15 U.S.C. § 5521 — Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program

**(a) Networking and Information Technology research and development** (1) The President shall implement a Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program, which shall— (A) provide for long-term basic and applied research on networking and information technology; (B) provide for research and development on, and demonstration of, technologies to advance the capacity and capabilities of high-end computing and networking systems, and related software; (C) provide for sustained access by the research community throughout the United States to high-end computing, distributed, and networking systems that are among the most advanced in the world in terms of performance in solving scientific and engineering problems, including provision for technical support for users of such systems; (D) provide for efforts to increase software security and reliability; (E) provide for high-performance networks, including experimental testbed networks, to enable research and development on, and demonstration of, advanced applications enabled by such networks; (F) provide for computational science and engineering research on mathematical modeling and algorithms for applications in all fields of science and engineering; (G) provide for the technical support of, and research and development on, high-end computing systems and software required to address Grand Challenges; (H) provide support and guidance for educating and training additional undergraduate and graduate students in software engineering, computer science, computer and network security, applied mathematics, library and information science, and computational science; (I) provide for improving the security, reliability, and resilience of computing and networking systems, including Federal systems, including providing for research required to establish security standards and practices for these systems; (J) provide for improving the security, reliability, and resiliency of computing and networking systems used by institutions of higher education and other nonprofit research institutions for the processing, storage and transmission of sensitive federally funded research and associated data; (K) provide for increased understanding of the scientific principles of cyber-physical systems and improve the methods available for the design, development, and operation of cyber-physical systems that are characterized by high reliability, safety, and security; (L) provide for research and development on human-computer interactions, visualization, and big data; (M) provide for research and development on the enhancement of cybersecurity, including the human facets of cyber threats and secure cyber systems; (N) provide for the understanding of the science, engineering, policy, and privacy protection related to networking and information technology; (O) provide for the transition of high-end computing hardware, system software, development tools, and applications into development and operations; and (P) foster public-private collaboration among government, industry research laboratories, academia, and nonprofit organizations to maximize research and development efforts and the benefits of networking and information technology, including high-end computing. (2) The Director shall— (A) establish the goals and priorities for Federal networking and information technology research, development, education, and other activities; (B) establish Program Component Areas that implement the goals established under subparagraph (A), and identify the Grand Challenges that the Program should address; (C) provide for interagency coordination of Federal networking and information technology research, development, education, and other activities undertaken pursuant to the Program— (i) among the participating agencies; and (ii) to the extent practicable, with other Federal agencies not described in paragraph (3)(C), other Federal and private research laboratories, industry, research entities, institutions of higher education, relevant nonprofit organizations, and international partners of the United States; (D) submit to the Congress an annual report, along with the President’s annual budget request, describing the implementation of the Program; (E) encourage and monitor the efforts of the agencies participating in the Program to allocate the level of resources and management attention necessary to ensure that the strategic plans under subsection (e) are developed and executed effectively and that the objectives of the Program are met; and (F) consult with academic, State, industry, and other appropriate groups conducting research on and using high-end computing. (3) The annual report submitted under paragraph (2)(D) shall— (A) provide a detailed description of the Program Component Areas, including a description of any changes in the definition of or activities under the Program Component Areas from the preceding report, and the reasons for such changes, and a description of Grand Challenges addressed under the Program; (B) provide a detailed description of the nature and scope of research infrastructure designated as such under the Program; (C) set forth the relevant programs and activities, for the fiscal year with respect to which the budget submission applies, of each Federal agency and department, including— (i) the Department of Justice; (ii) the Department of Commerce; (iii) the Department of Defense; (iv) the Department of Education; (v) the Department of Energy; (vi) the Department of Health and Human Services; (vii) the Department of Homeland Security; (viii) the National Archives and Records Administration; (ix) the Environmental Protection Agency; (x) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; (xi) the National Science Foundation; and (xii) such other agencies and departments as the President or the Director considers appropriate; (D) describe the levels of Federal funding for the fiscal year during which such report is submitted, the levels for the previous fiscal year, and the levels proposed for the fiscal year with respect to which the budget submission applies, for each Program Component Area and research area supported in accordance with [section 5512 of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title15-section5512&num=0&edition=prelim); (E) describe the levels of Federal funding for each participating agency, and for each Program Component Area, for the fiscal year during which such report is submitted, the levels for the previous fiscal year, and the levels proposed for the fiscal year with respect to which the budget submission applies; (F) include a description of how the objectives for each Program Component Area, and the objectives for activities that involve multiple Program Component Areas, relate to the objectives of the Program identified in the strategic plans required under subsection (e); and (G) include an analysis of the progress made toward achieving the goals and priorities established for the Program and the extent to which the Program incorporates the recommendations of the advisory committee established under subsection (b). **(b) Advisory committee** (1) The President shall establish an advisory committee on networking and information technology, consisting of geographically dispersed non-Federal members, including representatives of the research, education, and library communities, network and related software providers, and industry representatives in the Program Component Areas, who are specially qualified to provide the Director with advice and information on networking and information technology. Each chair of the advisory committee shall meet the qualifications of committee membership and may be a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. The recommendations of the advisory committee shall be considered in reviewing and revising the Program. The advisory committee shall provide the Director with an independent assessment of— (A) progress made in implementing the Program; (B) the need to revise the Program; (C) the balance between the components of the Program, including funding levels for the Program Component Areas; (D) whether the research and development undertaken pursuant to the Program is helping to maintain United States leadership in networking and information technology; and (E) other issues identified by the Director. (2) In addition to the duties outlined in paragraph (1), the advisory committee shall conduct periodic evaluations of the funding, management, coordination, implementation, and activities of the Program. The advisory committee shall report not less frequently than once every 3 fiscal years to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate on its findings and recommendations. (3) [Section 1013 of title 5](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title5-section1013&num=0&edition=prelim) shall not apply to the advisory committee established under this subsection. **(c) Office of Management and Budget** (1) Each Federal agency and department participating in the Program shall, as part of its annual request for appropriations to the Office of Management and Budget, submit a report to the Office of Management and Budget which— (A) identifies each element of its networking and information technology activities which contributes directly to the Program Component Areas or benefits from the Program; and (B) states the portion of its request for appropriations that is allocated to each such element. (2) The Office of Management and Budget shall review each such report in light of the goals, priorities, and agency and departmental responsibilities set forth in the annual report submitted under subsection (a)(2)(D), and shall include, in the President’s annual budget estimate, a statement of the portion of each appropriate agency’s or department’s annual budget estimate relating to its activities undertaken pursuant to the Program. **(d) Periodic reviews** The heads of the participating agencies, working through the National Science and Technology Council and the Program, shall— (1) periodically assess and update, as appropriate, the structure of the Program, including the Program Component Areas and associated contents, scope, and funding levels, taking into consideration any relevant recommendations of the advisory committee established under subsection (b); and (2) ensure that such agency’s implementation of the Program includes foundational, large-scale, long-term, and interdisciplinary information technology research and development activities, including activities described in [section 5512 of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title15-section5512&num=0&edition=prelim). **(e) Strategic plans** (1) **In general** — The heads of the participating agencies, working through the National Science and Technology Council and the Program, shall develop and implement strategic plans to guide— (A) emerging activities of Federal networking and information technology research and development; and (B) the activities described in subsection (a)(1). (2) **Updates** — The heads of the participating agencies shall update the strategic plans as appropriate. (3) **Contents** — Each strategic plan shall— (A) specify near-term and long-term objectives for the portions of the Program relevant to the strategic plan, the anticipated schedule for achieving the near-term and long-term objectives, and the metrics to be used for assessing progress toward the near-term and long-term objectives; (B) specify how the near-term and long-term objectives complement research and development areas in which academia and the private sector are actively engaged; (C) describe how the heads of the participating agencies will support mechanisms for foundational, large-scale, long-term, and interdisciplinary information technology research and development and for Grand Challenges, including through collaborations— (i) across Federal agencies; (ii) across Program Component Areas; and (iii) with industry, Federal and private research laboratories, research entities, institutions of higher education, relevant nonprofit organizations, and international partners of the United States; (D) describe how the heads of the participating agencies will foster the rapid transfer of research and development results into new technologies and applications in the national interest, including through cooperation and collaborations with networking and information technology research, development, and technology transition initiatives supported by the States; and (E) describe how the portions of the Program relevant to the strategic plan will address long-term challenges for which solutions require foundational, large-scale, long-term, and interdisciplinary information technology research and development. (4) **Private sector efforts** — In developing, implementing, and updating strategic plans, the heads of the participating agencies, working through the National Science and Technology Council and the Program, shall coordinate with industry, academia, and other interested stakeholders to ensure, to the extent practicable, that the Federal networking and information technology research and development activities carried out under this section do not duplicate the efforts of the private sector. (5) **Recommendations** — In developing and updating strategic plans, the heads of the participating agencies shall solicit recommendations and advice from— (A) the advisory committee under subsection (b); (B) the Committee on Science and relevant subcommittees of the National Science and Technology Council; and (C) a wide range of stakeholders, including industry, academia, National Laboratories, and other relevant organizations and institutions. **(f) Reports** The heads of the participating agencies, working through the National Science and Technology Council and the Program, shall submit to the advisory committee, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives— (1) the strategic plans developed under subsection (e)(1); and (2) each update under subsection (e)(2).