[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3846 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3846
To direct the Director of the National Science Foundation to create a
program that plans for, establishes, and supports Technology Research
Institutes, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 11, 2021
Ms. Ross (for herself and Mr. Baird) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Director of the National Science Foundation to create a
program that plans for, establishes, and supports Technology Research
Institutes, 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 ``NSF Technology Research Institutes
Act''.
SEC. 2. TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTES.
(a) In General.--The Director of the National Science Foundation
may awards 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.
(b) Uses of Funds.--Funds awarded under this section may be used by
a Technology Research Institute to--
(1) conduct fundamental research to advance innovation in a
key technology area;
(2) conduct research involving a key technology area to
solve challenges with social, economic, health, scientific, and
national security implications;
(3) further the development, adoption, and
commercialization of innovations in key technology areas,
including through partnership with other Federal agencies and
Federal laboratories, industry, including startup companies,
labor organizations, civil society organizations, and State,
local, and Tribal governments;
(4) develop and manage multi-user research testbeds and
instrumentation for key technologies;
(5) develop and manage an accessible repository, as
appropriate, for research data and computational models
relevant to the relevant key technology area, consistent with
applicable privacy and intellectual property laws;
(6) convene national workshops for researchers and other
stakeholders in the relevant key technology area;
(7) establish traineeship programs for graduate students
who pursue research related to the key technology area 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 such technology area;
(8) engage in outreach and engagement to broaden
participation in technology research and education; and
(9) support any other activities that the Director
determines appropriate.
(c) Considerations.--In making awards under this section, the
Director may consider the extent to which the activities proposed--
(1) have the potential to create an innovation ecosystem,
or enhance existing ecosystems, to translate research from a
Technology Research Institute into applications and products,
as appropriate to the topic of each Institute;
(2) supports transdisciplinary research and development
across multiple institutions of higher education and
organizations;
(3) supports transdisciplinary education activities,
including curriculum development, research experiences, and
faculty professional development across undergraduate,
graduate, and professional academic programs;
(4) involves partnerships with multiple types of
institutions, including emerging research institutions, HBCUs,
and minority serving institutions, and with other Federal
agencies, Federal laboratories, industry, State governments,
local governments, Tribal governments, labor organizations,
civil society organizations, and other entities that may use or
be affected by the technology; and
(5) includes a component that addresses the ethical,
societal, safety, and security implications relevant to the
application of the technology.
(d) Duration.--
(1) Initial period.--An award under this section shall be
for an initial period of 5 years.
(2) Renewal.--An established Technology Research Institute
may apply for, and the Director may grant, extended funding for
periods of 5 years on a merit-reviewed basis.
(e) Application.--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.
(f) Competitive, Merit-Review.--In making awards under the section,
the Director shall--
(1) 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
(2) 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.
(g) Collaboration.--In making awards under this section, the
Director may collaborate with Federal departments and agencies whose
missions contribute to, or are affected by, the key technology area of
the Institute.
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