---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 19194"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "19194"
heading: "Research awards"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/19194"
units:
  - "Chapter 163 — Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation"
  - "Subchapter V — Broadening Participation in Science"
  - "Part D — Combating Sexual Harassment in Science"
---

# §19194. Research awards

- (a) **In general—** The [Director](/usc/42/19184.md?p=1) shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or [nonprofit](/usc/42/300s–3.md?p=3) organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations)—
  - (1) to expand research efforts to better understand the factors contributing to, and consequences of, sex-based and sexual harassment affecting individuals in the [STEM](/usc/42/18901.md?p=27) workforce, including students and trainees; and
  - (2) to examine approaches to reduce the incidence and negative consequences of such harassment.
- (b) **Use of funds—** Activities funded by an award under this section may include—
  - (1) research on the sex-based and sexual harassment experiences of individuals, including in racial and ethnic minority groups, disabled individuals, foreign nationals, sexual-minority individuals, and others;
  - (2) development and assessment of policies, procedures, trainings, and interventions, with respect to sex-based and sexual harassment, conflict management, and ways to foster respectful and inclusive climates;
  - (3) research on approaches for remediating the negative impacts and outcomes of such harassment on individuals experiencing such harassment;
  - (4) support for institutions of higher education or [nonprofit](/usc/42/300s–3.md?p=3) organizations to develop, adapt, implement, and assess the impact of innovative, evidence-based strategies, policies, and approaches to policy implementation to prevent and address sex-based and sexual harassment;
  - (5) research on alternatives to the power dynamics, hierarchical, and dependent relationships, including but not limited to the mentor-mentee relationship, in academia that have been shown to create higher levels of risk for and lower levels of reporting of sex- based and sexual harassment; and
  - (6) establishing a [center](/usc/42/18901.md?p=17) for the ongoing compilation, management, and analysis of organizational climate survey data.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title V, § 10534, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1628.)