have for legislative or administrative action relating to improving research security;(C) identification and discussion of the gaps in legal authorities that need to be improved to enhance the security of institutions of higher education performing research supported by the Foundation; and(D) information on Foundation Inspector General cases, as appropriate, relating to undue influence and security threats to research and development activities funded by the Foundation, including theft of property or intellectual property relating to a project funded by the Foundation at an institution of higher education.
-
(B) such recommendations as the Director may have for legislative or administrative action relating to improving research security;
-
The Director shall develop an online resource hosted on the Foundation’s website containing up-to-date information, tailored for institutions and individual researchers, including—
-
The Director shall continue to make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to support research on the conduct of research and the research environment, including research on research misconduct or breaches of research integrity and detrimental research practices.
-
In addition to existing authorities for preventing waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement of Federal funds, the Director, acting through the Office of Research Security and Policy and in coordination with the Foundation’s Office of Inspector General, shall have the authority to conduct risk assessments, including through the use of open-source analysis and analytical tools, of research and development award applications and disclosures to the Foundation.
-
(a) The Director shall enter into an agreement with a qualified independent organization to establish a research security and integrity information sharing analysis organization (referred to in this section as the “RSI-ISAO”), which shall include members described in subsection (d) and carry out the duties described in subsection (b).
-
(e) The RSI-ISAO may establish a board of directors to provide guidance for policies, legal issues, and plans and strategies of the entity’s operations. The board shall include a diverse group of stakeholders representing the research community, including academia, industry, and experienced research security administrators.
-
(f) In establishing the RSI-ISAO under this section, the Director shall take necessary steps to ensure the services provided are aligned with the needs of the research community, including by—(1) convening a series of workshops or other multi-stakeholder events; or(2) publishing a description of the services the RSI-ISAO intends to provide and the requirements for membership in the Federal Register and provide an opportunity for submission of public comments for a period of not less than 60 days.
-
(a) Not later than 180 days after August 9, 2022, the Director, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence and, as appropriate, other Federal agencies, shall develop a plan to—(1) identify research areas supported by the Foundation, including in the key technology focus areas, that may involve access to controlled unclassified or classified information, including in the key technology focus areas; and(2) exercise due diligence in granting access, as appropriate, to the CUI or classified information identified under paragraph (1) to individuals working on such research who are employees of the Foundation or covered individuals on research and development awards funded by the Foundation.
-
(b) Except as provided in subsection (d), none of the funds made available to the Foundation under this division or division A, or an amendment made by this division or division A, may be obligated or expended to an institution of higher education that maintains a contract or agreement between the institution and a Confucius Institute, unless the Director, after consultation with the National Academies, determines such a waiver is appropriate in accordance with subsection (c).
-
(c) The Director, after consultation with the National Academies, may issue a waiver for an institution of higher education that maintains a contract or agreement between the institution and a Confucius Institute if such contract or agreement includes clear provisions that—(1) protect academic freedom at the institution;(2) prohibit the application of any foreign law on any campus of the institution;(3) grant full managerial authority of the Confucius Institute to the institution, including full control over what is being taught, the activities carried out, the research awards that are made, and who is employed at the Confucius Institute; and(4) prohibit co-location with the institution’s Chinese language, history, and cultural programs and require separate promotional materials.
-
(a) The Director shall request, on an annual basis, from a recipient institution of higher education a disclosure, in the form of a summary document, from the institution, a foundation of the institution, and related entities such as any educational, cultural, or language entity, of the current financial support, the value of which is $50,000 or more, including gifts and contracts, received directly or indirectly from a foreign source (as such term is defined in section 1011f(h)(2) of title 20) associated with a foreign country of concern.
-
(b) Each disclosure to the Director under this section shall be made on the condition that the institution will maintain a true copy of the relevant records subject to the disclosure requirement until the latest of—(1) the date that is four years after the date of the agreement;(2) the date on which the agreement terminates; or(3) the last day of any period that applicable State public record law requires a true copy of such agreement to be maintained.
-
(d) The Director, acting through the Office of Research Security and Policy in coordination with the Foundation’s Office of Inspector General and in consultation with the recipient institution, may reduce the award funding amount or suspend or terminate the award if the Director determines—(1) such institution fails to comply with the records retention requirement in subsection (b) or fails to provide information requested under this section; or(2) the Chief of Research Security determines the disclosures under this section indicate a threat to research security.
-
(a) Not later than 120 days after August 9, 2022, the Director shall enter into an agreement with a qualified independent organization to assess how the Broader Impacts review criterion is applied across the Foundation and make recommendations for improving the effectiveness for meeting the goals established in section 1862p–14 of this title.
-
(b) The Director shall make awards on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to support activities to increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and availability of resources for implementing the Broader Impacts review criterion, including—(1) training and workshops for program officers, merit review panelists, award office administrators, faculty, and students to improve understanding of the goals and the full range of potential broader impacts available to researchers to satisfy this criterion;(2) repositories and clearinghouses for sharing best practices and facilitating collaboration; and(3) tools for evaluating and documenting societal impacts of research.
-
(b) Drawing on stakeholder input, not later than 24 months after August 9, 2022, the Director shall revise proposal instructions to require that ethical and societal considerations are to be included as part of a proposal for funding prior to making the award, where such considerations are applicable. Such considerations shall be evaluated by the Director in the review of proposals, taking into account any relevant input from the peer-reviewers for the proposal, and shall factor into award decisions, as deemed necessary by the Director. When incorporating such considerations, proposers may include, as appropriate—(A) any readily foreseeable or quantifiable risks to society, including how the research could enable products, technologies, or other outcomes that could intentionally or unintentionally cause significant societal harm; or(B) an assertion that no readily foreseeable potential ethical, social, safety, or security implications are apparent;(2) how technical or social solutions can mitigate such risks and, as appropriate, a plan to implement such mitigation measures; and(3) how partnerships and collaborations in the research can help mitigate potential harm and amplify potential societal benefits.
-
(c) The Director shall solicit stakeholder input to develop clear guidance on what constitutes a readily foreseeable or quantifiable risk as described in subsection (b)(1), and to the extent practicable harmonize this policy with existing ethical policies or related requirements for human subjects.
-
(d) The Director shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to support—(1) research to assess the potential ethical and societal implications of Foundation-supported research and products or technologies enabled by such research, including the benefits and risks identified pursuant to subsection (b)(1); and(2) the development and verification of approaches to proactively mitigate foreseeable risks to society, including the technical and social solutions identified pursuant to subsection (b)(1).
-
(e) The Director shall encourage recipients to update their consideration of potential risks and benefits as appropriate as part of the annual reports required by all awardees under the award terms and conditions.
-
(a) Consistent with existing Federal law for privacy, intellectual property, and security, the Director shall facilitate public access to research products, including data, software, and code, developed as part of Foundation-supported projects.
-
(2) In carrying out the requirement in paragraph (1), the Director shall—(A) provide necessary resources, including trainings and workshops, to educate researchers and students on how to develop and review high quality data management plans;(B) ensure program officers and merit review panels are equipped with the resources and training necessary to review the quality of data management plans; and(C) ensure program officers and merit review panels treat data management plans as essential elements of award proposals, where appropriate.
-
(c) The Director shall—(1) consult with the heads of other Federal research agencies, as appropriate, and solicit input from the scientific community, to develop and widely disseminate a set of criteria for trusted open repositories to be used by Foundation-funded researchers, accounting for discipline-specific needs and necessary protections for sensitive information;(2) work with stakeholders to identify significant gaps in available repositories meeting the criteria developed under paragraph (1) and options for supporting the development of additional or enhanced repositories;(3) make awards on a competitive basis to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) for the development, upgrades, and maintenance of open data repositories that meet the criteria developed under paragraph (1);(4) work with stakeholders and build on existing models, where appropriate, to establish a single, public, web-based point of access to help users locate repositories storing data, software, and code resulting from or used in Foundation-supported projects;(5) work with stakeholders to establish the necessary policies and procedures and allocate the necessary resources to ensure, as practicable, data underlying published findings resulting from Foundation-supported projects are deposited in repositories meeting the criteria developed under paragraph (1) at the time of publication;(6) incentivize the deposition of data, software, and code into repositories that meet the criteria developed under paragraph (1); and(7) coordinate with the scientific publishing community and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies to support the development of voluntary consensus standards around data archiving and sharing.
-
(d) The Director shall make awards, on a competitive basis to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to—(1) support research and development of open source, sustainable, usable tools and infrastructure that support reproducibility for a broad range of studies across different disciplines;(2) support research on computational reproducibility, including the limits of reproducibility and the consistency of computational results in the development of new computation hardware, tools, and methods; and(3) support the education and training of students, faculty, and researchers on computational methods, tools, and techniques to improve the quality and sharing of data, code, and supporting metadata to produce reproducible research.
-
The Director shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to support research to improve our understanding of the climate system and related human and environmental systems.
-
The Director shall—
-
The Director shall make awards on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to support research and development of data, models, indicators, and associated analytical tools to improve our understanding of the impacts of Federally funded research on society, the economy, and the workforce, including domestic job creation.
-
The Director shall make awards on a competitive basis to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to—
-
The Director shall continue to support enhancing, repairing and maintaining research instrumentation, laboratories, telecommunications and housing at biological field stations and marine laboratories.
-
In accordance with section 9303 of title 15, the Director shall carry out activities in support of sustainable chemistry, including—
-
The Director shall make awards on a competitive basis to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to advance knowledge of risk assessment and predictability and to support the creation of tools and technologies, including advancing data analytics and utilization of artificial intelligence, for increased resilience through—
-
In coordination with the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Director shall carry out a program of research and related activities related to unmanned aircraft system technologies, which may include a prize competition pursuant to section 3719 of title 15 and support for undergraduate and graduate curriculum development.
-
(a) In order to support advances in marine science, maritime domain awareness, and national security the Director, in consultation with the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and the Commandant of the Coast Guard, shall issue awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to support research that will accelerate innovation to advance unmanned maritime systems for the purpose of providing greater maritime domain awareness to the Nation.
-
(b) In implementing this section, the Director shall coordinate with the Coast Guard, the Department of Defense, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other Federal agencies, including those established under the Commercial Engagement Through Ocean Technology Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–394) [33 U.S.C. 4101 et seq.].
-
The Director shall explore and advance opportunities for leveraging international capabilities and resources that align with the Foundation and United States research community priorities and have the potential to benefit United States prosperity, security, health, and well-being, including through binational research and development organizations and foundations and by sending teams of Foundation scientific staff for site visits of scientific facilities and agencies in other countries. The Director shall establish and implement policies, including through any research security training requirements, to mitigate the potential risks of such interactions, including risks to the protection of intellectual property and the risk of undue foreign influence on research.
-
(a) The Director shall continue to support databases, tools, methods, and other activities that secure and improve existing physical and digital biological research collections, improve the accessibility of collections and collection-related data for research and educational purposes, develop capacity for curation and collection management, and to transfer ownership of collections that are significant to the biological research community, including to museums and universities.
-
(b) In consultation with other relevant Federal research agencies, and as the Director determines is appropriate, the Director shall require that proposals submitted to the Foundation for funding for research that involves collecting or generating specimens include, as part of the data management plan under section 19053 of this title, a description of how the specimens and associated data will be accessioned into and maintained in an established biological collection.
-
(c) In coordination with other relevant Federal research agencies, as appropriate, the Director shall make awards on a competitive basis to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to facilitate coordination and data sharing among communities of practice for research, education, workforce training, evaluation, and business model development, including by establishing an Action Center for Biological Collections.
-
The Director shall make awards on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to—
-
(a) The Director shall make awards on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis for research and development to—(1) increase understanding of social media and consumer technology access and use patterns and related mental health, behavioral, and substance use disorder issues, particularly for children and adolescents; and(2) explore the role of social media and consumer technology in rising rates of mental health and substance use disorder issues, including within communities experiencing long-term economic distress.
-
(b) In making awards under this subsection, the Director shall, for purposes of avoiding duplication of activities and research, consult, collaborate, and coordinate with the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services.
-
(1) In order to support supply chain resiliency, the Director shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to support basic research that will accelerate innovation to advance critical minerals mining strategies and technologies for the purpose of making better use of domestic resources and eliminating national reliance on minerals and mineral materials that are subject to supply disruptions.
-
(3) The Director shall ensure awards made under this subsection are complementary and not duplicative of existing programs across the Foundation and Federal Government.
-
(c) In making awards under the sensor systems and networked systems programs of the Foundation, the Director shall include in consideration of portfolio balance research and development on sensor connectivity in environments of intermittent connectivity and intermittent computation—(1) to improve the reliable use of advance sensing systems in rural and agricultural areas; and(2) that considers—(A) direct gateway access for locally stored data;(B) attenuation of signal transmission;(C) loss of signal transmission; and(D) at-scale performance for wireless power.
-
The Director shall support research into and the design, development, and testing of mitigation measures to address the potential impact of satellite constellations on Foundation scientific programs by—
-
(c) Not later than 180 days after August 9, 2022, the Director shall provide to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the Foundation’s plan for facilitating awardee access to the microgravity environment.
-
(a) The Director shall continue the Facility Operation Transition pilot program for a total of 5 years.
-
(c) After the fifth year of the pilot program, the Director shall transmit a report to Congress that includes—(1) an assessment, that includes feedback from the research community, of the effectiveness of the pilot program for—(A) supporting research directorates and divisions in balancing investments in research grants and funding for the initial operation and maintenance of major facilities;(B) incentivizing the development of new world-class facilities;(C) facilitating interagency and international partnerships;(D) funding core elements of multi-disciplinary facilities; and(E) supporting facility divestment costs; and(2) if deemed effective, a plan for permanent implementation of the pilot program.
-
The Director shall periodically carry out reviews within each of the directorates and divisions to assess the cost and benefits of extending the operations of research facilities that have exceeded their planned operational lifespan.
-
(1) The Director shall support, through the Major Research Instrumentation program, proposal requests that include the purchase, installation, operation, and maintenance of equipment and instrumentation to reduce consumption of helium.
-
(2) The Director may waive the cost-sharing requirement for helium conservation measures for non-Ph.D.-granting institutions of higher education and Ph.D.-granting institutions of higher education that are not ranked among the top 100 institutions receiving Federal research and development funding, as documented by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics.
-
(b) No later than 1 year after August 9, 2022, and annually for the subsequent two years, the Director shall submit an annual report to Congress on the use of funding awarded by the Foundation for the purchase and conservation of helium. The report should include—(1) the volume and price of helium purchased;(2) changes in pricing and availability of helium; and(3) any supply disruptions impacting a substantial number of institutions.
-
(a) To gather information about the computational needs of Foundation-funded projects, the Director shall require award proposals submitted to the Foundation, as appropriate, to include estimates of computational resource needs for projects that require use of advanced computing. The Director shall encourage and provide access to tools that facilitate the inclusion of these measures, including those identified in the 2016 National Academies report entitled “Future Directions for NSF Advanced Computing Infrastructure to Support U.S. Science and Engineering in 2017–2020”.
-
(b) The Director shall document and publish every two years a summary of the amount and types of advanced computing capabilities that are needed to fully meet the Foundation’s project needs as identified under subsection (a).
-
(c) To set priorities and guide strategic decisions regarding investments in advanced computing capabilities, the Director shall develop, publish, and regularly update a 5-year advanced computing roadmap that—(1) describes the advanced computing resources and capabilities that would fully meet anticipated project needs, including through investments in the Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure program and the Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction account;(2) draws on community input, information contained in research proposals, allocation requests, insights from Foundation-funded cyber-infrastructure operators, and Foundation-wide information gathering regarding community needs;(3) considers computational needs of planned major facilities;(4) reflects anticipated technology trends;(5) informs users and potential partners about future facilities and services;(6) addresses the needs of groups historically underrepresented in STEM and geographic regions with low availability and high demand for advanced computing resources;(7) considers how Foundation-supported advanced computing capabilities can be leveraged for activities through the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships; and(8) provides an update to Congress about the level of funding necessary to fully meet computational resource needs for the research community.
-
(A) The Director, in consultation with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Secretary of Energy, and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall establish a pilot program to make awards to ensure the security of federally supported research data and to assist regional institutions of higher education and their researchers in compliance with regulations regarding the safeguarding of sensitive information and other relevant regulations and Federal guidelines.
-
(B) In carrying out the pilot program established pursuant to subparagraph (A), the Director shall select, for the development, installation, maintenance, or sustainment of secure computing enclaves, three institutions of higher education that have an established graduate student program and a demonstrated history of working with secure information, consistent with appropriate security protocols.
-
(i) In selecting universities pursuant to subparagraph (B), the Director shall give preference to institutions of higher education with the capability of serving other regional universities.
-
(D) The Director shall work with institutions of higher education selected pursuant to subparagraph (B) to—(i) develop an approved design blueprint for compliance with Federal data protection protocols;(ii) develop a comprehensive and confidential list, or a bill of materials, of each binary component of the software, firmware, or product that is required to deploy additional secure computing enclaves;(iii) develop templates for all policies and procedures required to operate the secure computing enclave in a research setting;(iv) develop a system security plan template; and(v) develop a process for managing a plan of action and milestones for the secure computing enclave.
-
(E) In reviewing applications for awards, the Director shall review and consider plans and prospects of the applicant institution of higher education to ensure long-term sustainability of the computing enclave, beyond the availability of Federal funds.
-
(i) The Director shall report to Congress not later than 6 months after the completion of the pilot program under subparagraph (A).
-
(H) There is authorized to be appropriated to the Director, $38,000,000 for fiscal years 2023 through 2025, to carry out the activities outlined in this paragraph.
-
(a) The Director, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the interagency committee established under section 9413 of title 15, shall establish a demonstration project to develop, refine, and test models to inform the full implementation of the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking recommendation for a governmentwide data linkage and access infrastructure for statistical activities conducted for statistical purposes, as defined in chapter 35 of title 44.
-
(b) Not later than one year after August 9, 2022, the Director shall establish a National Secure Data Service demonstration project. The National Secure Data Service demonstration project shall be—(1) aligned with the principles, best practices, and priority actions recommended by the Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence Building, to the extent feasible; and(2) operated directly by or via a contract that is managed by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics.
-
(c) In carrying out this section, the Director shall engage with Federal and State agencies to collect, acquire, analyze, report, and disseminate statistical data in the United States and other nations to support governmentwide evidence-building activities consistent with the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018.
-
(e) If the Director issues a management contract under subsection (b), the recipient shall be designated as an “agent” under subchapter III of chapter 35 of title 44 with all requirements and obligations for protecting confidential information delineated in the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2018 and the Privacy Act of 1974.
-
(f) In carrying out this subsection, the Director shall—(1) consider application and use only of systems and technologies that incorporate protection measures to reasonably ensure confidential data and statistical products are protected in accordance with obligations under subchapter III of chapter 35 of title 44, including systems and technologies that ensure—(A) raw data and other sensitive inputs are not accessible to recipients of statistical outputs from the National Secure Data Service demonstration project;(B) no individual entity’s data or information is revealed by the National Secure Data Service demonstration project platform to any other party in an identifiable form;(C) no information about the data assets used in the National Secure Data Service demonstration project is revealed to any other party, except as incorporated into the final statistical output;(D) the National Secure Data Service demonstration project permits only authorized analysts to perform statistical queries necessary to answer approved project questions, and prohibits any other queries; and(E) the National Secure Data Service demonstration project conducts privacy risk assessments to minimize the privacy risks to individual entities whose data has been made available by a reporting entity, including those privacy risks that could result from data breaches of any system operated by the reporting entity, as well as for determining approved project questions under subparagraph (D) to minimize the privacy risks to individuals affected by uses of the statistical output; and(2) the National Secure Data Service demonstration project shall implement reasonable measures commensurate with the risks to individuals’ privacy to achieve the outcomes under subparagraphs (A) through (E) of paragraph (1), which may include the appropriate application of privacy-enhancing technologies and appropriate measures to minimize or prevent reidentification risks consistent with any applicable guidance or regulations issued under subchapter III of chapter 35 of title 44.
-
(i) There are authorized to be appropriated to the Director to carry out this subsection $9,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.
-
Subject to the availability of appropriated funds, the Director shall achieve the purposes described in section 19102 of this title by making awards through the Directorate that—
-
In carrying out the activities under the Directorate, the Director shall ensure the programmatic work of the Directorate and Foundation—
-
(a) The Director shall appoint an Assistant Director responsible for the management of the Directorate established under this part, in the same manner as other Assistant Directors of the Foundation are appointed.
-
(b) The Assistant Director shall be an individual, who by reason of professional background and experience, is specially qualified to—(1) advise the Director on all matters pertaining to use-inspired and translational research, development, and commercialization at the Foundation, including partnership with the private sector and other users of Foundation funded research; and(2) develop and implement the necessary policies and procedures to promote a culture of use-inspired and translational research within the Directorate and across the Foundation and carry out the responsibilities under subsection (c).
-
(1) advise the Director on all matters pertaining to use-inspired and translational research, development, and commercialization at the Foundation, including partnership with the private sector and other users of Foundation funded research; and
-
(c) The responsibilities of the Assistant Director shall include—(1) advising the Director on all matters pertaining to use-inspired and translational research and development activities at the Foundation, including effective practices for convergence research, and the potential impact of Foundation research on United States societal, national and geostrategic challenges;(2) identifying opportunities for and facilitating coordination and collaboration, where appropriate, on use-inspired and translational research, development, adoption, and commercialization—(A) among the offices, directorates, and divisions within the Foundation; and(B) between the Foundation and stakeholders in academia, the private sector, including non-profit entities, labor organizations, Federal or State agencies, and international entities, as appropriate;(3) ensuring that the activities carried out under this part do not substantially and unnecessarily duplicate activities supported by other parts of the Foundation or other relevant Federal agencies;(4) approving all new programs within the Directorate;(5) developing and testing diverse merit-review models and mechanisms for selecting and providing awards for use-inspired and translational research and development at different scales, from individual investigator awards to large multi-institution collaborations;(6) assessing the success of programs;(7) administering awards to achieve the purposes described in section 19102 of this title; and(8) performing other such duties pertaining to the purposes in section 19102 of this title as are required by the Director.
-
(1) advising the Director on all matters pertaining to use-inspired and translational research and development activities at the Foundation, including effective practices for convergence research, and the potential impact of Foundation research on United States societal, national and geostrategic challenges;
-
(8) performing other such duties pertaining to the purposes in section 19102 of this title as are required by the Director.
-
(e) No other directorate within the Foundation shall report to the Assistant Director.
-
(a) In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.)1 the Director shall establish an advisory committee to assess, and make recommendations regarding, the activities carried out under this part.
-
(4) other relevant issues as determined by the Director.
-
(a) In consultation with the Assistant Director, the Board, and the interagency working group established under part D of subchapter VI, the Director shall identify, and annually review and update as appropriate, a list of—(1) not more than 5 United States societal, national, and geostrategic challenges that may be addressed by technology to guide activities under this part; and(2) not more than 10 key technology focus areas to guide activities under this part.
-
(1) In updating the list under subsection (a)(1), the Director shall evaluate national and global technology trends.
-
(2) In updating the list under subsection (a)(2), the Director shall consider the impact of the selected technologies on United States societal, national, and geostrategic challenges.
-
(4) Nothing under this section shall prevent the Director from making limited investments in technologies or areas not identified in subsection (a)(1) or subsection (a)(2).
-
(e) The Director, in coordination with the interagency working group established under part D of subchapter VI and in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, shall annually review and update as appropriate, the list of key technology focus areas for purposes of this division. As part of the annual review, the Director—(1) shall consider input from relevant industries and stakeholders;(2) may consider the challenges and recommendations identified in the reports required by sections 6615 and 6615b of this title, as added by section 10611 and 10613 of this division and in other relevant reports, such as technology and global trend reports from the defense and intelligence communities;(3) shall consider the potential impact of the key technology focus areas on addressing societal, national, and geostrategic challenges; and(4) subject to the limitation under subsection (a), may add or delete key technology focus areas in light of shifting national needs or competitive threats to the United States (including for reasons of the United States or other countries having advanced or fallen behind in a technological area).
-
(f) At the conclusion of the annual review and update process required by subsection (e), the Director, in consultation with other Federal research agencies, as appropriate, shall deliver a report to Congress detailing—(1) the key technology focus areas and rationale for their selection;(2) the societal, national, and geostrategic challenges and rationale for their selection;(3) the role of the Foundation in advancing the key technology focus areas;(4) the impact, including to the academic research community, of any changes to the key technology focus areas; and(5) the activities and partnerships between the Directorate and the private sector.
-
(h) Not later than 5 years after August 9, 2022, the Director shall contract with the National Academies to conduct a review of the key technology focus areas and the societal, national, and geostrategic challenges, including—(1) an assessment of their selection process;(2) an assessment of their relevance to the purposes of the Directorate, including to solving challenges with social, economic, health, scientific, and national security implications;(3) a review of whether Federal investment in the key technology focus areas have resulted in new domestic manufacturing capacity and job creation;(4) an assessment of any critical, new emerging areas;(5) an assessment of Federal investments in education and workforce development to support the key technology focus areas; and(6) an assessment of relative balance in leadership in addressing the key technology focus areas between the United States, allied and partner countries, and the People’s Republic of China.
-
(a) From amounts made available to the Directorate, the Director shall make awards to eligible entities for the planning, establishment, and support of Regional Innovation Engines.
-
(6) reimburse, in part or in whole, the cost of instrumentation, technology transfer, and commercialization activities, including patenting and licensing, and for operations and staff, as the Director determines appropriate.
-
(d) In making awards under this part, the Director shall consider, in addition to the scientific and technical merit of the proposal, the extent to which the activities and locations proposed—(1) have the potential to create an innovation ecosystem, or enhance existing ecosystems and contribute to job creation in a region;(2) demonstrate a capacity to engage and partner with multiple types of institutions of higher education, industry, labor, nonprofit organizations, civil society organizations, other Federal agencies, Federal laboratories, State, local, and Tribal governments, and other appropriate organizations, including to inform research directions and account for ethical, societal, safety, and security implications relevant to the potential applications of the research;(3) demonstrate a capacity to broaden participation of populations historically underrepresented in STEM in the activities of the Regional Innovation Engine; and(4) demonstrate a plan and capability to prevent the inappropriate use or dissemination of the research and technology, including research results, data, and intellectual property, as appropriate and consistent with the requirements of the relevant award.
-
(ix) other entities to be vital to the success of the program, as determined by the Director;
-
(3) In making awards under this section, the Director shall encourage applicants for a Regional Innovation Engine that include multiple regional partners as described in subsection (e)(2).
-
(4) In making awards under this section, the Director shall take into consideration the extent to which the proposals expand the geographic distribution of the Regional Innovation Engines, including by giving special consideration to rural-serving institutions of higher education.
-
(5) The Director shall ensure that any eligible entity receiving an award under this section shall—(A) provide information on relevant currently existing resources available to the proposing team from all internal and external sources, including all partner organizations; and(B) include letters of collaboration from partner organizations that include information on resource contributions committed by such partners.
-
(2) An established Regional Innovation Engine may apply for, and the Director may award, extended funding for periods of 5 years on a merit-reviewed basis.
-
(h) In making awards under this section, the Director shall—(1) use a competitive, merit review process that includes peer review by a diverse group of individuals with relevant expertise from both the private and public sectors; and(2) ensure the focus areas of the Regional Innovation Engines do not substantially and unnecessarily duplicate the efforts of any other Regional Innovation Engine or any other similar effort at another Federal agency.
-
(i) In making awards under this section, the Director may collaborate with Federal departments and agencies whose missions contribute to or are affected by the technology focus area of the institute.
-
(a) The Director shall establish Translation Accelerators to further the research, development, and commercialization of innovation in the key technology focus areas.
-
(E) Another entity, if that entity is determined by the Director to be vital to the success of the program.
-
(2) The Director shall work to ensure that such partnerships exist at the institutional or organization level, rather than solely at the principal investigator level.
-
(4) The Director shall endeavor to establish a balance in the number of Regional Innovation Engines and Translation Accelerators.
-
(1) From amounts made available for the Directorate, the Director, in coordination with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Secretary of Energy, and other Federal agencies, as determined appropriate by the Director, shall establish a program in the Directorate to make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, or consortia thereof to establish and operate test beds, which may include fabrication facilities and cyberinfrastructure, to advance the development, operation, integration, deployment, and, as appropriate, demonstration of new, innovative critical technologies, which may include hardware or software.
-
(2) In establishing new test beds under this section, the Director shall ensure coordination with other test beds supported by the Foundation or other Federal agencies to avoid duplication and maximize the use of Federal resources.
-
(b) An applicant for an award under this section shall submit a proposal to the Director, at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director may reasonably require. The proposal shall, at a minimum, describe—(1) the technology or technologies that will be the focus of the test bed;(2) the goals of the work to be done at the test bed;(3) how the applicant will assemble a workforce with the skills needed to operate the test bed;(4) how the applicant will ensure broad access to the test bed;(5) how the applicant will collaborate with firms in critical technologies, including through coordinated research and development and funding, to ensure that work in the test bed will contribute to the commercial viability of any technologies and will include collaboration from industry and labor organizations;(6) how the applicant will encourage the participation of inventors and entrepreneurs and the development of new businesses;(7) how the applicant will increase participation by populations that are underrepresented in STEM;(8) how the applicant will demonstrate that the commercial viability of any new technologies will support the creation of high-quality domestic jobs;(9) how the test bed will operate after Federal funding has ended;(10) how the test bed will disseminate lessons and other technical information to United States entities or allied or partner country entities in the United States; and(11) how the applicant plans to take measures to prevent the inappropriate use of research results, data, and intellectual property, as applicable and consistent with the requirements of the award.
-
(d) In selecting award recipients under this section, the Director shall consider the extent to which proposals would expand the geographic diversity of test beds.
-
(a) Under the program established in section 1862p–2 of this title and the activities authorized under this section, from amounts made available to the Directorate, the Director, in coordination with other Federal agencies as determined appropriate by the Director, shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to advance the development, adoption, and commercialization of technologies, consistent with the purposes of the Directorate under section 19102 of this title.
-
(e) An eligible entity seeking funding under this section shall submit an application to the Director at such time, in such manner, and containing such information and assurances as such Director may require. The application shall include, at a minimum, a description of—(1) how the eligible entity submitting an application plans to sustain the proposed activities beyond the duration of the award;(2) the steps the applicant will take to enable technology transfer and adoption and why such steps are likely to be effective;(3) how the applicant will encourage the training and participation of students and potential entrepreneurs and the transition of research results to practice, including the development of new businesses;(4) as relevant, potential steps to drive economic growth in a particular region, by collaborating with industry, venture capital entities, non-profit organizations, and State and local governments within that region; and(5) background information that the Director determines is relevant to demonstrate the success of the innovation and entrepreneurship support models proposed by the applicant to commercialize technologies.
-
(5) background information that the Director determines is relevant to demonstrate the success of the innovation and entrepreneurship support models proposed by the applicant to commercialize technologies.
-
(1) The Director shall make awards under this section to eligible entities to establish collaborative innovation resource centers that promote regional technology transfer and technology development activities available to more than one institution of higher education and to other entities in a region.
-
(g) The Director shall establish—(1) metrics related to commercialization for an award under this section; and(2) a reporting schedule for recipients of such awards that takes into account both short- and long-term goals of the programs under this section.
-
(h) The Director shall ensure regional and geographic diversity in issuing awards under this section.
-
(a) The Director, acting through the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships, shall award fellowships to scientists and engineers to help develop leaders capable of maturing promising ideas and technologies from lab to market or other use and forge connections between academic research and the government, industry, financial sectors, and other end users.
-
(b) An applicant for a fellowship under this section shall submit to the Director an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director may require. At a minimum, the Director shall require that applicants—(1) have completed a doctoral degree in a STEM field no more than 5 years prior to the date of the application, or have otherwise demonstrated significant postbaccalaureate scientific research experience and are considered early career, according to requirements established by the Director; and(2) have included in the application a proposal for how the fellow will be embedded in a host institution’s research environment.
-
(d) The Director may enter into an agreement with a qualified third-party entity to administer the fellowships, subject to the provisions of this section.
-
(e) There are authorized to be appropriated to the Director a total of $125,000,000 for fiscal years 2023 through 2027, to carry out the activities outlined in this section.
-
(a) The Director, acting through the Directorate, shall fund undergraduate scholarships (including at community colleges), graduate fellowships and traineeships, and postdoctoral awards in the key technology focus areas.
-
(b) The Director may carry out subsection (a) by making awards—(1) directly to students; and(2) to institutions of higher education or consortia of institutions of higher education, including those institutions or consortia involved in operating Regional Innovation Engines established under section 19108 of this title.
-
(c) In carrying out this section, the Director shall take steps to increase the participation of populations that are underrepresented in STEM, which may include—(1) establishing or augmenting programs targeted at populations that are underrepresented in STEM;(2) supporting traineeships or other relevant programs at historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities, and minority-serving institutions;(3) enabling low-income populations to pursue associate, undergraduate, or graduate level degrees in STEM;(4) addressing current and expected gaps in the availability or skills of the STEM workforce, or addressing needs of the STEM workforce, including by increasing educational capacity at institutions and by prioritizing awards to United States citizens, permanent residents, and individuals that will grow the domestic workforce; and(5) addressing geographic diversity in the STEM workforce.
-
(d) In carrying out this section, the Director shall encourage innovation in graduate education, including through encouraging institutions of higher education to offer graduate students opportunities to gain experience in industry or Government as part of their graduate training, and through support for students in professional master’s programs related to the key technology focus areas or to the societal, national, and geostrategic challenges.
-
(e) Subject to the availability of funds to carry out this section, the Director shall—(1) issue—(A) postdoctoral awards,(B) graduate fellowships and traineeships, inclusive of the NSF Research Traineeships and fellowships awarded under the Graduate Research Fellowship Program; and(C) scholarships, including undergraduate scholarships, research experiences, and internships, including—(i) scholarships to attend community colleges; and(ii) research experiences and internships under sections 1862p–5, 1862p–6, and 1862p–7 of this title;(2) ensure that not less than 10 percent of the funds made available to carry out this section are used to support additional awards that focus on community college training, education, and teaching programs that increase the participation of populations that are historically underrepresented in STEM, including technical programs through programs such as the Advanced Technological Education program; and(3) if funds remain after carrying out paragraphs (1) and (2) make awards to institutions of higher education to enable the institutions to fund the development and establishment of new or specialized programs of study for graduate, undergraduate, or technical college students and the evaluation of the effectiveness of those programs of study.
-
(1) The Director shall award scholarships to low-income individuals to enable such individuals to pursue associate, undergraduate, or graduate level degrees in STEM fields.
-
(iii) shall certify to the Director that the individual intends to use amounts received under the scholarship to enroll or continue enrollment at an institution of higher education (as defined in section 1001(a) of title 20) in order to pursue an associate, undergraduate, or graduate level degree in STEM fields designated by the Director.
-
(B) Awards of scholarships under this subsection shall be made by the Director solely on the basis of the ability of the applicant, except that in any case in which 2 or more applicants for scholarships are deemed by the Director to be possessed of substantially equal ability, and there are not sufficient scholarships available to award one to each of such applicants, the available scholarship or scholarships shall be awarded to the applicants in a manner that will tend to result in a geographically wide distribution throughout the United States recipients’ places of permanent residence.
-
(g) The Director may use or augment existing STEM education programs of the Foundation and leverage education or entrepreneurial partners to carry out this section.
-
(a) From amounts made available for the Directorate, the Director shall make awards, on a competitive basis, for research and technology development within the key technology focus areas, including investments that advance solutions to the challenges under section 19107 of this title.
-
(c) Recipients of funds under this section may include institutions of higher education, research institutions, non-profit organizations, private sector entities, consortia, or other entities as defined by the Director.
-
(e) The Director shall also make awards, including through the SBIR and STTR programs (as defined in section 638(e) of title 15), to expedite short-term technology deployment within a period of no longer than 24 months.
-
(f) In selecting recipients for an award under this section, the Director shall consider, at a minimum—(1) the relevance of the project to the challenges and the key technology focus areas under section 19107 of this title, and the potential of the project to result in transformational advances for such challenges and the key technology focus areas;(2) the current status of similar technology, the limits of current practice, and the novelty and risks of the proposed project;(3) the ethical, societal, safety, and security implications relevant to the application of the technology;(4) the appropriateness of quantitative goals and metrics for evaluating the project and a plan for evaluating those metrics; and(5) the path for developing and, as appropriate, commercializing the technology into products and processes in the United States.
-
(a) Taking into consideration the recommendations under section 18991(a)(4) of this title, the Director shall make awards, on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis, to establish multidisciplinary Centers for Transformative Education Research and Translation (in this section referred to as “Centers”) to support research and development on widespread and sustained implementation of STEM education innovations.
-
(c) An eligible entity under subsection (b) seeking an award under this section shall submit an application to the Director at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director may require. The application shall include, at a minimum, a description of how the proposed Center will be used to—(1) establish partnerships among academic institutions, local or State educational agencies, and other relevant stakeholders in supporting programs and activities to facilitate the widespread and sustained implementation of promising, evidence-based STEM education practices, models, programs, curriculum, and technologies;(2) support enhanced STEM education infrastructure, including cyberlearning technologies, to facilitate the widespread adoption of promising, evidence-based practices;(3) support research and development on scaling practices, partnerships, and alternative models to current approaches, including approaches sensitive to the unique combinations of capabilities, resources, and needs of varying localities, educators, and learners;(4) include a focus on the learning needs of under-resourced schools and learners in low-resource or underachieving local educational agencies in urban and rural communities and the development of high-quality curriculum that engages these learners in the knowledge and practices of STEM fields;(5) include a focus on the learning needs and unique challenges facing students with disabilities;(6) support research, development, or education on one or more of the key technology focus areas;(7) support research and development on scaling practices and models to support and sustain highly-qualified STEM educators in urban and rural communities; and(8) at the discretion of the Director, any other requirements recommended in the study commissioned under section 18991(a) of this title.
-
(8) at the discretion of the Director, any other requirements recommended in the study commissioned under section 18991(a) of this title.
-
(d) In making an award under this section, the Director may also consider the extent to which the proposed Center will—(1) leverage existing collaborations, tools, and strategies supported by the Foundation, including NSF INCLUDES and the Convergence Accelerators;(2) support research on and the development and scaling of innovative approaches to distance learning and education for various student populations;(3) support education innovations that leverage new technologies or deepen understanding of the impact of technology on educational systems; and(4) include a commitment from local or State education administrators to making the proposed reforms and activities a priority.
-
(e) In carrying out the program under this section, the Director shall explore opportunities to partner with the Department of Education, including through jointly funding activities under this section.
-
(h) The Director may use existing NSF programs to establish and execute this section.
-
(i) Not later than 5 years after August 9, 2022, the Director shall submit to Congress and make widely available to the public a report that includes—(1) a description of the focus and proposed goals of each Center;(2) an assessment, based on a common set of benchmarks and tools, of the Centers’ success in helping to promote scalable solutions in PreK–12 STEM education; and(3) any recommendations for administrative and legislative action that could optimize the effectiveness of the Centers established under this section.
-
In addition to existing authorities available to the Foundation, the Director may exercise the following authorities in carrying out the activities under this part:
-
(A) The Director may designate individuals to serve as program directors for the programs established within the Directorate pursuant to the responsibilities established under subparagraph (B). The Director shall ensure that program directors—(i) have expertise in one or more of the challenges and key technology focus areas under section 19107 of this title; and(ii) come from a variety of backgrounds, including industry, and from a variety of institutions of higher education.
-
(B) A program director of a program of the Directorate, in consultation with the Assistant Director, shall be responsible for—(i) establishing research and development goals for the program, including through the convening of workshops, conferring with a broad range of stakeholders and outside experts, taking into account relevant expert reports, and publicizing the goals of the program to the public and private sectors;(ii) surveying a wide range of institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, and private entities to identify emerging trends in the challenges and key technology focus areas under section 19107 of this title, and, as appropriate, soliciting proposals from such entities to conduct research in areas of particular promise that the private sector is the not likely to undertake independently.1(iii) facilitating research collaborations in the challenges and key technology focus areas under section 19107 of this title, including connecting academic researchers with potential end-users of technology, including industry, labor organizations, nonprofit organizations, civil society organizations, and other relevant organizations;(iv) reviewing applications for projects submitted under section 19114 of this title according to the Merit Review Criteria established by the Director for such projects and described in the Foundation’s Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, and any such additional criteria as determined by the Director; and(v) monitoring the progress of projects supported under the program and taking into account input from relevant experts and stakeholders, recommending program updates as needed.
-
(iv) reviewing applications for projects submitted under section 19114 of this title according to the Merit Review Criteria established by the Director for such projects and described in the Foundation’s Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, and any such additional criteria as determined by the Director; and
-
(C) Program directors may use diverse merit review models for selection of award recipients under section 19114 of this title, including internal review and different models that use peer review.
-
(ii) The Director may, in the case of a particular employee under the program under subparagraph (A), extend the period to which service is limited under clause (i) by up to 2 years if the Director determines that such action is necessary to promote the efficiency of the Foundation.
-
(A) The Foundation may carry out a program using the authority provided in subparagraph (B) in order to attract highly qualified experts in needed occupations, as determined by the Foundation. Individuals hired by the Director through such authority may include individuals with expertise in business creativity, innovation management, design thinking, entrepreneurship, venture capital, and related fields.
-
(5) To the extent needed to carry out the duties under paragraph (1)(A), the Director is authorized to utilize hiring authorities under section 3372 of title 5 to staff the Foundation with employees from other Federal agencies, State and local governments, Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations, institutions of higher education, and other organizations, as described in that section, in the same manner and subject to the same conditions, that apply to such individuals utilized to accomplish other missions of the Foundation.
-
(A) Not later than 30 days after August 9, 2022, the Director shall contract with the National Academy of Public Administration to conduct a study on the organizational and management structure of the Foundation, to—(i) evaluate and make recommendations to efficiently and effectively implement the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships; and(ii) evaluate and make recommendations to ensure coordination of the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships with other directorates and offices of the Foundation and other Federal agencies.
-
(a) In carrying out the activities of the Directorate, the Director shall coordinate and collaborate as appropriate with the Secretary of Energy, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the heads of other Federal research agencies, as appropriate, to further the goals of this part.
-
(b) The Director shall ensure, to the greatest extent practicable, that activities carried out by the Directorate are not duplicative of activities supported by other parts of the Foundation or other relevant Federal agencies. In carrying out the activities prescribed by this division, the Director shall coordinate with the interagency working group established under part D of subchapter VI and heads of other Federal research agencies to ensure these activities enhance and complement, but do not constitute unnecessary duplication of effort and to ensure the responsible stewardship of funds.
-
(c) After completion of the studies regarding emerging technologies conducted by the Secretary of Commerce under title XV of division FF of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116–260), the Director shall consider the results of such studies in carrying out the activities of the Directorate.
-
The Director shall engage, as appropriate, experts in the social dimensions of science and technology and set up formal avenues for public input, as appropriate, to ensure that ethical, legal, and societal considerations are taken into account in the priorities and activities of the Directorate, including in the selection of the challenges and key technology focus areas under section 19107 of this title and the award-making process, and throughout all stages of supported projects.
-
(b) Not later than 1 year after August 9, 2022, the Director shall provide to the relevant authorizing and appropriations committees of Congress a roadmap describing the strategic vision that the Directorate will use to guide investment decisions over the following 3 years.
-
(c) Not later than 1 year after August 9, 2022, and every 3 years thereafter, the Director, in consultation with the heads of relevant Federal agencies, shall prepare and submit to Congress—(1) a strategic vision for the next 5 years for the Directorate, including a description of how the Foundation will increase funding for research and education for populations underrepresented in STEM and geographic areas; and(2) a description of the planned activities of the Directorate to secure federally funded science and technology pursuant to section 1746 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 116–92; 42 U.S.C. 6601 note) and section 6605 of this title and the requirements under part D of this subchapter and subtitle E of title VI.
-
(d) Not later than 24 months after the establishment of the Directorate, the Director shall prepare and submit a report to Congress regarding the use of alternative methods for the selection of award recipients and the distribution of funding to recipients, as compared to the traditional peer review process.
-
(a) After the Directorate has been in operation for 6 years, the Director shall enter into an agreement with the National Academies to provide an evaluation of how well the Directorate is achieving the purposes identified in section 19102 of this title.
Citations to §18921(2)
-
(A) awarding grants to assist institutions of higher education that have an enrollment of needy students, historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and minority-serving institutions, to establish or expand cybersecurity programs, to build and upgrade institutional capacity to better support new or existing cybersecurity programs, including cybersecurity partnerships with public and private entities, and to support such institutions on the path to producing qualified entrants in the cybersecurity workforce or becoming a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity; and
-
(B) awarding grants to build capacity at institutions of higher education that have an enrollment of needy students, historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and minority-serving institutions, to expand cybersecurity education opportunities, cybersecurity programs, cybersecurity research, and cybersecurity partnerships with public and private entities.
Citations to §18921(3)
-
(4) creating a framework for managing risks associated with artificial intelligence systems; and
-
(2) align with or build on the National Initiative on Cybersecurity Education Cybersecurity Workforce Framework wherever practicable and applicable;
-
(2) utilizes the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Cybersecurity Workforce Framework (NIST Special Publication 800–181), or other frameworks, as appropriate, to enable a consistent measurement of the cybersecurity workforce;
-
(2) develop a set of standard risk assessment frameworks and best practices, relevant to the research community, to assess research security risks in different contexts;
-
(B) advancing novel approaches and reducing barriers to technology transfer, including through intellectual property frameworks between academia and industry, nonprofit entities, venture capital communities, and approaches to technology transfer for applications with public benefit that may not rely on traditional commercialization tools; and
Citations to §18921(4)
-
(D) foster collaboration among academic researchers, private sector stakeholders, and State, Tribal, territorial, and local officials in the use of Institute testbeds as described in subsection (c);
-
(B) develop an approach for testing software and cloud-based biometrics applications, including remote systems, in Institute test facilities;
-
(1) expanding the Institute’s capabilities, including scientific staff and research infrastructure;
-
(a) In this section, the term “nongovernmental standards development organization” means a nongovernmental standards development organization (as defined in section 2(e) of the Office of Management and Budget Circular A–119 (relating to Federal participation in the development and use of voluntary consensus standards in conformity assessment activities), or any successor document) that adheres to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Essential Requirements for Due Process for American National Standards.
-
(1) The National Supply Chain Database, and any information contained therein that is not publicly released by the Institute, shall be exempt from public disclosure under section 552(b)(3) of title 5.
-
(3) Upon submitting the report required in paragraph (2), the Director, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the heads of other agencies with appropriate scientific knowledge, is authorized to establish a Federal artificial intelligence scholarship-for-service program (referred to in this section as the Federal AI Scholarship-for-Service Program) to recruit and train artificial intelligence professionals to lead and support the application of artificial intelligence to the missions of Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments.
-
(1) collaborate with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, including the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, the Office of Personnel Management, and other Federal departments and agencies, as appropriate;
-
The Director, acting through the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics established in section 1862p of this title and in coordination with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and other appropriate Federal statistical agencies, shall establish a cybersecurity workforce data initiative that—
-
(a) In this section the term “Confucius Institute” means a cultural institute established as a partnership between a United States institution of higher education and a Chinese institution of higher education to promote and teach Chinese language and culture that is funded, directly or indirectly, by the Government of the People’s Republic of China.
-
(b) Except as provided in subsection (d), none of the funds made available to the Foundation under this division or division A, or an amendment made by this division or division A, may be obligated or expended to an institution of higher education that maintains a contract or agreement between the institution and a Confucius Institute, unless the Director, after consultation with the National Academies, determines such a waiver is appropriate in accordance with subsection (c).
-
(c) The Director, after consultation with the National Academies, may issue a waiver for an institution of higher education that maintains a contract or agreement between the institution and a Confucius Institute if such contract or agreement includes clear provisions that—(1) protect academic freedom at the institution;(2) prohibit the application of any foreign law on any campus of the institution;(3) grant full managerial authority of the Confucius Institute to the institution, including full control over what is being taught, the activities carried out, the research awards that are made, and who is employed at the Confucius Institute; and(4) prohibit co-location with the institution’s Chinese language, history, and cultural programs and require separate promotional materials.
-
(A) The Director, in consultation with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Secretary of Energy, and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall establish a pilot program to make awards to ensure the security of federally supported research data and to assist regional institutions of higher education and their researchers in compliance with regulations regarding the safeguarding of sensitive information and other relevant regulations and Federal guidelines.
-
(i) In making awards under this section, the Director may collaborate with Federal departments and agencies whose missions contribute to or are affected by the technology focus area of the institute.
-
(3) Not less than 25 percent of the funding for an institute shall be provided by non-Federal entities.
-
(1) From amounts made available for the Directorate, the Director, in coordination with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Secretary of Energy, and other Federal agencies, as determined appropriate by the Director, shall establish a program in the Directorate to make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, or consortia thereof to establish and operate test beds, which may include fabrication facilities and cyberinfrastructure, to advance the development, operation, integration, deployment, and, as appropriate, demonstration of new, innovative critical technologies, which may include hardware or software.
-
(a) In carrying out the activities of the Directorate, the Director shall coordinate and collaborate as appropriate with the Secretary of Energy, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the heads of other Federal research agencies, as appropriate, to further the goals of this part.
Citations to §18921(5)
-
(7) coordinate with international partners, including international standards organizations, to maintain global greenhouse gas measurement technical standards.
-
(E) support for activities to encourage the adoption of technical standards developed in the United States to be adopted by international standards organizations; and
-
(c) The Director shall support education and workforce development efforts to promote United States participation in international standards organizations. The Director shall—(1) identify and create, as appropriate, technical standards education and training resources for interested businesses, industry associations, academia, nonprofit organizations, Federal agencies, and other relevant standards contributors, including activities targeted at integrating standards content into undergraduate and graduate curricula in science, engineering, business, public policy, and law;(2) conduct outreach, including to private sector leaders, to support engagement by more United States stakeholders in international technical standards development; and(3) other activities determined necessary by the Director to support increased engagement, influence, and leadership of United States organizations in the development of international technical standards.
-
(1) The Director, in coordination with the Director of the National Science Foundation, and the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, as appropriate, shall establish or enter into cooperative agreements with appropriate nongovernmental organizations to establish a 5-year pilot program to award grants, on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis, to private sector entities, institutions of higher education, or nonprofit institutions based in the United States to support increased participation and leadership by small business and academic interests in international standards organizations.
-
(2) Grants awarded to eligible entities under this subsection may be used to cover reasonable costs, up to a specified ceiling set by the Director, of activities to support increased engagement and leadership of eligible entity employees in international standards organizations, which may include costs associated with—(A) travel;(B) education and training;(C) dues or fees related to participation in technical standards development activities; and(D) other such costs that the Director determines may reasonably support participation of the eligible entity in international standards organizations.
-
(D) other such costs that the Director determines may reasonably support participation of the eligible entity in international standards organizations.
-
(A) An assessment of the effectiveness of the pilot program for improving the participation of United States small businesses, United States institutions of higher education, or other nonprofit research institutions in international standards organizations, including—(i) the type of activities supported, including leadership roles;(ii) the international standards organizations participated in; and(iii) the technical areas covered by the activities.
-
(ii) the international standards organizations participated in; and
Citations to §18921(6)
-
(c) In carrying out activities authorized by this section, the Secretary shall ensure proper security controls are in place to protect sensitive information, as appropriate.
-
(a) The Director, in consultation with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Director of the National Science Foundation, the Secretary of Energy, and the heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate, shall carry out a measurement research program to inform the development or improvement of best practices, benchmarks, methodologies, procedures, and technical standards for the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions and to assess and improve the performance of greenhouse gas emissions measurement systems placed in situ and on space-based platforms.
-
(5) in coordination with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Secretary of Energy, develop such standard reference materials as the Director determines is necessary to further the development of such technical standards, taking into account any existing United States or international standards;
-
(a) The Secretary, acting through the Director, shall establish a program to support measurement research to inform the development of best practices, benchmarks, methodologies, procedures, and voluntary, consensus-based technical standards for biometric identification systems, including facial recognition systems, to assess and improve the performance of such systems. In carrying out such program, the Director may—(1) conduct measurement research to support efforts to improve the performance of biometric identification systems, including in areas related to conformity assessment, image quality and interoperability, contactless biometric capture technologies, and human-in-the-loop biometric identification systems and processes;(2) convene and engage with relevant stakeholders to establish common definitions and characterizations for biometric identification systems, which may include accuracy, fairness, bias, privacy, consent, and other properties, taking into account definitions in relevant international technical standards and other publications;(3) carry out measurement research and testing on a range of biometric modalities, such as fingerprints, voice, iris, face, vein, behavioral biometrics, genetics, multimodal biometrics, and emerging applications of biometric identification technology;(4) study the use of privacy-enhancing technologies and other technical protective controls to facilitate access, as appropriate, to public data sets for biometric research;(5) conduct outreach and coordination to share technical expertise with relevant industry and nonindustry stakeholders and standards development organizations to assist such entities in the development of best practices and voluntary technical standards; and(6) develop such standard reference artifacts as the Director determines is necessary to further the development of such voluntary technical standards.
-
(a) The Secretary, acting through the Director, shall create a program, in consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency, for premise plumbing research, including to—(1) conduct metrology research on premise plumbing in relation to water safety, security, efficiency, sustainability, and resilience; and
-
(b) The Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director, shall establish a competitive program of grants for nongovernmental standards development organizations for the purposes described in subsection (c).
-
(a) The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Defense, and the heads of such other Federal agencies as the Secretary of Commerce considers relevant, shall coordinate with existing and new Manufacturing USA institutes to integrate covered entities as active members of the Manufacturing USA institutes, including through the development of preferences in selection criteria for proposals to create new Manufacturing USA institutes or renew existing Manufacturing USA institutes that include one or more covered entities.
-
(A) Each agency head (as such term is defined in section 278s(a) of title 15) and the Secretary of Defense shall, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, establish policies to promote the domestic production of technologies developed by the Manufacturing USA Network.
-
(e) The Secretary shall seek advice from the United States Manufacturing Council of the International Trade Administration of the Department of Commerce on matters concerning investment in and support of the manufacturing workforce within the Manufacturing USA Program.
-
(1) The Director, in coordination with the Secretary of Commerce, shall on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis, make awards to institutions of higher education and non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions and organizations) to establish partnerships to enhance and broaden participation in microelectronics education.
-
(a) In order to support advances in marine science, maritime domain awareness, and national security the Director, in consultation with the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and the Commandant of the Coast Guard, shall issue awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to support research that will accelerate innovation to advance unmanned maritime systems for the purpose of providing greater maritime domain awareness to the Nation.
-
(A) The Director, in consultation with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Secretary of Energy, and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall establish a pilot program to make awards to ensure the security of federally supported research data and to assist regional institutions of higher education and their researchers in compliance with regulations regarding the safeguarding of sensitive information and other relevant regulations and Federal guidelines.
-
(1) From amounts made available for the Directorate, the Director, in coordination with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Secretary of Energy, and other Federal agencies, as determined appropriate by the Director, shall establish a program in the Directorate to make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, or consortia thereof to establish and operate test beds, which may include fabrication facilities and cyberinfrastructure, to advance the development, operation, integration, deployment, and, as appropriate, demonstration of new, innovative critical technologies, which may include hardware or software.
-
(a) In carrying out the activities of the Directorate, the Director shall coordinate and collaborate as appropriate with the Secretary of Energy, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the heads of other Federal research agencies, as appropriate, to further the goals of this part.
-
(c) After completion of the studies regarding emerging technologies conducted by the Secretary of Commerce under title XV of division FF of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116–260), the Director shall consider the results of such studies in carrying out the activities of the Directorate.