H. R. 4704 

One Hundred Sixteenth Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE SECOND SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Friday, 

the third day of January, two thousand and twenty 

An Act 

To direct the Director of the National Science Foundation to support multidisciplinary research on the science of suicide, and to advance the knowledge and 

understanding of issues that may be associated with several aspects of suicide 

including intrinsic and extrinsic factors related to areas such as wellbeing, resilience, and vulnerability. 

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 ‘‘Advancing Research to Prevent 

Suicide Act’’. 

SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

Congress finds the following: 

(1) The rate of Americans dying by suicide is on the rise, 

increasing 10.7 to 14.0 deaths per 100,000 people from 2001 

to 2017. 

(2) Suicide is the tenth-leading cause of death among people 

in the United States and the second-leading cause of death 

for young people between the ages of 15 and 34. 

(3) The National Science Foundation funds research that 

is improving our basic understanding of factors with potential 

relevance to suicide, including potential relevance to prevention 

and treatment. 

(4) Despite progress in mental health research, current 

gaps exist in scientific understanding and basic knowledge of 

human neural, genetic, cognitive, perceptual, behavioral, social, 

and environmental factors with potential relevance to suicide. 

SEC. 3. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION RESEARCH. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National Science Foundation, in consultation with the Director of the National Institutes 

of Health and the Director of the National Institute of Mental 

Health and taking into consideration prioritized research agendas 

or strategic plans, as appropriate, shall, subject to the availability 

of appropriations, award grants on a competitive, merit-reviewed 

basis to institutions of higher education (or consortia of such institutions) to support multidisciplinary, fundamental research with 

potential relevance to suicide, including potential relevance to 

prevention and treatment, including, but not limited to— 

(1) basic understanding of human social behavior; 

(2) the neural basis of human cognition; 

(3) basic understanding of cognitive, linguistic, social, cultural, and biological processes related to human development 

across the lifespan; 
H. R. 4704—2 

(4) basic understanding of perceptual, motor, and cognitive 

processes, and their interaction, in typical human behavior; 

and 

(5) basic understanding of the relevance of drug and alcohol 

abuse. 

(b) ENCOURAGING APPLICATIONS FROM EARLY CAREER

RESEARCHERS.—To promote the development of early career 

researchers, in awarding funds under subsection (a), the Director 

of the National Science Foundation shall encourage applications 

submitted by early career researchers, including doctoral students 

or postdoctoral researchers. 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.