Sec. 4. Innovation voucher pilot program
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Section 25 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 ( 15 U.S.C. 3720 ) is amended by adding at the end the following: The Secretary, acting through the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and in conjunction with the States, shall establish an innovation voucher pilot program to accelerate innovative activities and enhance the competitiveness of small and medium-sized manufacturers in the United States. The pilot program shall— foster collaborations between small and medium-sized manufacturers and research institutions; and enable small and medium-sized manufacturers to access technical expertise and capabilities that will lead to the development of innovative products or manufacturing processes, including through— research and development, including proof of concept, technical development, and compliance testing activities; early-stage product development, including engineering design services; and technology transfer and related activities.
The Secretary shall competitively award vouchers worth up to $20,000 to small and medium-sized manufacturers for use at eligible research institutions to acquire the services described in paragraph (1)(B). The Secretary shall streamline and simplify the application, administrative, and reporting procedures for vouchers administered under the program. Prior to awarding any vouchers under the program, the Secretary shall promulgate regulations— establishing criteria for the selection of recipients of awards under this subsection; establishing procedures regarding financial reporting and auditing— to ensure that awards are used for the purposes of the program; and that are in accordance with sound accounting practices; and describing any other policies, procedures, or information necessary to implement this subsection, including those intended to streamline and simplify the program in accordance with paragraph (3).
The Secretary may transfer funds appropriated to the Department of Commerce to other Federal agencies for the performance of services authorized under this subsection. All of the amounts appropriated to carry out this subsection for a fiscal year shall be used for vouchers awarded under this subsection, except that an eligible research institution performing the services described in paragraph (1)(B) may retain a percentage of any amount received from the Secretary under this subsection to defray administrative costs associated with the services.
The Secretary shall establish a single, fixed percentage for such purposes that will apply to all eligible research institutions. The Secretary may use centers established under section 25 of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act ( 15 U.S.C. 278k ) to provide information about the program established under this subsection and to conduct outreach to potential applicants, as appropriate. Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall transmit to Congress a plan that will serve as a guide for the activities of the program.
The plan shall include a description of the specific objectives of the program and the metrics that will be used in assessing progress toward those objectives. Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall transmit to Congress a report containing— a summary of the activities carried out under this subsection; an assessment of the impact of such activities on the innovative capacity of small and medium-sized manufacturers receiving assistance under the pilot program; and any recommendations for administrative and legislative action that could optimize the effectiveness of the pilot program.
To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary shall ensure that the activities carried out under this subsection are coordinated with, and do not duplicate the efforts of, other programs within the Federal Government. For the purposes of this subsection, the term eligible research institution means— an institution of higher education, as such term is defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1001(a) ); a Federal laboratory; a federally funded research and development center; or a Hollings Manufacturing Extension Center established under section 25 of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act ( 15 U.S.C. 278k ).
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the pilot program in this subsection $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018. .
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