---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 19183"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "19183"
heading: "Capacity-building program for developing universities"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/19183"
units:
  - "Chapter 163 — Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation"
  - "Subchapter V — Broadening Participation in Science"
  - "Part C — MSI STEM Achievement"
---

# §19183. Capacity-building program for developing universities

- (a) **Awards—**
  - (1) **In general—** The [Director](/usc/42/19184.md?p=1) shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to eligible institutions described in [subsection (b)](#b) to support the mission of the [Foundation](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11) and to build institutional research capacity at eligible institutions.
  - (2) **Administration—** The [Director](/usc/42/19184.md?p=1) may administer separate competitions for each category of eligible institution described in subparagraphs [(A)](#b-1-A) through [(C)](#b-1-C) of subsection (b)(1) in order to ensure fair competition for institutions with significantly different research capacities.
- (b) **Eligible institutions—** To be eligible to receive an award under this subsection, an entity—
  - (1) shall be—
    - (A) a historically Black college or university;
    - (B) a [Tribal College or University](/usc/42/18901.md?p=30);
    - (C) a [minority-serving institution](/usc/42/18901.md?p=19);
    - (D) an [institution of higher education](/usc/42/18901.md?p=13) with an established [STEM](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27) capacity-building program focused on Native Hawaiians and Alaska Natives; or
    - (E) consortia thereof;
  - (2) shall—
    - (A) have not more than $50,000,000 in annual federally financed research and development expenditures for science and engineering as reported through the National Science [Foundation](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11) Higher Education Research and Development Survey; or
    - (B) not be an institution classified as having very high research activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
- (c) **Partnerships—** In making awards under this section, the [Director](/usc/42/19184.md?p=1) shall—
  - (1) encourage entities that are consortia of eligible institutions to submit proposals and require such proposals to include a plan for establishing a sustained partnership that is jointly developed and managed, draws from the capacities of each institution, and is mutually beneficial;
  - (2) encourage proposals submitted in partnership with the private sector, [nonprofit](/usc/42/300s–3.md?p=3) organizations, [Federal laboratories](/usc/42/18901.md?p=9), and international research institutions, as appropriate;
  - (3) require proposals described in paragraphs [(1)](#c-1) and [(2)](#c-2) to include a plan to strengthen the administrative and research capacity of the partnering [HBCUs](/usc/42/19184.md?p=2), [TCUs](/usc/42/19184.md?p=4), or [MSIs](/usc/42/19184.md?p=3) to lead future proposals.
- (d) **Very high research activity status Historically Black Colleges and Universities program—** Awards under this section may be used to enable [HBCUs](/usc/42/19184.md?p=2) which have high research activity status to achieve very high research activity status, as classified under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, by enabling—
  - (1) faculty professional development;
  - (2) stipends for graduate and undergraduate students, and postdoctoral scholars;
  - (3) acquisition of laboratory equipment and instrumentation; and
  - (4) other activities as necessary to build research capacity.
- (e) **Proposals—** To receive an award under this subsection, an eligible institution shall submit an application to the [Director](/usc/42/19184.md?p=1) at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the [Director](/usc/42/19184.md?p=1) may require, including—
  - (1) a plan that describes how the eligible institution will establish or expand research office capacity and how such award would be used to—
    - (A) conduct an assessment of capacity-building and research infrastructure needs of an eligible institution;
    - (B) enhance institutional resources to provide administrative research development support to faculty at an eligible institution;
    - (C) bolster the institutional research competitiveness of an eligible institution to support awards made by the [Foundation](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11);
    - (D) support the acquisition of instrumentation necessary to build research capacity at an eligible institution in research areas directly associated with the [Foundation](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11);
    - (E) increase capability of an eligible institution to move technology into the marketplace;
    - (F) increase engagement with industry to execute research through the SBIR and STTR programs (as such terms are defined in [section 638(e) of title 15](/usc/15/638.md?p=e)) and direct contracts at an eligible institution;
    - (G) enhance [STEM](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27) curriculum and research training opportunities at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels at an eligible institution;
    - (H) further faculty development initiatives and strengthen institutional research training infrastructure, capacity, and competitiveness of an eligible institution;
    - (I) address plans and prospects for long-term sustainability of institutional enhancements at an eligible institution resulting from the award including, if applicable, how the award may be leveraged by an eligible institution to build a broader base of support; and
    - (J) develop and implement mechanisms for institutions of higher education to partner with [HBCUs](/usc/42/19184.md?p=2), [TCUs](/usc/42/19184.md?p=4), and [MSIs](/usc/42/19184.md?p=3) on [STEM education](/usc/42/18901.md?p=28), including the facilitation of student exchanges, course and resource sharing, collaboration, and matriculation of students to either institution’s graduate programs, mentoring programs for students and junior faculty, joint research [projects](/usc/42/13641.md?p=2), and student access to graduate education; and
  - (2) as relevant, a plan, which shall be updated every three years, that describes the institution’s strategy to achieve very high research activity status, including making investments with institutional and non-Federal funds, to achieve that status within a decade of the [grant](/usc/42/19291.md?p=5) award, to the extent practicable.
- (f) **MSI Centers of Innovation—** Awards under this section may fund the establishment of not more than five [MSI](/usc/42/19184.md?p=3) [Centers](/usc/42/18901.md?p=17) of Innovation to leverage successes of [HBCUs](/usc/42/19184.md?p=2), [TCUs](/usc/42/19184.md?p=4), and [MSIs](/usc/42/19184.md?p=3) in [STEM education](/usc/42/18901.md?p=28) and research training of underrepresented minority students as models for other institutions, including both [HBCUs](/usc/42/19184.md?p=2), [TCUs](/usc/42/19184.md?p=4), and [MSIs](/usc/42/19184.md?p=3) and institutions of higher education that are not [HBCUs](/usc/42/19184.md?p=2), [TCUs](/usc/42/19184.md?p=4), or [MSIs](/usc/42/19184.md?p=3). Such [centers](/usc/42/18901.md?p=17) will be located on campuses of selected [HBCUs](/usc/42/19184.md?p=2), [TCUs](/usc/42/19184.md?p=4), or [MSIs](/usc/42/19184.md?p=3), and serve as incubators to allow institutions of higher education to experiment, pilot, evaluate, and scale up promising [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19).
- (g) **Awards—** Awards made under this subsection shall be for periods of three years and may be extended for periods of not more than five years.
- (h) **Authorization of appropriations—** There are authorized to be appropriated to the [Director](/usc/42/19184.md?p=1) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2023 and $250,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2027 to carry out the activities in this section and [section 19182 of this title](/usc/42/19182.md).
- (i) **Report on improving the research capacity at high research activity Historically Black Colleges and Universities—**
  - (1) **In general—** Not later than one year after August 9, 2022, the National Science and Technology Council shall prepare and submit a report that—
    - (A) identifies challenges and barriers to Federal [research and development awards](/usc/42/18901.md?p=25) for high research activity status [HBCUs](/usc/42/19184.md?p=2); and
    - (B) identifies recommendations for [Federal research agencies](/usc/42/18901.md?p=10) to sustainably boost the research capacity of high research activity status [HBCUs](/usc/42/19184.md?p=2) through awards-making authorities.
  - (2) **Report submission—** The National Science and Technology Council shall transmit the report required under [paragraph (1)](#i-1) to the [Director](/usc/42/19184.md?p=1), the [Administrator](/usc/42/4005.md?p=1) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the [Secretary](/usc/42/19291.md?p=8) of Agriculture, the [Secretary](/usc/42/19291.md?p=8) of Commerce, the [Secretary](/usc/42/19291.md?p=8) of Defense, the [Secretary](/usc/42/19291.md?p=8) of Energy, the [Secretary](/usc/42/19291.md?p=8) of Health and Human Services, and the heads of other such [agencies](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) as determined relevant by the National Science and Technology Council.
  - (3) **Information from Federal agencies—** The National Science and Technology Council may secure directly from a Federal [department](/usc/42/19291.md?p=2) or [agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) such information as the National Science and Technology Council considers necessary to prepare the report required under [paragraph (1)](#i-1). Upon a request from the National Science and Technology Council, the head of a Federal [department](/usc/42/19291.md?p=2) or [agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) shall furnish such information as is requested to the National Science and Technology Council.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title V, § 10524, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1623.)