EUREKA Act

Summary: Ensuring Useful Research Expenditures is Key for Alzheimer's Act or the EUREKA Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish EUREKA prize competitions to achieve high-priority breakthroughs in Alzheimer's disease and dementia prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care. The NIH must: (1) convene an advisory council of nongovernmental experts in Alzheimer's disease and dementia to develop the EUREKA prize competitions, and (2) appoint a panel of judges to evaluate submissions. The council and panel are not subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Support for EUREKA prize competitions may be provided by private organizations and individuals.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Ensuring Useful Research 
Expenditures is Key for Alzheimer's Act'' or the ``EUREKA Act''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF NATIONAL ALZHEIMER'S AND DEMENTIA RESEARCH 
              BREAKTHROUGH PRIZE COMPETITIONS.

    Part B of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 284 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 409K. NATIONAL ALZHEIMER'S AND DEMENTIA RESEARCH BREAKTHROUGH 
              PRIZE COMPETITIONS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Director of NIH, in consultation with the 
Director of the National Science Foundation, the Director of the 
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Commissioner of Food and 
Drugs, the Director of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects 
Activity, and the heads of any other appropriate Federal agencies that 
have experience in prize competitions, shall establish prize 
competitions. The competitions shall be designed to achieve high-
priority breakthroughs to achieve the national goals of preventing and 
treating Alzheimer's disease by 2025, enhancing quality and efficiency 
of care for individuals with Alzheimer's disease, and expanding 
supports for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and the family 
caregivers of such individuals.
    ``(b) EUREKA Prize Competitions.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Director of NIH, in consultation 
        with the Director of the National Science Foundation, the 
        Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the 
        Commissioner of Food and Drugs, the Director of the 
        Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, and the heads 
        of any other appropriate Federal agencies that have experience 
        in prize competitions, and when appropriate, in coordination 
        with private organizations, shall establish EUREKA prize 
        competitions to accelerate breakthroughs in the area of 
        Alzheimer's disease and dementia that lead to the attainment of 
        critical milestones set forth in the competitions. The 
        competitions may be in any of the following areas:
                    ``(A) Identification and validation of non-invasive 
                biomarkers to inform therapeutic targeting.
                    ``(B) Identification of scalable, non-invasive 
                means of early detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer's 
                disease.
                    ``(C) Repurposing of a drug approved by the Food 
                and Drug Administration as a disease-modifying 
                treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
                    ``(D) Innovations, including technological or 
                telemedicine, to improve care of individuals with 
                Alzheimer's disease or dementia and to ease the burden 
                of caregiving for such individuals, including cost 
                burdens.
                    ``(E) Breakthroughs to overcome a significant 
                scientific barrier to understanding the pathology of 
                Alzheimer's disease.
                    ``(F) Other Alzheimer's disease and dementia needs, 
                as appropriate and as determined by the Advisory 
                Council described in subsection (c).
                    ``(G) Other areas, as the Director of NIH 
                determines appropriate.
            ``(2) Publication.--The Director of NIH shall publish each 
        competition that is offered in the Federal Register, including 
        the specific award amounts offered, applicable deadlines, and 
        other eligibility criteria.
            ``(3) Eligibility.--To be eligible to win a prize under 
        this section, an individual or private organization--
                    ``(A) shall have registered to participate in the 
                competition under any rules promulgated by the Director 
                of NIH under paragraph (2);
                    ``(B) shall have complied with all the requirements 
                under this section;
                    ``(C) in the case of a private organization, shall 
                be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of 
                business in the United States, and in the case of an 
                individual, whether participating singly or in a group, 
                shall be a citizen or permanent resident of the United 
                States, unless the Director of NIH waives such 
                requirement with respect to an organization or 
                individual; and
                    ``(D) may not be a Federal entity or Federal 
                employee acting within the scope of their employment.
    ``(c) Advisory Council.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of the EUREKA Act, the Director of NIH shall convene an 
Advisory Council of nongovernmental experts in Alzheimer's disease and 
dementia to devise development of EUREKA prize competitions under 
subsection (b). The council shall be comprised of 8 members, 
including--
            ``(1) 2 experts from private organizations with expertise 
        in managing multi-faceted prize competitions;
            ``(2) 2 experts in Alzheimer's disease and dementia 
        biomedical research;
            ``(3) 2 experts in Alzheimer's disease and dementia therapy 
        development, including individuals with expertise in designing 
        and executing human clinical trials; and
            ``(4) 2 individuals from the caregiver or patient advocacy 
        community.
    ``(d) Evaluation of Submissions.--The Director of NIH, in 
consultation with the Advisory Council, shall appoint a panel of 
judges, from within or outside the National Institutes of Health, 
including from the private sector, to review and evaluate all 
submissions for EUREKA competitions. The judging panel shall forward 
recommendations to the Director of NIH and the Advisory Council. The 
Director of NIH shall evaluate all submissions recommended by the 
judging panel and select submissions for which the prize shall be 
awarded. In reviewing submissions and selecting awardees, the Director 
of NIH may seek technical assistance and expertise from other Federal 
agencies or external sources, as appropriate.
    ``(e) Administering the Competitions.--The Director of NIH may 
enter into an agreement with a private organization to administer prize 
competitions, subject to the provisions of this section.
    ``(f) Applicability of Other Provisions.--Subsections (e), (h), 
(i), and (j) of section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology 
Innovation Act of 1980 shall apply to this section. In applying such 
subsection (h) to this section, the reference to subsection (g) shall 
be deemed to be a reference to subsection (b) of this section. 
Paragraphs (2) and (3) of subsection (k) of section 24 of the 
Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 shall apply to the 
appointment and functioning of the panel of judges described in 
subsection (d).
    ``(g) Exemption From FACA.--The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 
U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the advisory council established under 
subsection (c) or the judging panel appointed under subsection (d).
    ``(h) Private Organizations.--In this section, the term `private 
organizations' means nongovernmental entities, including nonprofit and 
for-profit entities.
    ``(i) Funding.--
            ``(1) In general.--Support for a prize competition under 
        this section, including financial support for the design and 
        administration of a prize competition or monetary contributions 
        or gifts of property for a prize purse, may consist of Federal 
        appropriated funds, funds provided by private organizations, 
        and individuals. The Director of NIH may solicit and accept 
        funds from other Federal agencies, from private organizations, 
        and individuals to support such prize competitions. The 
        Director of NIH may not give any special consideration to any 
        individual or private organization in return for a donation.
            ``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--To carry out this 
        section, there are authorized to be appropriated not more than 
        $10,000,000, for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2021. Any 
        funds appropriated under this paragraph shall remain available 
        until September 30, 2025.
            ``(3) Clarification.--Any funds made available through this 
        section shall supplement, not supplant, other funding made 
        available for research on Alzheimer's disease and related 
        dementia.''.