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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5476 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 5476

  To provide for Department of Energy and National Science Foundation 
     research and development coordination, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 11, 2024

 Ms. Cortez Masto introduced the following bill; which was read twice 
 and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To provide for Department of Energy and National Science Foundation 
     research and development coordination, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``DOE and NSF Interagency Research 
Act''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION RESEARCH 
              AND DEVELOPMENT COORDINATION.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Energy (in this section referred 
to as the ``Secretary'') and the Director of the National Science 
Foundation (in this section referred to as the ``Director'') shall 
carry out cross-cutting and collaborative research and development 
activities focused on the joint advancement of Department of Energy and 
National Science Foundation mission requirements and priorities.
    (b) Memorandum of Understanding.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary and the Director shall carry 
        out and coordinate the activities under subsection (a) through 
        the establishment of a memorandum of understanding, or other 
        appropriate interagency agreement.
            (2) Process.--A memorandum or agreement established under 
        paragraph (1) shall require the use of a competitive, merit-
        reviewed process, which considers applications from Federal 
        agencies, National Laboratories, institutions of higher 
        education, nonprofit institutions, and other appropriate 
        entities.
    (c) Coordination.--In carrying out the activities under subsection 
(a), the Secretary and the Director may--
            (1) conduct collaborative research in a variety of focus 
        areas, such as--
                    (A) basic plasma science and engineering, including 
                applications in astrophysics, materials science, fusion 
                science, and accelerator science;
                    (B) fundamental biological and computational 
                science and engineering, including computational 
                neuroscience and neuromorphic computing, including in 
                collaboration with the program authorized under section 
                306 of the Department of Energy Research and Innovation 
                Act (42 U.S.C. 18644);
                    (C) modeling and simulation, machine learning, 
                artificial intelligence, data assimilation, large-scale 
                data analytics, predictive analysis, and advanced 
                computational, storage, and networking capabilities in 
                order to optimize algorithms for purposes relating to 
                energy and climate;
                    (D) quantum information sciences, including quantum 
                computing and quantum network infrastructure, including 
                in collaboration with the programs authorized under 
                sections 403 and 404 of the National Quantum Initiative 
                Act (15 U.S.C. 8853, 8854);
                    (E) energy and materials science and engineering, 
                including artificial photosynthesis, plasma, solar 
                fuels, and fusion, including in collaboration with the 
                programs authorized under--
                            (i) sections 303 and 307 of the Department 
                        of Energy Research and Innovation Act (42 
                        U.S.C. 18641, 18645); and
                            (ii) section 973 of the Energy Policy Act 
                        of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16313);
                    (F) advanced manufacturing technologies, including 
                efficient storage systems and alternatives to high-
                temperature processing, for the purposes of optimizing 
                energy consumption, including in collaboration with the 
                program authorized under section 975 of the Energy 
                Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16315);
                    (G) microelectronics, including novel chip 
                architectures, memory systems, and interconnects; and
                    (H) advanced physics, including high energy and 
                particle physics, accelerator research and development, 
                and high-performance computational tools, including in 
                collaboration with the programs authorized under 
                section 303 of the Department of Energy Research and 
                Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 18641);
            (2) promote collaboration, open community-based 
        development, and data and information sharing between Federal 
        agencies, National Laboratories, institutions of higher 
        education, nonprofit institutions, and other appropriate 
        entities by providing necessary access and secure data and 
        information transfer;
            (3) support research infrastructure, including new 
        facilities and equipment, as the Secretary and Director 
        determine necessary; and
            (4) organize education, training, and research initiatives 
        relating to STEM education and workforce development, 
        including--
                    (A) internships, fellowships, and other research or 
                work-based learning opportunities;
                    (B) educational programming for students at all 
                levels, especially experiential and project-based 
                learning opportunities; and
                    (C) professional development opportunities for 
                educators and researchers.
    (d) Agreements.--In carrying out the activities under subsection 
(a), the Secretary and the Director may--
            (1) carry out reimbursable agreements between the 
        Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and 
        other entities in order to maximize the effectiveness of 
        research and development; and
            (2) collaborate with other Federal agencies, as 
        appropriate.
    (e) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary and the Director shall submit to the Committee 
on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and 
the Committees on Energy and Natural Resources and Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate a report detailing the following:
            (1) Interagency coordination between each Federal agency 
        involved in the research and development activities carried out 
        under this section.
            (2) Potential opportunities to expand the technical 
        capabilities of the Department of Energy and the National 
        Science Foundation.
            (3) Collaborative research achievements.
            (4) Areas of future mutually beneficial successes.
            (5) Continuation of coordination activities between the 
        Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.
    (f) Research Security.--The activities authorized under this 
section shall be applied in a manner consistent with subtitle D of 
title VI of the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation 
Act (42 U.S.C. 19231 et seq.).
                                 <all>
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