[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2981 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2981
To support innovative approaches to technology transfer, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 2, 2013
Mr. Collins of New York (for himself, Mr. Kilmer, Mr. Smith of Texas,
Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Bucshon, and Mr. Lipinski)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Small Business, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker,
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To support innovative approaches to technology transfer, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Technology and Research Accelerating
National Security and Future Economic Resiliency Act of 2013'' or the
``TRANSFER Act of 2013''.
SEC. 2. INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER.
Section 9(jj) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638(jj)) is
amended to read as follows:
``(jj) Innovative Approaches to Technology Transfer.--
``(1) Grant program.--
``(A) In general.--Each Federal agency required by
subsection (n) to establish an STTR program shall carry
out a grant program to support innovative approaches to
technology transfer at institutions of higher education
(as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)), nonprofit research
institutions and Federal laboratories in order to
accelerate the commercialization of federally funded
research and technology by small business concerns,
including new businesses.
``(B) Awarding of grants and awards.--
``(i) In general.--Each Federal agency
required by subparagraph (A) to participate in
this program, shall award, through a
competitive, merit-based process, grants, in
the amounts listed in subparagraph (C) to
institutions of higher education, technology
transfer organizations that facilitate the
commercialization of technologies developed by
one or more such institutions of higher
education, Federal laboratories, other public
and private nonprofit entities, and consortia
thereof, for initiatives that help identify
high-quality, commercially viable federally
funded research and technologies and to
facilitate and accelerate their transfer into
the marketplace.
``(ii) Use of funds.--Activities supported
by grants under this subsection may include--
``(I) providing early-stage proof
of concept funding for translational
research;
``(II) identifying research and
technologies at recipient institutions
that have the potential for accelerated
commercialization;
``(III) technology maturation
funding to support activities such as
prototype construction, experiment
analysis, product comparison, and
collecting performance data;
``(IV) technical validations,
market research, clarifying
intellectual property rights position
and strategy, and investigating
commercial and business opportunities;
and
``(V) programs to provide advice,
mentoring, entrepreneurial education,
project management, and technology and
business development expertise to
innovators and recipients of technology
transfer licenses to maximize
commercialization potential.
``(iii) Selection process and
applications.--Qualifying institutions seeking
a grant under this subsection shall submit an
application to a Federal agency required by
subparagraph (A) to participate in this program
at such time, in such manner, and containing
such information as the agency may require. The
application shall include, at a minimum--
``(I) a description of innovative
approaches to technology transfer,
technology development, and commercial
readiness that have the potential to
increase or accelerate technology
transfer outcomes and can be adopted by
other qualifying institutions, or a
demonstration of proven technology
transfer and commercialization
strategies, or a plan to implement
proven technology transfer and
commercialization strategies, that can
achieve greater commercialization of
federally funded research and
technologies with program funding;
``(II) a description of how the
qualifying institution will contribute
to local and regional economic
development efforts; and
``(III) a plan for sustainability
beyond the duration of the funding
award.
``(iv) Program oversight boards.--
``(I) In general.--Successful
proposals shall include a plan to
assemble a Program Oversight Board, the
members of which shall have technical,
scientific, or business expertise and
shall be drawn from industry, start-up
companies, venture capital, technical
enterprises, financial institutions,
and business development organizations.
``(II) Program oversight boards
responsibilities.--Program Oversight
Boards shall--
``(aa) establish award
programs for individual
projects;
``(bb) provide rigorous
evaluation of project
applications;
``(cc) determine which
projects should receive awards,
in accordance with guidelines
established under subparagraph
(C)(ii);
``(dd) establish milestones
and associated award amounts
for projects that reach
milestones;
``(ee) determine whether
awarded projects are reaching
milestones; and
``(ff) develop a process to
reallocate outstanding award
amounts from projects that are
not reaching milestones to
other projects with more
potential.
``(C) Grant and award amounts.--
``(i) Grant amounts.--Each Federal agency
required by subparagraph (A) to carry out a
grant program may make grants to a qualifying
institution for up to $1,000,000 per year for
up to 3 years.
``(ii) Award amounts.--Each qualifying
institution that receives a grant under
subparagraph (B) shall provide awards for
individual projects of not more than $150,000,
to be provided in phased amounts, based on
reaching the milestones established by the
qualifying institution's Program Oversight
Board.
``(D) Authorized expenditures for innovative
approaches to technology transfer grant program.--
``(i) Percentage.--The percentage of the
extramural budget each Federal agency required
by subsection (n) to establish an STTR program
shall expend on the Innovative Approaches to
Technology Transfer Grant Program shall be--
``(I) 0.05 percent for each of
fiscal years 2014 and 2015; and
``(II) 0.1 percent for each of
fiscal years 2016 and 2017.
``(ii) Treatment of expenditures.--Any
portion of the extramural budget expended by a
Federal agency on the Innovative Approaches to
Technology Transfer Grant Program shall apply
towards the agency's expenditure requirements
under subsection (n).
``(2) Program evaluation and data collection and
dissemination.--
``(A) Evaluation plan and data collection.--Each
Federal agency required by paragraph (1)(A) to
establish an Innovative Approaches to Technology
Transfer Grant Program shall develop a program
evaluation plan and collect annually such information
from grantees as is necessary to assess the Program.
Program evaluation plans shall require the collection
of data aimed at identifying outcomes resulting from
the transfer of technology with assistance from the
Innovative Approaches to Technology Transfer Grant
Program, such as--
``(i) specific follow-on funding identified
or obtained, including follow-on funding
sources, such as Federal sources or private
sources;
``(ii) number of projects which result in a
license to a start-up company or an established
company with sufficient resources for effective
commercialization within 5 years of receiving
an award under paragraph (1);
``(iii) invention disclosures and patents;
``(iv) number of projects supported by
qualifying institutions receiving a grant under
paragraph (1) that secure Phase I or Phase II
SBIR or STTR awards;
``(v) available information on revenue,
sales or other measures of products that have
been commercialized as a result of projects
awarded under paragraph (1);
``(vi) number and location of jobs created
resulting from projects awarded under paragraph
(1); and
``(vii) other data as deemed appropriate by
a Federal agency required by this subparagraph
to develop a program evaluation plan.
``(B) Evaluative report to congress.--The head of
each Federal agency that participates in the Innovative
Approaches to Technology Transfer Grant Program shall
submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology and the Committee on Small Business of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Small
Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate an
evaluative report regarding the activities of the
program. The report shall include--
``(i) a detailed description of the
implementation of the program;
``(ii) a detailed description of the
grantee selection process;
``(iii) an accounting of the funds used in
the program; and
``(iv) a summary of the data collected
under subparagraph (A).
``(C) Data dissemination.--For the purposes of
program transparency and dissemination of best
practices, the Administrator shall include on the
public database under subsection (k)(1) information on
the Innovative Approaches to Technology Transfer Grant
Program, including--
``(i) the program evaluation plan required
under subparagraph (A);
``(ii) a list of recipients of awards under
paragraph (1); and
``(iii) information on the use of grants
under paragraph (1) by recipient
institutions.''.
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