Sec. 10308. Directorate for science and engineering solutions
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Subject to the availability of appropriated funds, there is established within the Foundation the Directorate for Science and Engineering Solutions to advance research and development solutions to address societal and national challenges for the benefit of all Americans. The purpose of the Directorate established under subsection
(a)is to support use-inspired research, accelerate the translation of Foundation-supported fundamental research and to advance technologies, facilitate commercialization and use of federally funded research, and expand the pipeline of United States students and researchers in areas of societal and national importance. The Director shall achieve the purposes described in subsection
(b)by awarding financial assistance through the Directorate to— support transformational advances in use-inspired and translational research through diverse funding mechanisms and models, including convergence accelerators; translate research into science and engineering innovations, including through developing innovative approaches to connect research with societal outcomes, developing approaches to technology transfer that do not rely only on traditional market and commercialization tools, education and training for students and researchers on engaging with end users and the public, partnerships that facilitate research uptake, application, and scaling, prototype development, entrepreneurial education, developing tech-to-market strategies, and partnerships that connect research products to businesses, accelerators, and incubators and encourage the formation and growth of new companies; develop and expand sustainable and mutually-beneficial use-inspired and translational research and development partnerships and collaborations among institutions of higher education, including minority serving institutions and emerging research institutions, non-profit organizations, labor organizations, businesses and other for-profit entities, Federal or State agencies, community organizations, other Foundation directorates, national labs, field stations and marine laboratories, international entities as appropriate, binational research and development foundations and funds, excluding foreign entities of concern, and other organizations; build capacity for use-inspired and translational research at institutions of higher education, including necessary administrative support; expand opportunities for researchers to contribute to use-inspired and translational research including through support for workshops and conferences, targeted incentives and training, and multidisciplinary research centers; support the education, mentoring, and training of undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers in use-inspired and translational approaches to research and entrepreneurship in key focus areas identified under subsection
(g)through scholarships, fellowships, and traineeships; support translational research infrastructure, including platforms and testbeds, data management and software tools, and networks and communication platforms for interactive and collective learning and information sharing; identify social, behavioral, and economic drivers and consequences of technological innovations; and ensure the programmatic work of the Directorate and Foundation incorporates a worker perspective through participation by labor organizations and workforce training organizations. The Director shall appoint an Assistant Director responsible for the management of the Directorate established under this section. The Assistant Director appointed under paragraph
(1)shall serve a term lasting no longer than 4 years. The Assistant Director shall be an individual, who by reason of professional background and experience, is specially qualified to— advise the Director on all matters pertaining to use-inspired and translational research, development, and commercialization at the Foundation, including partnership with the private sector and other users of Foundation funded research; and develop and implement the necessary policies and procedures to promote a culture of use-inspired and translational research within the Directorate and across the Foundation and carry out the responsibilities under paragraph (4). The responsibilities of the Assistant Director shall include— advising the Director on all matters pertaining to use-inspired and translational research and development activities at the Foundation, including effective practices for convergence research; identifying opportunities for and facilitating coordination and collaboration, where appropriate, on use-inspired and translational research, development, commercialization, and societal application activities— among the offices, directorates, and divisions within the Foundation; and between the Foundation and stakeholders in academia, the private sector, including non-profit entities, labor organizations, Federal or State agencies, and international entities, as appropriate; ensuring that the activities carried out under this section are not duplicative of activities supported by other parts of the Foundation or other relevant Federal agencies; approving all new programs within the Directorate; developing and testing diverse merit-review models and mechanisms for selecting and providing awards for use-inspired and translational research and development at different scales, from individual investigator awards to large multi-institution collaborations; assessing the success of programs; administering awards to achieve the purposes described in subsection (b); and performing other such duties pertaining to the purposes in subsection
(b)as are required by the Director. The Assistant Director shall report to the Director. No other directorate within the Foundation shall report to the Assistant Director. In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) the Director shall establish an advisory committee to assess, and make recommendations regarding, the activities carried out under this section. The advisory committee members shall— be individuals with relevant experience or expertise, including individuals from industry and national labs, educators, academic subject matter experts, including individuals with knowledge of the technical and social dimensions of science and technology, technology transfer experts, labor organizations, and representatives of civil society, community organizations, and other nongovernmental organizations; and consist of at least 10 members broadly representative of stakeholders, including no less than 3 members from the private sector, none of whom shall be an employee of the Federal Government. The Committee shall be responsible for— reviewing and evaluating activities carried out under this section; and assessing the success of the Directorate in and proposing new strategies for fulfilling the purposes in subsection (b). The Convergence Accelerator, the Growing Convergence Research Big Idea, and any other program, at the discretion of the Director, may be managed by the Directorate. In consultation with the Assistant Director, the Board, and other Federal agencies and taking into account advice under subsection (e), the Director shall identify, and regularly update, up to 5 focus areas to guide activities under this section. In selecting such focus areas, the Director shall consider the following societal challenges: Climate change and environmental sustainability. Global competitiveness and domestic job creation in critical technologies. Cybersecurity. National security. STEM education and workforce. Social and economic inequality. Recipients of funds under this section may include institutions of higher education, research institutions, non-profit organizations, private sector entities, consortia, or other entities, as defined by the Director. The Director may award grants and cooperative agreements to institutions of higher education, or consortia thereof, for the planning, establishment, and support of Technology Research Institutes in key technology areas, as determined by the Director. Funds awarded under this section may be used by a Technology Research Institute to— conduct fundamental research to advance innovation in a key technology; conduct research involving a key technology to solve challenges with social, economic, health, scientific, and national security implications; further the development, adoption, and commercialization of innovations in key technology focus areas, including through partnership with other Federal agencies and Federal laboratories, industry, including startup companies, labor organizations, civil society organizations, and State, territorial, local, and Tribal governments; develop and manage multi-user research testbeds and instrumentation for key technologies; develop and manage an accessible repository, as appropriate, for research data and computational models relevant to the relevant key technology field, consistent with applicable privacy and intellectual property laws; convene national workshops for researchers and other stakeholders in that technology area; establish traineeship programs for graduate students who pursue research related to the technology leading to a masters or doctorate degree by providing funding and other assistance, and by providing graduate students opportunities for research experiences in government or industry related to the students’ studies in that technology area; engage in outreach and engagement to broaden participation in technology research and education; and support such other activities that the Director determines appropriate. In making awards under this section, the Director may consider the extent to which the activities proposed— have the potential to create an innovation ecosystem, or enhance existing ecosystems, to translate Technology Research Institute research into applications and products, as appropriate to the topic of each Institute; support transdisciplinary research and development across multiple institutions of higher education and organizations; support transdisciplinary education activities, including curriculum development, research experiences, and faculty professional development across undergraduate, graduate, and professional academic programs; involve partnerships with multiple types of institutions, including emerging research institutions, historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities, and minority serving institutions, and with other Federal agencies, Federal laboratories, industry, State, territorial, local, and Tribal governments, labor organizations, civil society organizations, and other entities that may use or be affected by the technology; and include a component that addresses the ethical, societal, safety, and security implications relevant to the application of the technology. An award under this section shall be for an initial period of 5 years. An established Technology Institute may apply for, and the Director may grant, extended funding for periods of 5 years on a merit-reviewed basis. An institution of higher education or consortia thereof seeking financial assistance under this section shall submit to the Director an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director may require. In making awards under the section, the Director shall— use a competitive, merit review process that includes peer review by a diverse group of individuals with relevant expertise from both the private and public sectors; and ensure the focus areas of the Institute do not substantially and unnecessarily duplicate the efforts of any other Technology Research Institute or any other similar effort at another Federal agency. In making awards under this section, the Director may collaborate with Federal departments and agencies whose missions contribute to or are affected by the technology focus area of the institute. Section 602 of the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1862s–9 ) is amended— by redesignating subsection
(e)as subsection (f); and by inserting after subsection (d), the following: Under the program established in section 508 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 ( 42 U.S.C. 1862p–2 ) and the activities authorized under this section, the Director shall award grants to eligible entities for planning and capacity building at institutions of higher education. In this subsection, the term eligible entity means an institution of higher education (or a consortium of such institutions) that, according to the data published by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, is not, on average, among the top 100 institutions in Federal R&D expenditures during the 3 year period prior to the year of the award. In addition to activities listed under subsection (c), an eligible entity receiving a grant under this subsection may use funds to— ensure the availability of staff, including technology transfer professionals, entrepreneurs in residence, and other mentors as required to accomplish the purpose of this subsection; revise institution policies, including policies related to intellectual property and faculty entrepreneurship, and taking other necessary steps to implement relevant best practices for academic technology transfer; develop new local and regional partnerships among institutions of higher education and between institutions of higher education and private sector entities and other relevant organizations with the purpose of building networks, expertise, and other capacity to identify promising research that may have potential market value and enable researchers to pursue further development and transfer of their ideas into possible commercial or other use; develop seminars, courses, and other educational opportunities for students, post-doctoral researchers, faculty, and other relevant staff at institutions of higher education to increase awareness and understanding of entrepreneurship, patenting, business planning, and other areas relevant to technology transfer, and connect students and researchers to relevant resources, including mentors in the private sector; and create and fund competitions to allow entrepreneurial students and faculty to illustrate the commercialization potential of their ideas. Grants awarded under this subsection shall be at least 3 years in duration and $500,000 in total amount. An eligible entity seeking funding under this subsection shall submit an application to the Director of the Foundation at such time, in such manner, and containing such information and assurances as such Director may require. The application shall include, at a minimum, a description of how the eligible entity submitting an application plans to sustain the proposed activities beyond the duration of the grant. From within funds authorized for the Directorate for Science and Engineering Solutions, there are authorized to carry out the activities under this subsection $40 million for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026. . The Director shall award fellowships to Ph.D.-trained scientists and engineers to help develop leaders capable of maturing promising ideas and technologies from lab to market and forge connections between academic research and government, industry, and finance. An applicant for a fellowship under this subsection shall submit to the Director an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director may require. At a minimum, the Director shall require that applicants— have completed a doctoral degree in a STEM field no more than 5 years prior to the date of the application; and have included in the application a letter of support from the intended host institution that describes how the fellow will be embedded in that institution’s research environment. The Director shall conduct program outreach to recruit fellowship applicants— from diverse research institutions; from all regions of the country; and from groups historically underrepresented in STEM fields; The Director may enter into an agreement with a third-party entity to administer the fellowships, subject to the provisions of this subsection. There is authorized to be appropriated to the Director $100,000,000 for fiscal years 2022 through 2026, to carry out the activities outlined in this subsection. The Director shall award scholarships to low-income individuals to enable such individuals to pursue associate, undergraduate, or graduate level degrees in mathematics, engineering, or computer science. To be eligible to receive a scholarship under this section, an individual— must be a citizen of the United States, a national of the United States (as defined in section 1101(a) of title 8), an alien admitted as a refugee under section 1157 of title 8, or an alien lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence; shall prepare and submit to the Director an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director may require; and shall certify to the Director that the individual intends to use amounts received under the scholarship to enroll or continue enrollment at an institution of higher education (as defined in section 1001(a) of title 20) in order to pursue an associate, undergraduate, or graduate level degree in mathematics, engineering, computer science, or other technology and science programs designated by the Director. Awards of scholarships under this section shall be made by the Director solely on the basis of the ability of the applicant, except that in any case in which 2 or more applicants for scholarships are deemed by the Director to be possessed of substantially equal ability, and there are not sufficient scholarships available to grant one to each of such applicants, the available scholarship or scholarships shall be awarded to the applicants in a manner that will tend to result in a geographically wide distribution throughout the United States of recipients' places of permanent residence. The amount of a scholarship awarded under this section shall be determined by the Director. The Director may renew scholarships for up to 5 years. Of amounts authorized for the Directorate for Science and Engineering Solutions, $100,000,000 shall be authorized for this program. In addition to existing authorities available to the Foundation, the Director may exercise the following authorities in carrying out the activities under this section: In carrying out this section, the Director may provide awards in the form of grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, cash prizes, and other transactions. The Director shall have the authority to make appointments of scientific, engineering, and professional personnel for carrying out research and development functions which require the services of specially qualified personnel relating to the focus areas identified under subsection
(g)and such other areas of national research priorities as the Director may determine. The Director shall establish policies regarding engagement with experts in the social dimensions of science and technology and set up formal avenues for public input, as appropriate, to ensure that ethical, legal, and societal considerations are explicitly integrated into the priorities for the Directorate, including the selection of focus areas under subsection (g), the award-making process, and throughout all stages of supported projects. The Director shall provide to the relevant authorizing and appropriations committees of Congress an annual report describing projects supported by the Directorate during the previous year. Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall provide to the relevant authorizing and appropriations committees of Congress a roadmap describing the strategic vision that the Directorate will use to guide investment decisions over the following 3 years. After the Directorate has been in operation for 6 years, the National Science Board shall evaluate how well the Directorate is achieving the purposes identified in subsection (b), including an assessment of the impact of Directorate activities on the Foundation’s primary science mission. The evaluation shall include— a recommendation on whether the Directorate should be continued or terminated; and a description of lessons learned from operation of the Directorate. On completion of the evaluation, the evaluation shall be made available to Congress and the public.
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- 42 USC 1862s–9
- 42 USC 1862p–2
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Sec. 10308
Directorate for science and engineering solutions
Cite42 USC 1862s–9
Cite42 USC 1862p–2
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