Sec. 215. Consortia to assist in protection of sensitive research performed on behalf of the Department of Defense
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The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, may enter into contracts or other agreements with one or more eligible consortia to assist institutions of higher education in protecting sensitive research performed on behalf of the Department of Defense. A eligible consortium that enters into a contract or other agreement with the Secretary of Defense under subsection
(a)shall carry out activities to assist institutions of higher education in protecting sensitive research performed on behalf of the Department of Defense. Such activities may include— conducting effective due diligence in vetting visiting scholars; assisting institutions in meeting applicable research security requirements, including through the use of common procedures and practices and shared infrastructure, as appropriate; providing training to employees and offices of the institution that have responsibilities relating to research security; and providing advice and assistance to institutions in establishing and maintaining research security programs. In selecting consortia to receive a contract or other agreement under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall consider the following: The geographic diversity of the members of the consortium and the extent to which the consortium is able to maximize coverage of different regions of the United States. Any ratings of members of the consortium made by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency as part of the Agency’s annual Security Vulnerability Assessment ratings. Whether and to what extent the consortium uses best practices for research security as outlined by the National Institutes of Science and Technology. Demonstrated excellence in security programs, including receipt of awards for excellence in counterintelligence and outstanding achievement in industrial security. The Secretary of Defense shall establish metrics to measure the performance of each consortium with which the Secretary enters into a contract or other agreement under subsection (a). For any year in which the Secretary of Defense exercises the authority provided under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report that— identifies each eligible consortium with which the Secretary entered into a contract or other agreement under such subsection; and evaluates the performance of the eligible consortium. In this section, the term eligible consortium has the meaning given by the Secretary of Defense.