42 U.S.C. § 19181 — Agency responsibilities

Page 9328 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 19174 rector shall submit to Congress and make widely available to the public a report that in- cludes— (A) the results of the evaluation; and (B) any recommendations for administra- tive and legislative action that could opti- mize the effectiveness of the awards made under this section. (e) Coordination In carrying out this section, the Director shall, for purposes of enhancing program effec- tiveness and avoiding duplication of activities, consult, cooperate, and coordinate with the pro- grams and policies of other relevant Federal agencies. (Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title V, § 10513, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1617.) § 19174. NIST engagement with rural commu- nities (a) Prize competition Pursuant to section 3719 of title 15, the Sec- retary of Commerce shall carry out a program to award prizes competitively to stimulate re- search and development of creative technologies to support the deployment of affordable and reli- able broadband connectivity in rural commu- nities, including unserved rural communities. (b) Plan for deployment in rural communities Each proposal submitted pursuant to sub- section (a) shall include a proposed plan for de- ployment of the technology that is the subject of such proposal. (c) Prize amount In carrying out the program under subsection (a), the Secretary may award not more than a total of $5,000,000 to one or more winners of the prize competition. (d) Report Not later than 60 days after the date on which a prize is awarded under the prize competition, the Secretary shall submit to the relevant com- mittees of Congress a report that describes the winning proposal of the prize competition. (e) Consultation In carrying out the program under this sec- tion, the Secretary shall consult with the Fed- eral Communications Commission and the heads of relevant departments and agencies of the Fed- eral Government. (Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title V, § 10516, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1619.) PART C—MSI STEM ACHIEVEMENT § 19181. Agency responsibilities (a) In general In consultation with outside stakeholders and the heads of Federal research agencies and the Interagency Working Group on Inclusion in STEM, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall develop a uniform set of policy guidelines for Federal research agencies to carry out a sustained program of outreach ac- tivities to increase clarity, transparency, and accountability for Federal research agency in- vestments in STEM education and research ac- tivities at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs, including such institutions in rural areas. (b) Outreach activities In developing policy guidelines under sub- section (a) the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall include guidelines that require each Federal research agency— (1) to designate a liaison for HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs responsible for— (A) enhancing direct communication with HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs to increase the Fed- eral research agency’s understanding of the capacity and needs of such institutions and to raise awareness of available Federal fund- ing opportunities at such institutions; (B) coordinating programs, activities, and initiatives while accounting for the capacity and needs of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs; (C) tracking Federal research agency in- vestments in and engagement with HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs; and (D) reporting progress toward increasing participation of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs in award programs; (2) to the extent practicable, to produce an annual summary of funding opportunities and proposal deadlines targeted at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs, including for grants, contracts, sub- contracts, and cooperative agreements; (3) to the extent practicable, identifying in annual budget requests potential areas for col- laboration with HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs in the relevant fiscal year, including relating to po- tential meetings and workshops; (4) to investigate proposal structures that support broader participation by emerging re- search institutions, including HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs; (5) to conduct on-site reviews of research fa- cilities at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs, as prac- ticable, and make recommendations regarding strategies for becoming more competitive in research; (6) to hold geographically accessible or vir- tual workshops on research priorities of the Federal research agency and on how to write competitive award proposals and how to bol- ster award management capacity for the en- tire award lifecycle, from application to com- pletion; (7) to ensure opportunities for HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs to directly communicate with Fed- eral research agency officials responsible for managing competitive award programs in order to receive feedback on research ideas and proposals, including guidance on the Fed- eral research agency’s merit review process; and (8) to foster mutually beneficial public-pri- vate collaboration among Federal research agencies, industry, Federal laboratories, aca- demia, and nonprofit organizations to— (A) identify alternative sources of funding for STEM education and research at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs; (B) provide access to high-quality, rel- evant research experiences for students and faculty of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs; (C) expand the professional networks of students and faculty of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs; Page 9329 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 19183 1 So in original. The semicolon probably should be a period. (D) broaden STEM educational opportuni- ties for students and faculty of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs; and (E) support the transition of students of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs into the STEM workforce; 1 (c) Strategic plan (1) In general Not later than one year after August 9, 2022, the Director of the Office of Science and Tech- nology Policy, in collaboration with the head of each Federal research agency, shall submit to Congress a report containing a strategic plan which reflects the plans of each Federal research agency to increase the capacity of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs to compete effec- tively for grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements and to encourage HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs to participate in Federal programs. (2) Considerations In developing a strategic plan under para- graph (1), the Director and the head of each Federal research agency shall consider the fol- lowing: (A) Issuing new or expanding existing funding opportunities targeted to HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs. (B) Modifying existing research and devel- opment program solicitations to incentivize effective partnerships with HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs. (C) Offering planning grants for HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs to develop or equip grant of- fices with the requisite depth of knowledge to submit competitive grant proposals and manage awarded grants. (D) Offering additional training programs, including individualized and timely guidance to grant officers, faculty, and postdoctoral researchers at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs to ensure their understanding of the require- ments for an effective grant proposal. (E) Other approaches for making current competitive funding models more accessible for underresourced HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs. (d) Report on policy guidelines Not later than two years after August 9, 2022, and every five years thereafter, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall report to Congress on the implementation by Federal research agencies of the policy guide- lines developed under this section. (Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title V, § 10522, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1620.) Editorial Notes CODIFICATION Section is comprised of section 10522 of Pub. L. 117–167. Subsec. (e) of section 10522 of Pub. L. 117–167 amended section 6621 of this title. § 19182. Research at the National Science Foun- dation (a) In general The Director shall make awards, on a competi- tive basis, to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or consortia thereof) to— (1) conduct research described in subsection (b) with respect to HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs; and (2) identify and broadly disseminate effec- tive models for programs and practices at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs that promote the edu- cation and workforce preparation of minority students pursuing STEM studies and careers in which such students are underrepresented. (b) Research Research described in this subsection is re- search on the contribution of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs to the education and training of underrep- resented minority students in STEM fields and to the meeting of national STEM workforce needs, including relating to the following: (1) The diversity with respect to local con- text, cultural differences, and institutional structure among HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs and any associated impact on education and re- search endeavors. (2) Effective practices at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs and associated outcomes on student re- cruitment, retention, and advancement in STEM fields, including the ability for students to compete for fellowships, employment, and advancement in the workforce. (3) Contributions made by HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs to local, regional, and national workforces. (4) The challenges and opportunities for HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs in attaining the re- sources needed for integrating effective prac- tices in STEM education, including providing research experiences for underrepresented mi- nority students. (5) The access of students at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs to STEM infrastructure and any as- sociated outcomes for STEM competency. (6) Models of STEM curriculum, learning, and teaching successful at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs for increasing participation, retention, and success of underrepresented minority stu- dents. (7) Successful or promising partnerships be- tween HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs and other insti- tutions of higher education, private sector and nonprofit organizations, Federal laboratories, and international research institutions. (c) Research experiences Awards under this section may fund the devel- opment or expansion of opportunities for the ex- change of students and faculty to conduct re- search, facilitate professional development, and provide mentorship, including through partner- ships with institutions of higher education that are not HBCUs, TCUs, or MSIs, private sector and nonprofit organizations, Federal labora- tories, and international research institutions. (Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title V, § 10523, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1622.) § 19183. Capacity-building program for devel- oping universities (a) Awards (1) In general The Director shall make awards, on a com- petitive basis, to eligible institutions de-