Sec. 5109. Innovative material innovation hubs
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The Secretary of Transportation shall carry out a program to enhance the development of innovative materials in the United States by making awards to consortia for establishing and operating Hubs (to be known as Innovative Material Innovation Hubs ) to conduct and support multidisciplinary, collaborative research, development, demonstration, standardized design development, and commercial application of innovative materials. The Secretary shall ensure the coordination of, and avoid duplication of, the activities of each Hub with the activities of— other research entities of the Department of Transportation, including the Federal Highway Administration; and research entities of other Federal agencies, as appropriate.
To be eligible to receive an award for the establishment and operation of a Hub under subsection (a)(1), a consortium shall— be composed of not fewer than 2 qualifying entities; operate subject to a binding agreement, entered into by each member of the consortium, that documents— the proposed partnership agreement, including the governance and management structure of the Hub; measures the consortium will undertake to enable cost-effective implementation of activities under the program described in subsection (a)(1); and a proposed budget, including financial contributions from non-Federal sources; and operate as a nonprofit organization.
A consortium seeking to establish and operate a Hub under subsection (a)(1) shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including a detailed description of— each element of the consortium agreement required under paragraph (1)(B); and any existing facilities the consortium intends to use for Hub activities. If the consortium members will not be located at 1 centralized location, the application under subparagraph
(A)shall include a communications plan that ensures close coordination and integration of Hub activities. The Secretary shall select consortia for awards for the establishment and operation of Hubs through a competitive selection process. In selecting consortia under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall consider— any existing facilities a consortium has identified to be used for Hub activities; maintaining geographic diversity in locations of selected Hubs; the demonstrated ability of the recipient to conduct and support multidisciplinary, collaborative research, development, demonstration, standardized design development, and commercial application of innovative materials; the demonstrated research, technology transfer, and education resources available to the recipient to carry out this section; the ability of the recipient to provide leadership in solving immediate and long-range national and regional transportation problems related to innovative materials; the demonstrated ability of the recipient to disseminate results and spur the implementation of transportation research and education programs through national or statewide continuing education programs; the demonstrated commitment of the recipient to the use of peer review principles and other research best practices in the selection, management, and dissemination of research projects; the performance metrics to be used in assessing the performance of the recipient in meeting the stated research, technology transfer, education, and outreach goals; and the ability of the recipient to implement the proposed program in a cost-efficient manner, including through cost sharing and overall reduced overhead, facilities, and administrative costs. The Secretary shall provide to each applicant, upon request, any materials, including copies of reviews (with any information that would identify a reviewer redacted), used in the evaluation process of the proposal of the applicant. The Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate a report describing the overall review process under paragraph (2), given the considerations under paragraph (3), that includes— specific criteria of evaluation used in the review; descriptions of the review process; and explanations of the selected awards. There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary and such sums shall remain available for a period of 3 years after the last day of the fiscal year in which such sums were made available. Each Hub shall conduct, or provide for, multidisciplinary, collaborative research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of innovative materials. Each Hub shall— encourage collaboration and communication among the member qualifying entities of the consortium, as described in subsection (b)(1), and awardees; develop and publish proposed plans and programs on a publicly accessible website; submit to the Department of Transportation an annual report summarizing the activities of the Hub, including information— detailing organizational expenditures; and describing each project undertaken by the Hub, as it relates to conducting and supporting multidisciplinary, collaborative research, development, demonstration, standardized design development, and commercial application of innovative materials; and monitor project implementation and coordination. Each Hub shall maintain conflict of interest procedures, consistent with the conflict of interest procedures of the Department of Transportation. No funds provided under this section may be used for construction or renovation of new buildings, test beds, or additional facilities for Hubs. Construction of new buildings or facilities shall not be considered as part of the non-Federal share of a Hub cost-sharing agreement. The Secretary shall administer this section in accordance with section 330 of title 49, United States Code. In this section: The term Hub means an Innovative Material Innovation Hub established under this section. The term qualifying entity 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) )); an appropriate Federal or State entity, including a federally funded research and development center of the Department of Transportation; a university transportation center under section 5505 of title 49, United States Code; and a research and development entity in existence on the date of enactment of this Act focused on innovative materials that the Secretary determines to be similar in scope and intent to a Hub under this section. The term innovative material , with respect to an infrastructure project, includes materials or combinations and processes for use of materials that enhance the overall service life, sustainability, and resiliency of the project or provide ancillary benefits relative to widely adopted state of practice technologies, as determined by the Secretary.
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Sec. 5109
Innovative material innovation hubs
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