Sec. 103. Administrative burdens in federally sponsored research
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The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall convene a subcommittee on research productivity under the Committee on Science of the National Science and Technology Council, consistent with the Committee’s charter obligation to increase the productivity of federally sponsored research efforts. The subcommittee shall consist, at a minimum, of representatives from the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, and the Office of Management and Budget.
The subcommittee shall develop and propose for adoption by the Federal science agencies, recommendations for reducing the costs and administrative burdens associated with competing for, completing, and reporting on Federal research grants. The recommendations may include changes to the requirements, procedures, and documentation for— grant proposal submission, such as collecting information only if necessary for merit review; conflict of interest reporting; budget reports, such as by making the requirements commensurate to the size of the Federal grant awarded; annual progress reports, such as by making the requirements commensurate to the size of the Federal grant awarded and to the level of risk; and meeting the regulations established by the major Federal research agencies and the Office of Management and Budget, including those regulations relating to training, Institutional Review Boards, payroll certification, and budget auditing.
The subcommittee shall— compile and periodically update a list of all Federal regulations and requirements that apply to federally sponsored research and development activities research grants; evaluate the Federal regulations and requirements based on criteria such as the severity and likelihood of the risks addressed and the benefits to safety and research integrity relative to the costs imposed; based on the evaluation under paragraph (2), make recommendations for reducing any costs or administrative burden imposed by Federal regulations and requirements, including if appropriate— modifying, repealing, or creating specific exemptions to the Federal regulations or requirements; and harmonizing overlapping or redundant research regulations or requirements across Federal science agencies; and make recommendations for modifying, as appropriate, Federal regulations and requirements to improve technology transfer between academia and industry and to minimize potential regulatory roadblocks to research commercialization.
In meeting the responsibilities under subsection (b), the subcommittee shall consult with the National Science Board and the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. The subcommittee shall consider any comments or recommendations from federally funded and non-federally funded research organizations, including institutions of higher education. Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the subcommittee shall report to the appropriate committees of Congress its recommendations under this section.
The report shall include— a list of any regulations, requirements, procedures, or documentation proposed to be harmonized, streamlined, updated, added, or eliminated; a proposed plan, including a timeline, for implementing the recommended changes described in paragraph (1); and if necessary, any recommendations for legislative action.