---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 18999"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "18999"
heading: "Programs to address the STEM workforce"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/18999"
units:
  - "Chapter 163 — Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation"
  - "Subchapter III — National Science Foundation for the Future"
  - "Part B — STEM Education"
---

# §18999. Programs to address the STEM workforce

- (a) **In general—** The [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) shall issue undergraduate scholarships, including at community colleges, graduate fellowships and traineeships, postdoctoral awards, and, as appropriate, other awards, to address [STEM](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27) workforce gaps, including for programs that recruit, retain, and advance students to a bachelor’s degree in a [STEM](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27) discipline concurrent with a secondary school diploma, such as through existing and new partnerships with [State](/usc/42/2021b.md?p=14) educational [agencies](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1).
- (b) **Postdoctoral professional development—** In carrying out this section, the [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) shall encourage innovation in postdoctoral professional development, support the development and diversity of the [STEM](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27) workforce, and study the impacts of such innovation and support. To do so, the [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) may use postdoctoral awards established under [subsection (a)](#a) or leveraged under [subsection (d)(1)](#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](/usc/42/2021b.md?p=14), local, and Tribal government research facilities.
- (c) **Direct hire authority—**
  - (1) **In general—** The head of any Federal [agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) may appoint, without regard to the provisions of subchapter I of [chapter 33](/usc/5/chptIII/sptB/ch33.md) of title 5, other than sections 3303 and 3328 of that title, a qualified candidate described in [paragraph (2)](#c-2) directly to a position in the competitive service with the Federal [agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) for which the candidate meets Office of Personnel Management qualification standards.
  - (2) **Fellowship or temporary rotational posting—** [Paragraph (1)](#c-1) applies with respect to a former [recipient](/usc/42/18901.md?p=24) of an award under this subsection who—
    - (A) earned a doctoral degree in a [STEM](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27) field from an [institution of higher education](/usc/42/18901.md?p=13); and
    - (B) successfully fulfilled the requirements of the fellowship or temporary rotational posting within a Federal [agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1).
  - (3) **Limitation—** The direct hire authority under this subsection shall be exercised with respect to a specific qualified candidate not later than 2 years after the date that the candidate completed the requirements related to the fellowship or temporary rotational posting described under this subsection.
- (d) **Existing programs—** In carrying out this section, the [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) 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](/usc/42/1862p–5.md), [1862p–6](/usc/42/1862p–6.md), and [1862p–7](/usc/42/1862p–7.md) 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.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10321, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1537.)