II 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3724 

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 

JULY 25, 2006 

Mr. ROCKEFELLER (for himself, Ms. SNOWE, Mr. INOUYE, Mr. COCHRAN, and 

Mr. JOHNSON) 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 2006’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The 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 with near by strong research institutions from which 

7 companies 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 popuVerDate Aug 31 2005 21:29 Jul 26, 2006 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3724.IS S3724

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1 lation, 25 percent of doctoral/research universities, 

2 and 18 percent of academic scientists and engineers. 

3 (6) Insufficient research infrastructure dimin4 ishes the ability of many universities to compete ef5 fectively for research funding, and thereby limits 

6 their contributions to regional economic development 

7 and international competitiveness. 

8 (7) The Foundation’s Experimental Program to 

9 Stimulate Competitive Research, or EPSCoR, is the 

10 primary program by which the Foundation seeks to 

11 improve the research infrastructure of institutions in 

12 States that presently receive small portions of Foun13 dation funding. EPSCoR is thus an important com14 ponent of national efforts to increase innovation and 

15 improve competitiveness. 

16 SEC. 3. FUNDING. 

17 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Foun18 dation for EPSCoR— 

19 (1) $125,000,000 for fiscal year 2007; and 

20 (2) for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2011, 

21 an amount equal to the sum of— 

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

23 (B) $125,000,000 multiplied by a percent24 age equal to the percentage by which the Foun25 dation’s budget request for such fiscal year exVerDate Aug 31 2005 21:29 Jul 26, 2006 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3724.IS S3724

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1 ceeds the total amount appropriated to the 

2 Foundation for fiscal year 2007. 

3 SEC. 4. RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT 

4 GRANTS. 

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

6 Foundation’s research infrastructure improvement grant 

7 program, the Director shall authorize States participating 

8 in the grant program to include partnerships with out-of9 State research institutions if the amount of funding trans10 ferred to another State does not exceed 5 percent of the 

11 amount of the grant in any fiscal year. 

12 (b) AUTHORIZATION LEVEL.—From amounts appro13 priated pursuant to section 3, the Director shall make 

14 available to the research infrastructure improvement grant 

15 program— 

16 (1) $65,000,000 for fiscal year 2007; and 

17 (2) for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2011, 

18 an amount equal to the sum of— 

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

20 (B) $75,000,000 multiplied by a percent21 age equal to the percentage by which the Foun22 dation’s budget request for such fiscal year ex23 ceeds the total amount appropriated to the 

24 Foundation for fiscal year 2007. 


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1 SEC. 5. CO-FUNDING. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—For each of fiscal years 2007 

3 through 2011, the Director shall obligate and expend not 

4 less than 20 percent of the amount available for EPSCoR 

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

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

7 in response to an announced competition. 

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

9 annual report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, 

10 Science, and Transportation and the House of Represent11 atives Committee on Science that provides information 

12 about— 

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

14 for the preceding year; and 

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

16 of the Foundation’s directorates for that year. 

17 SEC. 6. CYBER INFRASTRUCTURE. 

18 Within 180 days after the date of enactment of this 

19 Act, the Director, through the Office of Cyber Infrastruc20 ture, shall develop and publish a plan enabling States par21 ticipating in EPSCoR to participate fully in the Founda22 tion’s Cyber Infrastructure Initiative. 

23 SEC. 7. MAJOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION. 

24 Within 180 days after the date of enactment of this 

25 Act, the Director, through the Office of Major Research 

26 Instrumentation, shall develop and publish a plan enabling 


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1 States participating in EPSCoR to develop partnerships 

2 and participate fully in the Foundation’s major research 

3 instrumentation program. 

4 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

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

7 the Director of the National Science Foundation. 

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

9 the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive 

10 Research authorized by section 113 of the National 

11 Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1988 (42 

12 U.S.C. 1862g). 

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

14 means the National Science Foundation. 

Æ 


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