1. U.S. Code
  2. title 15
  3. chapter 72
  4. subchapter II
  5. § 4631

Collapse to view only § 4631. Technology transfer

§ 4621. Findings
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Semiconductors and related microelectronic devices are key components in computers, telecommunications equipment, advanced defense systems, and other equipment.
(2) Aggregate sales of such equipment, in excess of $230,000,000,000 annually, comprise a significant portion of the gross national product of the United States.
(3) The leadership position of the United States in advanced technology is threatened by (A) competition from foreign businesses which is promoted and facilitated by the increasingly active involvement of foreign governments, and (B) other changes in the nature of foreign competition.
(4) The principal cause of the relative shift in strength of the United States and its semiconductor competitors is the establishment of a long-term goal by a major foreign competitor to achieve world superiority in semiconductor research and manufacturing technology and the pursuit of such goal by that competitor by effectively marshalling all of the government, industry, and academic resources needed to achieve that goal.
(5) Although the United States semiconductor industry leads all other principal United States industries in terms of its reinvestment in research and development, that has been insufficient by worldwide standards.
(6) Electronic equipment is essential to protect the national security of the United States, as is evidenced by the allocation of approximately 35 percent of the total research, development, and procurement budgets of the Department of Defense to electronics research.
(7) The Armed Forces of the United States will eventually depend extensively on foreign semiconductor technology unless significant steps are taken, and taken at an early date, to retain United States leadership in semiconductor technology research.
(8) It is in the interests of the national security and national economy of the United States for the United States to regain its traditional world leadership in the field of semiconductors.
(9) The most effective means of regaining that leadership is through a joint research effort of the Federal Government and private industry of the United States to improve semiconductor manufacturing technology and to develop practical uses for such technology.
(10) In order to meet the national defense needs of the United States and to insure the continued vitality of a commercial manufacturing base in the United States, it is essential that priority be given to the development, demonstration, and advancement of the semiconductor technology base in the United States.
(11) The national laboratories of the Department of Energy are a major national research resource, and the extensive involvement of such laboratories in the semiconductor research initiatives of the Federal Government and private industry would be an effective use of such laboratories and would help insure the success of such initiatives.
(Pub. L. 100–180, div. C, title I, § 3141, Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1241.)

CITE AS: 15 USC 4621

§ 4622. Establishment of semiconductor manufacturing technology research initiative

The Secretary of Energy shall initiate and carry out a program (hereinafter in this subchapter referred to as the “Initiative”) of research on semiconductor manufacturing technology and on the practical applications of such technology. The Secretary may carry out the Initiative in a way that complements the activities of a consortium of United States semiconductor manufacturers, materials manufacturers, and equipment manufacturers, established for the purpose of conducting research concerning advanced semiconductor manufacturing techniques and developing techniques to adopt manufacturing expertise to a variety of semiconductor products.

(Pub. L. 100–180, div. C, title I, § 3142, Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1242.)

CITE AS: 15 USC 4622

§ 4623. Participation of national laboratories of Department of Energy
(a) Mission of national laboratories
(b) Agreements
(c) Research and development
(Pub. L. 100–180, div. C, title I, § 3143, Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1243.)

CITE AS: 15 USC 4623

§ 4624. Personnel exchanges

The Secretary of Energy may authorize temporary exchanges of personnel between the national laboratories of the Department of Energy and any domestic firm or any consortium referred to in section 4622 of this title that is participating in the Initiative. The exchange of personnel shall be subject to such restrictions, limitations, terms, and conditions that the Secretary of Energy considers necessary in the interest of national security.

(Pub. L. 100–180, div. C, title I, § 3144, Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1243.)

CITE AS: 15 USC 4624

§ 4625. Other Department of Energy resources
(a) Availability of resources
(b) Reimbursement
(Pub. L. 100–180, div. C, title I, § 3145, Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1243.)

CITE AS: 15 USC 4625

§ 4626. Budgeting for semiconductor manufacturing technology research
(a) Budget submission
(b) Budget categories
(Pub. L. 100–180, div. C, title I, § 3146, Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1243.)

CITE AS: 15 USC 4626

§ 4627. Cost-sharing agreements
(a) Permitted provisions
(b) Limitations
(1) Not more than an amount equal to 1 percent of any national laboratory’s annual budget shall be received from nonappropriated funds derived from contracts entered into under the Initiative in any fiscal year, except to the extent approved in advance by the Secretary of Energy.
(2) No Department of Energy national laboratory may receive more than $10,000,000 of nonappropriated funds under any cooperative research and development agreement entered into under this subsection in connection with the Initiative, except to the extent approved in advance by the Secretary of Energy.
(Pub. L. 100–180, div. C, title I, § 3147, Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1244.)

CITE AS: 15 USC 4627

§ 4628. Department of Energy oversight of cooperative agreements relating to Initiative
(a) Provisions relating to disapproval and modification of agreements
(b) Record of agreements
(Pub. L. 100–180, div. C, title I, § 3148, Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1244.)

CITE AS: 15 USC 4628

§ 4629. Avoidance of duplication

In carrying out the Initiative, the Secretary of Energy shall ensure that unnecessary duplicative research is not performed at the research facilities (including the national laboratories of the Department of Energy) that are participating in the Initiative.

(Pub. L. 100–180, div. C, title I, § 3149, Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1244.)

CITE AS: 15 USC 4629

§ 4630. Authorization of appropriations

There is authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Energy for fiscal year 1988 the sum of $25,000,000 for general science and research activities of the Department of Energy under the Initiative.

(Pub. L. 100–180, div. C, title I, § 3150, Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1244.)

CITE AS: 15 USC 4630

§ 4631. Technology transfer
(a) In general
(b) Plan for commercialization enhancement
(1) Not later than one year after the date on which funds are first appropriated to conduct the Initiative, the Secretary of Energy shall transmit to the committees of Congress named in paragraph (2) a plan for the transfer of semiconductor technology and information generated by the Initiative.
(2) The committees of Congress referred to in paragraph (1) are the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives.
(Pub. L. 100–180, div. C, title I, § 3151, Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1244; Pub. L. 103–437, § 5(b)(6), Nov. 2, 1994, 108 Stat. 4582.)

CITE AS: 15 USC 4631

§ 4632. Semiconductor research and development
(a) Short title
(b) Findings and purposes
(1) The Congress finds and declares that—
(A) semiconductor technology is playing an ever-increasing role in United States industrial and commercial products and processes, making secure domestic sources of state-of-the-art semiconductors highly desirable;
(B) modern weapons systems are highly dependent on leading edge semiconductor devices, and it is counter to the national security interest to be heavily dependent upon foreign sources for this technology;
(C) governmental responsibilities related to the semiconductor industry are divided among many Federal departments and agencies; and
(D) joint industry-government consideration of semiconductor industry problems is needed at this time.
(2) The purposes of this section are—
(A) to establish the National Advisory Committee on Semiconductors; and
(B) to assign to such Committee the responsibility for devising and promulgating a national semiconductor strategy, including research and development, the implementation of which will assure the continued leadership of the United States in semiconductor technology.
(c) Creation of Committee
(d) Functions
(1) The Committee shall—
(A) collect and analyze information on the needs and capabilities of industry, the Federal Government, and the scientific and research communities related to semiconductor technology;
(B) identify the components of a successful national semiconductor strategy in accordance with subsection (b)(2)(B);
(C) analyze options, establish priorities, and recommend roles for participants in the national strategy;
(D) assess the roles for government and national laboratories and other laboratories supported largely for government purposes in contributing to the semiconductor technology base of the Nation, as well as to access the effective use of the resources of United States private industry, United States universities, and private-public research and development efforts; and
(E) provide results and recommendations to agencies of the Federal Government involved in legislative, policymaking, administrative, management, planning, and technology activities that affect or are part of a national semiconductor strategy, and to the industry and other nongovernmental groups or organizations affected by or contributing to that strategy.
(2) In fulfilling this responsibility, the Committee shall—
(A) monitor the competitiveness of the United States semiconductor technology base;
(B) determine technical areas where United States semiconductor technology is deficient relative to international competition;
(C) identify new or emerging semiconductor technologies that will impact the national defense or United States competitiveness or both;
(D) develop research and development strategies, tactics, and plans whose execution will assure United States semiconductor competitiveness; and
(E) recommend appropriate actions that support the national semiconductor strategy.
(e) Membership and procedures
(1)
(A) The Committee shall be composed of 13 members, 7 of whom shall constitute a quorum.
(B) The Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Energy, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the Director of the National Science Foundation, or their designees, shall serve as members of the Committee.
(C) The President, acting through the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, shall appoint, as additional members of the Committee, 4 members from outside the Federal Government who are eminent in the semiconductor industry, and 4 members from outside the Federal Government who are eminent in the fields of technology, defense, and economic development.
(D) One of the members appointed under subparagraph (C), as designated by the President at the time of appointment, shall be chairman of the Committee.
(2) Funding and administrative support for the Committee shall be provided to the Office of Science and Technology Policy through an arrangement with an appropriate agency or organization designated by the Committee, in accordance with a memorandum of understanding entered into between them.
(3) Members of the Committee, other than full-time employees of the Federal Government, while attending meetings of the Committee or otherwise performing duties at the request of the Chairman while away from their homes or regular places of business, shall be allowed travel expenses in accordance with subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5.
(4) The Chairman shall call the first meeting of the Committee not later than 90 days after August 23, 1988.
(5) At the close of each fiscal year the Committee shall submit to the President and the Congress a report on its activities conducted during such year and its planned activities for the coming year, including specific findings and recommendations with respect to the national semiconductor strategy devised and promulgated under subsection (b)(2)(B). The first report shall include an analysis of those technical areas, including manufacturing, which are of importance to the United States semiconductor industry, and shall make specific recommendations regarding the appropriate Federal role in correcting any deficiencies identified by the analysis. Each report shall include an estimate of the length of time the Committee must continue before the achievement of its purposes and the issuance of its final report.
(f) Authorization of appropriations
(Pub. L. 100–418, title V, § 5142, Aug. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 1444; Pub. L. 102–245, title I, § 105(f), Feb. 14, 1992, 106 Stat. 12.)

CITE AS: 15 USC 4632