Collapse to view only § 5502. Purposes
§ 5501. Findings
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Advances in computer science and technology are vital to the Nation’s prosperity, national and economic security, industrial production, engineering, and scientific advancement.
(2) The United States currently leads the world in the development and use of networking and information technology, including high-performance computing, for national security, industrial productivity, science, and engineering, but that lead is being challenged by foreign competitors.
(3) Further research and development, expanded educational programs, improved computer research networks, and more effective technology transfer from government to industry are necessary for the United States to reap fully the benefits of networking and information technology, including high-performance computing.
(4) A high-capacity, flexible, high-speed national research and education computer network is needed to provide researchers and educators with access to computational and information resources, act as a test bed for further research and development for high-capacity and high-speed computer networks, and provide researchers the necessary vehicle for continued network technology improvement through research.
(5) Several Federal agencies have ongoing networking and information technology, including high-performance computing, programs, but improved long-term interagency coordination, cooperation, and planning would enhance the effectiveness of these programs.
(6) A 1991 report entitled “Grand Challenges: High-Performance Computing and Communications” by the Office of Science and Technology Policy, outlining a research and development strategy for high-performance computing, provides a framework for a multiagency high-performance computing program. Such a program would provide American researchers and educators with the computer and information resources they need, and demonstrate how advanced computers, high-capacity and high-speed networks, and electronic data bases can improve the national information infrastructure for use by all Americans.
(7) Additional research must be undertaken to lay the foundation for the development of new applications that can result in economic growth, improved health care, and improved educational opportunities.
(8) Research in new networking technologies holds the promise of easing the economic burdens of information access disproportionately borne by rural users of the Internet.
(9) Information security is an important part of computing, information, and communications systems and applications, and research into security architectures is a critical aspect of computing, information, and communications research programs.
(Pub. L. 102–194, § 2, Dec. 9, 1991, 105 Stat. 1594; Pub. L. 105–305, § 2(b), Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat. 2919; Pub. L. 114–329, title I, § 105(b), Jan. 6, 2017, 130 Stat. 2976.)
§ 5502. PurposesThe purposes of this chapter are to help ensure the continued leadership of the United States in networking and information technology and its applications by—
(1) supporting Federal research, development, and application of networking and information technology in order to—
(A) expand the number of researchers, educators, and students with training in networking and information technology and access to networking and information technology resources;
(B) promote the further development of an information infrastructure of data bases, services, access mechanisms, and research facilities available for use through the Internet;
(C) stimulate research on and promote more rapid development of high-end computing systems software and applications software;
(D) accelerate the development of high-end computing systems and subsystems;
(E) provide for the application of networking and information technology to Grand Challenges;
(F) invest in basic research and education, and promote the inclusion of networking and information technology into educational institutions at all levels; and
(G) promote greater collaboration among government, Federal laboratories, industry, high-end computing centers, and universities;
(2) improving the interagency planning and coordination of Federal research and development on networking and information technology and maximizing the effectiveness of the Federal Government’s networking and information technology research and development programs;
(3) promoting the more rapid development and wider distribution of networking management and development tools; and
(4) promoting the rapid adoption of open network standards.
(Pub. L. 102–194, § 3, Dec. 9, 1991, 105 Stat. 1594; Pub. L. 105–305, § 3(b), Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat. 2920; Pub. L. 114–329, title I, § 105(c), Jan. 6, 2017, 130 Stat. 2976.)
§ 5503. Definitions
As used in this chapter, the term—
(1) “cyber-physical systems” means physical or engineered systems whose networking and information technology functions and physical elements are deeply integrated and are actively connected to the physical world through sensors, actuators, or other means to enable safe and effective, real-time performance in safety-critical and other applications;
(2) “Director” means the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy;
(3) “Grand Challenge” means a fundamental problem in science or engineering, with broad economic and scientific impact, whose solution will require the application of networking and information technology resources and multidisciplinary teams of researchers;
(4) “high-end computing” means the most advanced and capable computing systems, including their hardware, storage, networking and software, encompassing both massive computational capability and large-scale data analytics to solve computational problems of national importance that are beyond the capability of small- to medium-scale systems, including computing formerly known as high-performance computing;
(5) “Internet” means the international computer network of both Federal and non-Federal interoperable data networks;
(6) “networking and information technology” means high-end computing, communications, and information technologies, high-capacity and high-speed networks, special purpose and experimental systems, high-end computing systems software and applications software, and the management of large data sets;
(7) “participating agency” means an agency described in section 5511(a)(3)(C) of this title;
(8) “Program” means the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program described in section 5511 of this title; and
(9) “Program Component Areas” means the major subject areas under which related individual projects and activities carried out under the Program are grouped.
(Pub. L. 102–194, § 4, Dec. 9, 1991, 105 Stat. 1595; Pub. L. 105–305, § 7(b), Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat. 2924; Pub. L. 110–69, title VII, § 7024(a)(2), Aug. 9, 2007, 121 Stat. 689; Pub. L. 114–329, title I, § 105(d), Jan. 6, 2017, 130 Stat. 2977.)