NSF Technology Research Institutes Act

I 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 Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘NSF Technology Re- 4 search Institutes Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTES. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National 7 Science Foundation may awards grants and cooperative 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:41 Jul 14, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3846.IH H3846 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 3846 IH agreements to institutions of higher education, or con- 1 sortia thereof, for the planning, establishment, and sup- 2 port of Technology Research Institutes in key technology 3 areas, as determined by the Director. 4 (b) USES OF FUNDS.—Funds awarded under this 5 section may be used by a Technology Research Institute 6 to— 7 (1) conduct fundamental research to advance 8 innovation in a key technology area; 9 (2) conduct research involving a key technology 10 area to solve challenges with social, economic, 11 health, scientific, and national security implications; 12 (3) further the development, adoption, and com- 13 mercialization of innovations in key technology 14 areas, including through partnership with other Fed- 15 eral agencies and Federal laboratories, industry, in- 16 cluding startup companies, labor organizations, civil 17 society organizations, and State, local, and Tribal 18 governments; 19 (4) develop and manage multi-user research 20 testbeds and instrumentation for key technologies; 21 (5) develop and manage an accessible reposi- 22 tory, as appropriate, for research data and computa- 23 tional models relevant to the relevant key technology 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:41 Jul 14, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3846.IH H3846 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 3846 IH area, consistent with applicable privacy and intellec- 1 tual property laws; 2 (6) convene national workshops for researchers 3 and other stakeholders in the relevant key tech- 4 nology area; 5 (7) establish traineeship programs for graduate 6 students who pursue research related to the key 7 technology area leading to a masters or doctorate 8 degree by providing funding and other assistance, 9 and by providing graduate students opportunities for 10 research experiences in government or industry re- 11 lated to the students’ studies in such technology 12 area; 13 (8) engage in outreach and engagement to 14 broaden participation in technology research and 15 education; and 16 (9) support any other activities that the Direc- 17 tor determines appropriate. 18 (c) CONSIDERATIONS.—In making awards under this 19 section, the Director may consider the extent to which the 20 activities proposed— 21 (1) have the potential to create an innovation 22 ecosystem, or enhance existing ecosystems, to trans- 23 late research from a Technology Research Institute 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:41 Jul 14, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3846.IH H3846 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 3846 IH into applications and products, as appropriate to the 1 topic of each Institute; 2 (2) supports transdisciplinary research and de- 3 velopment across multiple institutions of higher edu- 4 cation and organizations; 5 (3) supports transdisciplinary education activi- 6 ties, including curriculum development, research ex- 7 periences, and faculty professional development 8 across undergraduate, graduate, and professional 9 academic programs; 10 (4) involves partnerships with multiple types of 11 institutions, including emerging research institu- 12 tions, HBCUs, and minority serving institutions, 13 and with other Federal agencies, Federal labora- 14 tories, industry, State governments, local govern- 15 ments, Tribal governments, labor organizations, civil 16 society organizations, and other entities that may 17 use or be affected by the technology; and 18 (5) includes a component that addresses the 19 ethical, societal, safety, and security implications rel- 20 evant to the application of the technology. 21 (d) DURATION.— 22 (1) INITIAL PERIOD.—An award under this sec- 23 tion shall be for an initial period of 5 years. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:41 Jul 14, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3846.IH H3846 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 3846 IH (2) RENEWAL.—An established Technology Re- 1 search Institute may apply for, and the Director 2 may grant, extended funding for periods of 5 years 3 on a merit-reviewed basis. 4 (e) APPLICATION.—An institution of higher edu- 5 cation or consortia thereof seeking financial assistance 6 under this section shall submit to the Director an applica- 7 tion at such time, in such manner, and containing such 8 information as the Director may require. 9 (f) COMPETITIVE, MERIT-REVIEW.—In making 10 awards under the section, the Director shall— 11 (1) use a competitive, merit review process that 12 includes peer review by a diverse group of individ- 13 uals with relevant expertise from both the private 14 and public sectors; and 15 (2) ensure the focus areas of the Institute do 16 not substantially and unnecessarily duplicate the ef- 17 forts of any other Technology Research Institute or 18 any other similar effort at another Federal agency. 19 (g) COLLABORATION.—In making awards under this 20 section, the Director may collaborate with Federal depart- 21 ments and agencies whose missions contribute to, or are 22 affected by, the key technology area of the Institute. 23 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:41 Jul 14, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H3846.IH H3846 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS