1. U.S. Code
  2. title 42
  3. chapter 163
  4. subchapter III
  5. part E
  6. § 19051

Collapse to view only § 19051. Broader impacts

§ 19051. Broader impacts
(a) Assessment
(b) Activities
The Director shall make awards on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to support activities to increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and availability of resources for implementing the Broader Impacts review criterion, including—
(1) training and workshops for program officers, merit review panelists, award office administrators, faculty, and students to improve understanding of the goals and the full range of potential broader impacts available to researchers to satisfy this criterion;
(2) repositories and clearinghouses for sharing best practices and facilitating collaboration; and
(3) tools for evaluating and documenting societal impacts of research.
(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10341, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1557.)

CITE AS: 42 USC 19051

§ 19052. Research ethics
(a) Sense of Congress
It is the sense of Congress that—
(1) a number of emerging areas of research have potential ethical, social, safety, and security implications that might be apparent as early as the basic research stage;
(2) the incorporation of ethical, social, safety, and security considerations into the research design and review process for Federal awards, may help mitigate potential harms before they happen;
(3) the Foundation’s agreement with the National Academies to conduct a study and make recommendations with respect to governance of research in emerging technologies is a positive step toward accomplishing this goal; and
(4) the Foundation should continue to work with stakeholders to promote best practices for governance of research in emerging technologies at every stage of research.
(b) Incorporation of ethics considerations
Drawing on stakeholder input, not later than 24 months after August 9, 2022, the Director shall revise proposal instructions to require that ethical and societal considerations are to be included as part of a proposal for funding prior to making the award, where such considerations are applicable. Such considerations shall be evaluated by the Director in the review of proposals, taking into account any relevant input from the peer-reviewers for the proposal, and shall factor into award decisions, as deemed necessary by the Director. When incorporating such considerations, proposers may include, as appropriate—
(1)
(A) any readily foreseeable or quantifiable risks to society, including how the research could enable products, technologies, or other outcomes that could intentionally or unintentionally cause significant societal harm; or
(B) an assertion that no readily foreseeable potential ethical, social, safety, or security implications are apparent;
(2) how technical or social solutions can mitigate such risks and, as appropriate, a plan to implement such mitigation measures; and
(3) how partnerships and collaborations in the research can help mitigate potential harm and amplify potential societal benefits.
(c) Guidance
(d) Research
The Director shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to support—
(1) research to assess the potential ethical and societal implications of Foundation-supported research and products or technologies enabled by such research, including the benefits and risks identified pursuant to subsection (b)(1); and
(2) the development and verification of approaches to proactively mitigate foreseeable risks to society, including the technical and social solutions identified pursuant to subsection (b)(1).
(e) Annual report
(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10343, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1557.)

CITE AS: 42 USC 19052

§ 19053. Research reproducibility and replicability
(a) In general
(b) Data management plans
(1) In general
(2) Requirements
In carrying out the requirement in paragraph (1), the Director shall—
(A) provide necessary resources, including trainings and workshops, to educate researchers and students on how to develop and review high quality data management plans;
(B) ensure program officers and merit review panels are equipped with the resources and training necessary to review the quality of data management plans; and
(C) ensure program officers and merit review panels treat data management plans as essential elements of award proposals, where appropriate.
(c) Open repositories
The Director shall—
(1) consult with the heads of other Federal research agencies, as appropriate, and solicit input from the scientific community, to develop and widely disseminate a set of criteria for trusted open repositories to be used by Foundation-funded researchers, accounting for discipline-specific needs and necessary protections for sensitive information;
(2) work with stakeholders to identify significant gaps in available repositories meeting the criteria developed under paragraph (1) and options for supporting the development of additional or enhanced repositories;
(3) make awards on a competitive basis to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) for the development, upgrades, and maintenance of open data repositories that meet the criteria developed under paragraph (1);
(4) work with stakeholders and build on existing models, where appropriate, to establish a single, public, web-based point of access to help users locate repositories storing data, software, and code resulting from or used in Foundation-supported projects;
(5) work with stakeholders to establish the necessary policies and procedures and allocate the necessary resources to ensure, as practicable, data underlying published findings resulting from Foundation-supported projects are deposited in repositories meeting the criteria developed under paragraph (1) at the time of publication;
(6) incentivize the deposition of data, software, and code into repositories that meet the criteria developed under paragraph (1); and
(7) coordinate with the scientific publishing community and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies to support the development of voluntary consensus standards around data archiving and sharing.
(d) Research, development, and education
The Director shall make awards, on a competitive basis to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to—
(1) support research and development of open source, sustainable, usable tools and infrastructure that support reproducibility for a broad range of studies across different disciplines;
(2) support research on computational reproducibility, including the limits of reproducibility and the consistency of computational results in the development of new computation hardware, tools, and methods; and
(3) support the education and training of students, faculty, and researchers on computational methods, tools, and techniques to improve the quality and sharing of data, code, and supporting metadata to produce reproducible research.
(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10344, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1558.)

CITE AS: 42 USC 19053

§ 19054. Climate change research

The Director shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to support research to improve our understanding of the climate system and related human and environmental systems.

(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10345, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1560.)

CITE AS: 42 USC 19054

§ 19055. Social, behavioral, and economic sciences
The Director shall—
(1) actively communicate opportunities and solicit proposals for social, behavioral, and economic science researchers to participate in cross-cutting and interdisciplinary programs, including the Convergence Accelerator and agency priority activities, and the Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure program; and
(2) ensure social, behavioral, and economic science researchers are represented on relevant merit review panels for such activities.
(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10346, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1560.)

CITE AS: 42 USC 19055

§ 19056. Measuring impacts of Federally funded research and development

The Director shall make awards on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to support research and development of data, models, indicators, and associated analytical tools to improve our understanding of the impacts of Federally funded research on society, the economy, and the workforce, including domestic job creation.

(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10347, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1560.)

CITE AS: 42 USC 19056

§ 19057. Food-energy-water research
The Director shall make awards on a competitive basis to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to—
(1) support research to significantly advance our understanding of the food-energy-water system through quantitative and computational modeling, including support for relevant cyberinfrastructure;
(2) develop real-time, cyber-enabled interfaces that improve understanding of the behavior of food-energy-water systems and increase decision support capability;
(3) support research that will lead to innovative solutions to critical food-energy-water system problems; and
(4) grow the scientific workforce capable of studying and managing the food-energy-water system, through education and other professional development.
(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10348, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1560.)

CITE AS: 42 USC 19057

§ 19058. Biological field stations and marine laboratories

The Director shall continue to support enhancing, repairing and maintaining research instrumentation, laboratories, telecommunications and housing at biological field stations and marine laboratories.

(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10349, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1560.)

CITE AS: 42 USC 19058

§ 19059. Sustainable chemistry research and educationIn accordance with section 9303 of title 15, the Director shall carry out activities in support of sustainable chemistry, including—
(1) establishing a program to make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to support—
(A) individual investigators and teams of investigators, including to the extent practicable, early career investigators for research and development;
(B) collaborative research and development partnerships among universities, industry, and non-profit organizations;
(C) integrating sustainable chemistry principles into elementary, secondary, undergraduate, and graduate chemistry and chemical engineering curriculum and research training, as appropriate to that level of education and training; and
(2) incorporating sustainable chemistry into existing Foundation research and development programs.
(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10350, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1560.)

CITE AS: 42 USC 19059

§ 19060. Risk and resilience research
The Director shall make awards on a competitive basis to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to advance knowledge of risk assessment and predictability and to support the creation of tools and technologies, including advancing data analytics and utilization of artificial intelligence, for increased resilience through—
(1) improvements in our ability to understand, model, and predict extreme events and natural hazards;
(2) the creation of novel engineered systems solutions for resilient complex infrastructures, particularly those that address critical interdependence among infrastructures and leverage the growing infusion of cyber-physical-social components into the infrastructures;
(3) development of equipment and instrumentation for innovation in resilient engineered infrastructures;
(4) multidisciplinary research on the behaviors individuals and communities engage in to detect, perceive, understand, predict, assess, mitigate, and prevent risks and to improve and increase resilience; and
(5) advancements in multidisciplinary wildfire science, including those related to air quality impacts, human behavior, and early detection and warning.
(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10351, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1561.)

CITE AS: 42 USC 19060

§ 19061. Unmanned aircraft systems technologies

In coordination with the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Director shall carry out a program of research and related activities related to unmanned aircraft system technologies, which may include a prize competition pursuant to section 3719 of title 15 and support for undergraduate and graduate curriculum development.

(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10352, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1561.)

CITE AS: 42 USC 19061

§ 19062. Accelerating unmanned maritime systems technologies
(a) In general
(b) Coordination
(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10353, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1561.)

CITE AS: 42 USC 19062

§ 19063. Leveraging international expertise in research

The Director shall explore and advance opportunities for leveraging international capabilities and resources that align with the Foundation and United States research community priorities and have the potential to benefit United States prosperity, security, health, and well-being, including through binational research and development organizations and foundations and by sending teams of Foundation scientific staff for site visits of scientific facilities and agencies in other countries. The Director shall establish and implement policies, including through any research security training requirements, to mitigate the potential risks of such interactions, including risks to the protection of intellectual property and the risk of undue foreign influence on research.

(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10354, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1562.)

CITE AS: 42 USC 19063

§ 19064. Biological research collections
(a) In general
(b) Specimen management plan
(c) Action Center for Biological Collections
(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10355, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1562.)

CITE AS: 42 USC 19064

§ 19065. Clean water research and technology acceleration
The Director shall make awards on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to—
(1) support transdisciplinary research to significantly advance our understanding of water availability, quality, and dynamics and the impact of human activity and a changing climate on urban and rural water and wastewater systems, including in low-income, underserved, and disadvantaged communities;
(2) develop, pilot, and deploy innovative technologies, systems, and other approaches to identifying and addressing challenges that affect water availability, quality, and security, including through direct engagement with affected communities and partnerships with the private sector, State, territorial, Tribal, and local governments, non-profit organizations and water management professionals; and
(3) grow the scientific workforce capable of studying and managing water and wastewater systems and of conducting wastewater surveillance, through education, training, and other professional development.
(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10356, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1563.)

CITE AS: 42 USC 19065

§ 19066. Technology and behavioral science research
(a) In general
The Director shall make awards on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis for research and development to—
(1) increase understanding of social media and consumer technology access and use patterns and related mental health, behavioral, and substance use disorder issues, particularly for children and adolescents; and
(2) explore the role of social media and consumer technology in rising rates of mental health and substance use disorder issues, including within communities experiencing long-term economic distress.
(b) Coordination to avoid duplication
(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10357, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1563.)

CITE AS: 42 USC 19066

§ 19067. Critical minerals mining research and development
(a) Critical minerals mining research and development at the Foundation
(1) In general
(2) Use of fundsActivities funded by an award under this section may include—
(A) advancing mining research and development activities to develop new mapping and mining technologies and techniques, including advanced critical mineral extraction and production, separation, alloying, or processing techniques and technologies that can decrease energy intensity to improve existing or to develop new supply chains of critical minerals, and to yield more efficient, economical, and environmentally benign mining practices;
(B) advancing critical mineral processing research activities to improve separation, alloying, manufacturing, or recycling techniques and technologies that can decrease the energy intensity, waste, potential environmental impact, and costs of those activities;
(C) conducting long-term earth observation of reclaimed mine sites, including the study of the evolution of microbial diversity at such sites;
(D) examining the application of artificial intelligence for geological exploration of critical minerals, including what size and diversity of data sets would be required;
(E) examining the application of machine learning for detection and sorting of critical minerals, including what size and diversity of data sets would be required;
(F) conducting detailed isotope studies of critical minerals and the development of more refined geologic models;
(G) improved understanding of the geological and geochemical processes through which critical minerals form and are concentrated into economically viable deposits; or
(H) providing training and research opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students to prepare the next generation of mining engineers and researchers.
(3) Existing programs
(b) Critical Materials Interagency Subcommittee
(1) In general
(2) PurposesThe purposes of the Subcommittee shall be—
(A) to advise and assist the National Science and Technology Council, including the Committee on Homeland and National Security, on United States policies, procedures, and plans as it relates to critical materials, including—
(i) Federal research, development, and commercial application efforts to minimize the environmental impacts of methods for extractions, concentration, separation and purification of conventional, secondary, and unconventional sources of critical materials;
(ii) efficient use, substitution, and reuse of critical materials;
(iii) the critical materials workforce of the United States; and
(iv) United States private industry investments in innovation and technology transfer from federally funded science and technology;
(B) to identify emerging opportunities, stimulate international cooperation, and foster the development of secure and reliable supply chains of critical materials and establish scenario modeling systems for supply problems of critical materials and energy critical materials;
(C) to ensure the transparency of information and data related to critical materials; and
(D) to provide recommendations on coordination and collaboration among the research, development, and deployment programs and activities of Federal agencies to promote a secure and reliable supply of critical materials necessary to maintain national security, economic well-being, public health, and industrial production.
(3) ResponsibilitiesIn carrying out this subsection, the Subcommittee may, taking into account the findings and recommendations of relevant advisory committees—
(A) provide recommendations on how Federal agencies may improve the topographic, geologic, and geophysical mapping of the United States and improve the discoverability, accessibility, and usability of the resulting and existing data, to the extent permitted by law and subject to appropriate limitation for purposes of privacy and security;
(B) assess the progress towards developing critical materials recycling and reprocessing technologies, and technological alternatives to critical materials;
(C) establish a mechanism for the coordination and evaluation of Federal programs with critical material needs, including Federal programs involving research and development, in a manner that complements related efforts carried out by the private sector and other domestic and international agencies and organizations;
(D) examine options for accessing and developing critical materials through investment and trade with our allies and partners and provide recommendations;
(E) evaluate and provide recommendations to incentivize the development and use of advances in science and technology in the private industry;
(F) assess the need for and make recommendations to address the challenges the United States critical materials supply chain workforce faces, including aging and retiring personnel and faculty, and foreign competition for United States talent;
(G) develop, and update as necessary, a strategic plan to guide Federal programs and activities to enhance scientific and technical capabilities across critical material supply chains, including a roadmap that identifies key research and development needs and coordinates on-going activities for source diversification, more efficient use, recycling, and substitution for critical materials; as well as cross-cutting mining science, data science techniques, materials science, manufacturing science and engineering, computational modeling, and environmental health and safety research and development;
(H) assess the need for, and make recommendations concerning, the availability and adequacy of the supply of technically trained personnel necessary for critical materials research, development, extraction, and industrial production, with a particular focus on the problem of attracting and maintaining high-quality professionals for maintaining an adequate supply of energy critical materials; and
(I) report to the appropriate Congressional committees on activities and findings under this section.
(c) Definitions of critical mineral and critical mineral or metal
(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10359, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1564.)

CITE AS: 42 USC 19067

§ 19068. Advancing IoT for Precision Agriculture Capabilities Act
(a) Short title
(b) Purpose
(c) Foundation directive on agricultural sensor researchIn making awards under the sensor systems and networked systems programs of the Foundation, the Director shall include in consideration of portfolio balance research and development on sensor connectivity in environments of intermittent connectivity and intermittent computation—
(1) to improve the reliable use of advance sensing systems in rural and agricultural areas; and
(2) that considers—
(A) direct gateway access for locally stored data;
(B) attenuation of signal transmission;
(C) loss of signal transmission; and
(D) at-scale performance for wireless power.
(d) Omitted
(e) GAO reviewNot later than 18 months after August 9, 2022, the Comptroller General of the United States shall provide—
(1) a technology assessment of precision agriculture technologies, such as the existing use of—
(A) sensors, scanners, radio-frequency identification, and related technologies that can monitor soil properties, irrigation conditions, and plant physiology;
(B) sensors, scanners, radio-frequency identification, and related technologies that can monitor livestock activity and health;
(C) network connectivity and wireless communications that can securely support digital agriculture technologies in rural and remote areas;
(D) aerial imagery generated by satellites or unmanned aerial vehicles;
(E) ground-based robotics;
(F) control systems design and connectivity, such as smart irrigation control systems;
(G) Global Positioning System-based applications; and
(H) data management software and advanced analytics that can assist decision making and improve agricultural outcomes; and
(2) a review of Federal programs that provide support for precision agriculture research, development, adoption, education, or training, in existence on August 9, 2022.
(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10361, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1567.)

CITE AS: 42 USC 19068

§ 19069. Astronomy and satellite constellations
The Director shall support research into and the design, development, and testing of mitigation measures to address the potential impact of satellite constellations on Foundation scientific programs by—
(1) making awards on a competitive basis to support study of the potential impacts of satellite constellations on ground-based optical, infrared, and radio astronomy, including through existing programs such Spectrum and Wireless Innovation enabled by Future Technologies (SWIFT) and the Spectrum Innovation Initiative;
(2) supporting research on potential satellite impacts and benefits and mitigation strategies to be carried out at one or more Foundation supported Federally Funded Research and Development Centers or major multiuser research facilities as defined in section 1862s–2(g) of this title, as appropriate; and
(3) supporting workshops related to the potential impact of satellite constellations on scientific research and how those constellations could be used to improve scientific research.
(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10362, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1568.)

CITE AS: 42 USC 19069

§ 19070. Research on the impact of inflation
(a) In general
(b) Use of funds
Activities funded by an award under this section may include—
(1) measuring the economic impact of inflation on the American people, including an analysis of cost-of-living and wage impacts;
(2) considering the impact of inflation on American international competitiveness;
(3) evaluating the impact of inflation on rural and underserved communities throughout the country;
(4) assessing the ways inflation could impact future American generations; and
(5) evaluating the impact of policymaking on inflation, including the impact of further Government spending.
(c) Coordination to avoid duplication
(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10363, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1568.)

CITE AS: 42 USC 19070

§ 19071. Microgravity utilization policy
(a) Sense of Congress
(b) Policy
(c) Report
(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10364, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1569.)

CITE AS: 42 USC 19071