---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 18992"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "18992"
heading: "Undergraduate STEM education"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/18992"
units:
  - "Chapter 163 — Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation"
  - "Subchapter III — National Science Foundation for the Future"
  - "Part B — STEM Education"
---

# §18992. Undergraduate STEM education

- (a) **Research on STEM education and workforce needs—** The [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to four-year institutions of higher education or [nonprofit](/usc/42/300s–3.md?p=3) 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](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27) workforce and the factors that influence growth, retention, and development of that workforce;
  - (3) increase the size, diversity, capability, and flexibility of the [STEM](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27) workforce; and
  - (4) increase dissemination and widespread adoption of effective [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19) in undergraduate education and workforce development.
- (b) **Omitted—**
- (c) **Innovations in STEM education at community colleges—**
  - (1) **In general—** The [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) shall make awards on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis to institutions of higher education or [nonprofit](/usc/42/300s–3.md?p=3) 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](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27) 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](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27) courses;
    - (B) supporting research on effective [STEM](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27) teaching [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19) in community college settings;
    - (C) designing and developing new [STEM](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27) curricula;
    - (D) providing [STEM](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27) students with hands-on training and research experiences, internships, and other experiential learning opportunities;
    - (E) increasing access to high quality [STEM education](/usc/42/18901.md?p=28) through new technologies;
    - (F) re-skilling or up-skilling incumbent workers for new [STEM](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27) jobs;
    - (G) building [STEM](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27) career and seamless transfer pathways; and
    - (H) developing novel mechanisms to identify and recruit talent into [STEM](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27) programs, in particular talent from groups historically underrepresented in [STEM](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27).
  - (2) **Partnerships—** In carrying out activities under this subsection, the [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) shall encourage applications to develop, enhance, or expand cooperative [STEM education](/usc/42/18901.md?p=28) and training partnerships between institutions of higher education, industry, and [labor organizations](/usc/42/18901.md?p=15).
- (d) **Improving access to STEM education at career and technical education institutions—**
  - (1) **In general—** The [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education (including postsecondary vocational institutions) to support career and technical education in [STEM](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27) and computer science related fields.
  - (2) **Priority—** In making awards under this subsection, the [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) 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.
  - (3) **Career and technical education defined—** In this subsection, the term “career and technical education” has the meaning given that term in [section 2302 of title 20](/usc/20/2302.md).
- (e) **Course-based undergraduate research experiences—**
  - (1) **In general—** The [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) shall carry out a 4-year pilot program under which the [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education and [nonprofit](/usc/42/300s–3.md?p=3) organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to establish a total of not fewer than five [Centers](/usc/42/18901.md?p=17) to develop and scale up successful models for providing undergraduate students with hands-on, course-based research experiences.
  - (2) **Use of funds—** Awards made under this paragraph shall be used to—
    - (A) develop, assess, and disseminate models for providing undergraduate students with course-based research experiences across [STEM](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27) disciplines and education levels;
    - (B) identify and address opportunities and challenges in facilitating implementation across a broad range of institution types, including historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities, [minority serving institutions](/usc/42/19184.md?p=3) and community colleges;
    - (C) identify and develop best [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19) to address barriers for faculty, including institutional culture, resources, and incentive structures;
    - (D) identify and address factors that may facilitate or discourage participation by students from all backgrounds;
    - (E) provide faculty with curriculum, professional development, training, networking opportunities, and other support to enable the development, adaptation, or expansion of a course-based research experience; and
    - (F) collect data and carry out research to evaluate the impacts of course-based undergraduate research experiences on the [STEM](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27) workforce.
  - (3) **Partnerships—** In making awards under this paragraph, the [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) shall consider the extent to which the proposed [Center](/usc/42/18901.md?p=17) will establish partnerships among multiple types of academic institutions, including community colleges, [emerging research institutions](/usc/42/18901.md?p=5), [EPSCoR institutions](/usc/42/18901.md?p=8), historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities, and [minority-serving institutions](/usc/42/18901.md?p=19), 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](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19), models, programs, and curriculum.
  - (4) **Report—** Not later than 180 days after the date on which the pilot program is completed, the [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) 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](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27) graduates; and
    - (B) if determined to be effective, a plan for permanent implementation of the pilot program.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10312, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1516.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Codification

Section is comprised of section 10312 of div. B of Pub. L. 117–167. Subsec. (b) of section 10312 of div. B of Pub. L. 117–167 amended section 1862i of this title. Subsec. (f) of section 10312 of div. B of Pub. L. 117–167 amended sections 1862h, 1862i, and 1862j of this title.