Sec. 8. SPECIFIC PROGRAM AUTHORIZATIONS
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## SEC. 8 SPECIFIC PROGRAM AUTHORIZATIONS From amounts authorized to be appropriated under section 5, the Director shall carry out the Foundation's research and education programs, including the following initiatives in accordance with this section: ####
(1)Information technology An information technology research program to support competitive, merit-reviewed proposals for research, education, and infrastructure support in areas related to cybersecurity, terascale computing systems, software, networking, scalability, communications, data management, and remote sensing and geospatial information technologies. ####
(2)Nanoscale science and engineering A nanoscale science and engineering research and education program to support competitive, merit-reviewed proposals that emphasize— #####
(A)research aimed at discovering novel phenomena, processes, materials, and tools that address grand challenges in materials, electronics, optoelectronics and magnetics, manufacturing, the environment, and health care; and #####
(B)supporting new research and interdisciplinary centers and networks of excellence, including shared national user facilities, infrastructure, research, and education activities on the societal implications of advances in nanoscale science and engineering. ####
(3)Plant genome research #####
(A)A plant genome research program to support competitive, merit-reviewed proposals— ######
(i)that advance the understanding of the structure, organization, and function of plant genomes; and ######
(ii)that accelerate the use of new knowledge and innovative technologies toward a more complete understanding of basic biological processes in plants, especially in economically important plants such as corn and soybeans. #####
(B)Regional plant genome and gene expression research centers to conduct research and dissemination activities that may include— ######
(i)basic plant genomics research and genomics applications, including those related to cultivation of crops in extreme environments and to cultivation of crops with reduced reliance on fertilizer, herbicides, and pesticides; ######
(ii)basic research that will contribute to the development or use of innovative plant-derived products; ######
(iii)basic research on alternative uses for plants and plant materials, including the use of plants as renewable feedstock for alternative energy production and nonpetroleum-based industrial chemicals and precursors; and ######
(iv)basic research and dissemination of information on the ecological and other consequences of genetically engineered plants. Competitive, merit-based awards for centers under this subparagraph shall be to consortia of institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations. The Director shall, to the extent practicable, ensure that research centers established under this subparagraph collectively examine as many different agricultural environments as possible, enhance the excellence of existing Foundation programs, and focus on plants of economic importance. #####
(C)Research partnerships to focus on— ######
(i)basic genomic research on crops grown in the developing world; ######
(ii)basic plant genome research that will advance and expedite the development of improved cultivars, including those that are pest-resistant, produce increased yield, reduce the need for fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides, or have increased tolerance to stress; ######
(iii)basic research that could lead to the development of technologies to produce pharmaceutical compounds such as vaccines and medications in plants that can be grown in the developing world; and ######
(iv)research on the impact of plant biotechnology on the social, political, economic, health, and environmental conditions in countries in the developing world. Competitive, merit-based awards for partnerships under this subparagraph shall be to institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, or consortia of such entities that enter into a partnership that shall include one or more research institutions in one or more developing nations, and that may also include for-profit companies involved in plant biotechnology. The Director, by means of outreach, shall encourage inclusion of historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native-serving institutions, and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions in consortia that enter into such partnerships. ####
(4)Innovation partnerships An innovation partnerships program to support competitive, merit-reviewed proposals that seek to stimulate innovation at the regional level through new partnerships involving States, regional governmental entities, local governmental entities, industry, academic institutions, and other related organizations in strategically important fields of science and technology. ####
(5)Mathematics and science education partnerships The mathematics and science education partnerships program described in section 9. ####
(6)Robert noyce scholarship program The Robert Noyce Scholarship Program described in section 10. ####
(7)Science, mathematics, engineering, and technology talent expansion program #####
(A)A program of competitive, merit-based multiyear grants for eligible applicants to improve undergraduate education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through— ######
(i)the creation of programs to increase the number of students studying toward and completing associate's or bachelor's degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, particularly in fields that have faced declining enrollment in recent years; and ######
(ii)the creation of not more than 5 centers (in this paragraph referred to as “Centers”) to increase the number of students completing undergraduate courses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including the number of nonmajors, and to improve student academic achievement in those courses, by developing— ######
(I)undergraduate educational material, including curricula and courses of study; ######
(II)teaching methods for undergraduate courses; and ######
(III)methods to improve the professional development of professors and teaching assistants who teach undergraduate courses. Grants made under clause
(ii)shall be awarded jointly through the Education and Human Resources Directorate and at least 1 research directorate of the Foundation. #####
(B)In selecting projects under subparagraph (A)(i), the Director shall strive to increase the number of students studying toward and completing associate's or bachelor's degrees, concentrations, or certificates in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics by giving priority to programs that heavily recruit individuals who are— ######
(i)individuals identified in section 33 or 34 of the Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885a or 1885b); or ######
(ii)graduates of a public secondary school that— ######
(I)is among the highest 25 percent of schools served by the local educational agency that serves the school, in terms of the percentage of students from families with incomes below the poverty line, as defined in section 673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)), applicable to a family of the size involved; or ######
(II)is designated with a school locale code of 41, 42, or 43, as determined by the Secretary of Education. #####
(C)######
(i)The types of projects the Foundation may support under subparagraph (A)(i) include those programs that— ######
(I)promote high quality— ######
(aa)interdisciplinary teaching; ######
(bb)undergraduate-conducted research; ######
(cc)mentor relationships for students, especially underrepresented minority and female science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students; ######
(dd)bridge programs that enable students at community colleges to matriculate directly into baccalaureate science, technology, engineering, or mathematics programs; ######
(ee)internships carried out in partnership with industry; ######
(ff)innovative uses of digital technologies, particularly at institutions of higher education that serve high numbers or percentages of economically disadvantaged students; and ######
(gg)bridge programs that enable underrepresented minority and female secondary school students to obtain extra science, technology, engineering, and mathematics instruction prior to entering an institution of higher education; ######
(II)finance summer internships for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics undergraduate students; and ######
(III)conduct outreach programs that provide secondary school students and their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teachers opportunities to increase the students' and teachers' exposure to engineering and technology. ######
(ii)The types of activities the Foundation may support under subparagraph (A)(ii) include— ######
(I)creating model curricula and laboratory programs; ######
(II)developing and demonstrating research-based instructional methods and technologies; ######
(III)developing methods to train graduate students and faculty to be more effective teachers of undergraduates; ######
(IV)conducting programs to disseminate curricula, instructional methods, or training methods to faculty at the grantee institutions and at other institutions; ######
(V)conducting assessments of the effectiveness of the Center at accomplishing the goals described in subparagraph (A)(ii); and ######
(VI)conducting any other activities the Director determines will accomplish the goals described in subparagraph (A)(ii). #####
(D)######
(i)In order to receive a grant under subparagraph (A)(i), an eligible applicant shall establish targets to increase the number of students studying toward and completing associate's or bachelor's degrees in science, mathematics, engineering, or technology. ######
(ii)A grant under subparagraph (A)(i) shall be awarded for a period of 5 years, with the final 2 years of funding contingent on the Director's determination that satisfactory progress has been made by the grantee toward meeting the targets established under clause (i). ######
(iii)In the case of community colleges, a student who transfers to a baccalaureate program, or receives a certificate under an established certificate program, in science, mathematics, engineering, or technology shall be counted toward meeting a target established under clause (i). ######
(iv)A grant under subparagraph (A)(ii) shall be awarded for up to 5 years. #####
(E)For each grant awarded under subparagraph (A)(i) to an institution of higher education, at least 1 principal investigator shall be in a position of administrative leadership at the institution of higher education, and at least 1 principal investigator shall be a faculty member from an academic department included in the work of the project. For each grant awarded to a consortium or partnership, at each institution of higher education participating in the consortium or partnership, at least 1 of the individuals responsible for carrying out activities authorized under subparagraph (A)(i) at that institution shall be in a position of administrative leadership at the institution, and at least 1 shall be a faculty member from an academic department included in the work of the project at that institution. #####
(F)Grants awarded under subparagraph (A)(ii) shall be carried out by a department or departments of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics at institutions of higher education (or a consortia thereof), which may partner with the department, college, or school of education at the institution. Applications for awards under subparagraph (A)(ii) shall be submitted to the Director at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director may require. At a minimum, the application shall include— ######
(i)a description of the activities to be carried out by the Center; ######
(ii)a plan for disseminating programs related to the activities carried out by the Center to faculty at the grantee institution and at other institutions; ######
(iii)an estimate of the number of faculty, graduate students (if any), and undergraduate students who will be affected by the activities carried out by the Center; and ######
(iv)a plan for assessing the effectiveness of the Center at accomplishing the goals described in subparagraph (A)(ii). #####
(G)In evaluating the applications submitted under subparagraph (F), the Director shall consider, at a minimum— ######
(i)the ability of the applicant to effectively carry out the proposed activities, including the dissemination activities described in subparagraph (C)(ii)(IV); and ######
(ii)the extent to which the faculty, staff, and administrators of the applicant institution are committed to improving undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. #####
(H)In awarding grants under subparagraph (A)(ii), the Director shall ensure that a wide variety of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields and types of institutions of higher education, including 2-year colleges and minority-serving institutions, are covered, and that— ######
(i)at least 1 Center is housed at a Doctoral/Research University as defined by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; and ######
(ii)at least 1 Center is focused on improving undergraduate education in an interdisciplinary area. #####
(I)The Director shall convene an annual meeting of the awardees under this paragraph to foster collaboration and to disseminate the results of the Centers and the other activities funded under this paragraph. #####
(J)In this paragraph, the term “**eligible applicant**” means— ######
(i)an institution of higher education; ######
(ii)a consortium of institutions of higher education; or ######
(iii)a partnership between— ######
(I)an institution of higher education or a consortium of such institutions; and ######
(II)a nonprofit organization, a State or local government, or a private company, with demonstrated experience and effectiveness in science, mathematics, engineering, or technology education. ####
(8)Secondary School Systemic Initiative #####
(A)A program of competitive, merit-based grants for State educational agencies or local educational agencies that supports the planning and implementation of agency-wide secondary school reform initiatives designed to promote scientific and technological literacy, meet the mathematics and science education needs of students at risk of not achieving State student academic achievement standards, reduce the need for basic skill training by employers, and heighten college completion rates through activities, such as— ######
(i)systemic alignment of secondary school curricula and higher education freshman placement requirements; ######
(ii)development of materials and curricula that support small, theme-oriented schools and learning communities; ######
(iii)implementation of enriched mathematics and science curricula for all secondary school students; ######
(iv)strengthened teacher training in mathematics, science, and reading as it relates to technical and specialized texts; ######
(v)laboratory improvement and provision of instrumentation as part of a comprehensive program to enhance the quality of mathematics, science, engineering, and technology instruction; or ######
(vi)other secondary school systemic initiatives that enable grantees to leverage private sector funding for mathematics, science, engineering, and technology scholarships. In awarding grants under this paragraph, the Director shall give priority to agencies that serve high poverty communities. #####
(B)In accordance with subparagraph (A)(v), the Director shall establish a research pilot program designated as “Partnerships for Access to Laboratory Science” to award grants to partnerships to improve laboratories and provide instrumentation as part of a comprehensive program to enhance the quality of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics instruction at the secondary school level. Grants under this subparagraph may be used for— ######
(i)professional development and training for teachers aligned with activities supported under section 2123 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6623); ######
(ii)purchase, rental, or leasing of equipment, instrumentation, and other scientific educational materials; ######
(iii)development of instructional programs designed to integrate the laboratory experience with classroom instruction and to be consistent with State mathematics and science and, to the extent applicable, technology and engineering, academic achievement standards; ######
(iv)training in laboratory safety for school personnel; ######
(v)design and implementation of hands-on laboratory experiences to encourage the interest of individuals identified in section 33 or 34 of the Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885a or 1885b) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and help prepare such individuals to pursue postsecondary studies in these fields; and ######
(vi)assessment of the activities funded under this subparagraph. #####
(C)Grants may be made under subparagraph
(B)only to a partnership— ######
(i)for a project that includes significant teacher preparation and professional development components; or ######
(ii)that establishes that appropriate teacher preparation and professional development is being addressed, or has been addressed, through other means. #####
(D)Grants awarded under subparagraph
(B)shall be to a partnership that— ######
(i)includes a 2-year or 4-year degree granting institution of higher education; ######
(ii)includes a high need local educational agency (as defined in section 201 of the Higher Education Act of 1965); ######
(iii)includes a business or eligible nonprofit organization; and ######
(iv)may include a State educational agency, other public agency, National Laboratory, or community-based organization. #####
(E)The Federal share of the cost of activities carried out using amounts from a grant under subparagraph
(B)shall not exceed 40 percent. #####
(F)The Director shall require grant recipients under subparagraph
(B)to submit a report to the Director on the results of the project supported by the grant. ####
(9)Experimental program to stimulate competitive research The Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, established under section 113 of the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1988 (42 U.S.C. 1862g), that is designed to enhance— #####
(A)research in mathematics, science, and engineering throughout the States eligible to participate in the program and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; #####
(B)research infrastructure in the States eligible to participate in the program and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and #####
(C)the geographic distribution of Federal research and development support. ####
(10)The science and engineering equal opportunities act A comprehensive program designed to advance the goals of the Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885 et seq.), including programs to— #####
(A)provide support to minority-serving institutions; and #####
(B)ensure that reports required under sections 36 and 37 of such Act are submitted to the— ######
(i)Committee on Science of the House of Representatives; ######
(ii)Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; and ######
(iii)Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. ####
(11)Astronomical research and instrumentation An astronomical research program to support competitive, merit-reviewed proposals that— #####
(A)will advance understanding of— ######
(i)the origins and characteristics of planets, the Sun, other stars, the Milky Way Galaxy, and extragalactic objects (such as clusters of galaxies and quasars); and ######
(ii)the structure and origin of the universe; and #####
(B)support related activities such as developing advanced technologies and instrumentation, funding undergraduate and graduate students, and satisfying other instrumentation and research needs.
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- 20 USC 6623
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Sec. 8
SPECIFIC PROGRAM AUTHORIZATIONS
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