---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 19105"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "19105"
heading: "Assistant Director"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/19105"
units:
  - "Chapter 163 — Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation"
  - "Subchapter III — National Science Foundation for the Future"
  - "Part G — Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships"
---

# §19105. Assistant Director

- (a) **In general—** The [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) shall appoint an Assistant [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) responsible for the management of the Directorate established under this part, in the same manner as other Assistant [Directors](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) of the [Foundation](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11) are appointed.
- (b) **Qualifications—** The Assistant [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) shall be an individual, who by reason of professional background and experience, is specially qualified to—
  - (1) advise the [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) on all matters pertaining to use-inspired and translational research, development, and commercialization at the [Foundation](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11), including partnership with the private sector and other users of [Foundation](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11) 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](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11) and carry out the responsibilities under [subsection (c)](#c).
- (c) **Responsibilities—** The responsibilities of the Assistant [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) shall include—
  - (1) advising the [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) on all matters pertaining to use-inspired and translational research and development activities at the [Foundation](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11), including effective [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19) for convergence research, and the potential impact of [Foundation](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11) 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](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11); and
    - (B) between the [Foundation](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11) and stakeholders in academia, the private sector, including non-profit entities, [labor organizations](/usc/42/18901.md?p=15), Federal or [State agencies](/usc/42/300s–3.md?p=12), 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](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11) or other relevant Federal [agencies](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1);
  - (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](/usc/42/19102.md); and
  - (8) performing other such duties pertaining to the purposes in [section 19102 of this title](/usc/42/19102.md) as are required by the [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1).
- (d) **Relationship to the Director—** The Assistant [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) shall report to the [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1).
- (e) **Relationship to other programs—** No other directorate within the [Foundation](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11) shall report to the Assistant [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1).

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10385, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1577.)