II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 753 

To enhance scientific research and competitiveness through the Experimental 

Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 2, 2007 

Mr. ROCKEFELLER (for himself, Ms. SNOWE, Mr. REED, Mr. HAGEL, Mr. 

BAUCUS, Mr. ROBERTS, and Mr. COCHRAN) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To enhance scientific research and competitiveness through 

the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘EPSCoR Research and 

5 Competitiveness Act of 2007’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) Ensuring regional diversity in research 

2 funding is an essential strategy in strengthening 

3 international competitiveness. 

4 (2) Economic development in high technology 

5 fields is often advanced by industrial partnerships 

6 located nearby research institutions from which com7 panies can acquire intellectual property, highly 

8 trained staff, and vital resources. 

9 (3) The National Science Foundation is an 

10 independent Federal agency created by Congress in 

11 1950 ‘‘to promote the progress of science; to ad12 vance the national health, prosperity and welfare, 

13 and to secure the national defense’’. 

14 (4) Congress has subsequently directed that, ‘‘it 

15 shall be an objective of the Foundation to strengthen 

16 research and education in the sciences and engineer17 ing, including independent research by individuals, 

18 throughout the United States, and to avoid undue 

19 concentration of such research and education’’. 

20 (5) Currently, Foundation research investments 

21 are concentrated in a small number of States. In 

22 contrast, 25 other States together receive less than 

23 10 percent of the Foundation’s research funding, yet 

24 these States are home to 20 percent of the popu25 lation, 25 percent of doctoral/research universities, 


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1 and 18 percent of academic scientists and engineers, 

2 and train nearly 20 percent of science and engineer3 ing graduate students. 

4 (6) Insufficient research infrastructure dimin5 ishes the ability of many universities to compete ef6 fectively for research funding, and thereby limits 

7 their contributions to regional economic development 

8 and international competitiveness. 

9 (7) The Foundation’s Experimental Program to 

10 Stimulate Competitive Research, or EPSCoR, is the 

11 primary program by which the Foundation seeks to 

12 improve the research infrastructure of institutions in 

13 States that presently receive small portions of Foun14 dation funding. EPSCoR is thus an important com15 ponent of national efforts to increase innovation and 

16 improve competitiveness. 

17 (8) EPSCoR jurisdictions possess strong 

18 science and technology resources that can be utilized 

19 to address national priorities and needs in areas 

20 such as ‘‘energy’’, where EPSCoR States account 

21 for 7 of the 10 leading energy producing States; 

22 ‘‘health’’, where EPSCoR States’ medical univer23 sities have developed IT-based distance medical care 

24 for their rural populations; ‘‘defense’’, where 

25 EPSCoR universities are producing ‘‘high’’ tech 


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1 tools for military; ‘‘homeland security’’, where 

2 EPSCoR universities are developing tools to monitor 

3 human and animal traffic across some of the world’s 

4 longest open borders; and cyber infrastructure, 

5 where nearly all EPSCoR universities are making 

6 significant investments for the future. 

7 (9) Full participation by EPSCoR jurisdictions 

8 in National Science Foundation science and engi9 neering programs will enable these jurisdictions to 

10 contribute to National Science Foundation efforts to 

11 increase the number of United States born students 

12 who enter science and engineering disciplines. Pro13 viding resources to EPSCoR universities will enable 

14 the American born students who are trained by 

15 these institutions to fill an important workforce need 

16 in science and technology areas. 

17 (10) Existing National Science Foundation 

18 EPSCoR award mechanisms need to be more flexible 

19 and longer-term, reflecting the particular needs of 

20 different States and regions. There should also be 

21 better use by EPSCoR of existing National Science 

22 Foundation grant mechanisms that effectively serve 

23 other National Science Foundation research pro24 grams. 


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1 SEC. 3. FUNDING. 

2 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Foun3 dation for EPSCoR— 

4 (1) $125,000,000 for fiscal year 2008; and 

5 (2) for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2012, 

6 an amount equal to the sum of— 

7 (A) $125,000,000; and 

8 (B) $125,000,000 multiplied by a percent9 age equal to the percentage by which the Foun10 dation’s budget request for such fiscal year ex11 ceeds the total amount appropriated to the 

12 Foundation for fiscal year 2008. 

13 SEC. 4. RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT 

14 GRANTS. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—In the administration of the 

16 Foundation’s research infrastructure improvement grant 

17 program, the Director shall authorize States participating 

18 in the grant program to include partnerships with out-of19 State research institutions if the amount of funding trans20 ferred to another State does not exceed 5 percent of the 

21 amount of the grant in any fiscal year. 

22 (b) AUTHORIZATION LEVEL.—From amounts appro23 priated pursuant to section 3, the Director shall make 

24 available to the research infrastructure improvement grant 

25 program— 

26 (1) $65,000,000 for fiscal year 2008; and 


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1 (2) for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2012, 

2 an amount equal to the sum of— 

3 (A) $75,000,000; and 

4 (B) $75,000,000 multiplied by a percent5 age equal to the percentage by which the Foun6 dation’s budget request for such fiscal year ex7 ceeds the total amount appropriated to the 

8 Foundation for fiscal year 2008. 

9 SEC. 5. CO-FUNDING. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—For each of fiscal years 2008 

11 through 2012, the Director shall obligate and expend not 

12 less than 20 percent of the amount available for EPSCoR 

13 on co-funding projects that are ranked, by a peer-review 

14 process, in the top 20 percent of all proposals submitted 

15 in response to an announced competition. 

16 (b) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Director shall submit an 

17 annual report to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

18 and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on 

19 Science of the House of Representatives that provides in20 formation about— 

21 (1) co-funded projects on a State-by-State basis 

22 for the preceding year; and 

23 (2) the amount and use of co-funding by each 

24 of the Foundation’s directorates for that year. 


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1 SEC. 6. CYBER INFRASTRUCTURE. 

2 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

3 of this Act, the Director, through the Office of Cyber In4 frastructure, shall develop and publish a plan enabling 

5 States participating in EPSCoR to participate fully in the 

6 Foundation’s Cyber Infrastructure Initiative. 

7 SEC. 7. MAJOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION. 

8 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

9 of this Act, the Director, through the Office of Major Re10 search Instrumentation, shall develop and publish a plan 

11 enabling States participating in EPSCoR to develop part12 nerships and participate fully in the Foundation’s major 

13 research instrumentation program. 

14 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 

15 In this Act: 

16 (1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

17 the Director of the National Science Foundation. 

18 (2) EPSCOR.—The term ‘‘EPSCoR’’ means 

19 the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive 

20 Research authorized by section 113 of the National 

21 Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1988 (42 

22 U.S.C. 1862g). 

23 (3) FOUNDATION.—The term ‘‘Foundation’’ 

24 means the National Science Foundation. 

Æ 


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