(4) APPLICATIONS.—An institution of higher 
education (or a consortium thereof) seeking funding 
under this subsection shall submit an application to 
the Director at such time, in such manner, and con-
taining such information as the Director may re-
quire. The application shall include, at a minimum, 
a description of— 
(A) the research projects that will be un-
dertaken by the Center and the contributions of 
each of the participating entities; 
(B) how the Center will promote active col-
laboration among professionals from different 
disciplines, such as information technology spe-
cialists, health professionals, administrators, 
and social science researchers; and 
(C) how the Center will contribute to in-
creasing the number of information researchers 
and other professionals. 
(5) CRITERIA.—In evaluating the applications 
submitted under paragraph (4), the Director shall 
consider, at a minimum— 
(A) the ability of the applicant to generate 
innovative approaches to information and effec-
tively carry out the research program; 
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(B) the experience of the applicant in con-
ducting research in the information field, and 
the capacity of the applicant to foster new mul-
tidisciplinary collaborations; 
(C) the capacity of the applicant to attract 
and provide adequate support for under-
graduate and graduate students to pursue in-
formation research; and 
(D) the extent to which the applicant will 
partner with government laboratories or for- 
profit or non-profit entities, and the role the 
government laboratories or for-profit or non- 
profit entities will play in the research under-
taken by the Center. 
(6) ANNUAL
MEETING.—The Director shall 
convene an annual meeting of the Centers in order 
to foster collaboration and communication between 
Center participants. 
(7) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There are authorized to be appropriated for the Na-
tional Science Foundation to carry out this sub-
section— 
(A) $4,500,000 for fiscal year 2010; 
(B) $4,600,000 for fiscal year 2011; 
(C) $4,700,000 for fiscal year 2012; and 
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(D) $4,800,000 for fiscal year 2013. 
SEC. 5. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION INFORMATION 
PROGRAMS. 
(a) CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director, in consulta-
tion with the heads of other Federal agencies as ap-
propriate, shall establish a program to award grants 
to institutions of higher education (or consortia 
thereof) to establish or improve undergraduate and 
master’s degree information programs, to increase 
the number of students who pursue undergraduate 
or master’s degrees in information fields, to provide 
students with experience in government or industry 
related to their information studies, and, to the ex-
tent practicable, to do so using distance learning. 
(2) MERIT
REVIEW; 
COMPETITION.—Grants 
shall be awarded under this subsection on a merit- 
reviewed, competitive basis. 
(3) USE
OF
FUNDS.—Grants awarded under 
this subsection shall be used for activities that en-
hance the ability of an institution of higher edu-
cation (or consortium thereof) to provide high-qual-
ity information education, including certification and 
undergraduate and master’s degree programs, and 
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to recruit and retain increased numbers of students 
to such programs. Activities may include— 
(A) developing and revising curriculum to 
better prepare undergraduate and master’s de-
gree students for careers in the information 
field; 
(B) establishing degree and certificate pro-
grams in the information field; 
(C) creating opportunities in information 
research for undergraduate students; 
(D) acquiring equipment necessary for stu-
dent instruction in these programs, including 
the installation of testbed networks for student 
use; 
(E) providing opportunities for faculty to 
work with State, local, or Federal Government 
agencies, private industry, and other academic 
institutions to develop new expertise or to for-
mulate new information research directions; 
(F) establishing collaborations with other 
academic institutions or departments that seek 
to establish, expand, or enhance these pro-
grams; 
(G) establishing student internships for 
students in these programs at State, local, and 
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Federal Government agencies or in private in-
dustry; 
(H) establishing or enhancing bridge pro-
grams in information fields between community 
colleges and universities; and 
(I) any other activities the Director, in 
consultation with the heads of other Federal 
agencies as appropriate, determines will achieve 
the purposes described in paragraph (1). 
(4) SELECTION PROCESS.— 
(A) APPLICATION.—An institution of high-
er education (or a consortium thereof) seeking 
funding under this subsection shall submit an 
application to the Director at such time, in such 
manner, and with such contents as the Director 
may require. The application shall include, at a 
minimum— 
(i) a description of the applicant’s rel-
evant research and instructional capacity, 
and in the case of an application from a 
consortium of institutions of higher edu-
cation, a description of the role that each 
member will play in implementing the pro-
posal; 
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(ii) a comprehensive plan by which the 
institution or consortium will build instruc-
tional capacity in information fields; 
(iii) a description of relevant collabo-
rations with State, local, or Federal Gov-
ernment agencies or private industry that 
inform the instructional program; 
(iv) a survey of the applicant’s his-
toric student enrollment and placement 
data and a study of potential enrollment 
and placement for students enrolled in the 
proposed program; and 
(v) a plan to evaluate the success of 
the proposed program, including post-
graduate assessment of graduate school 
and job placement and retention rates as 
well as the relevance of the instructional 
program to graduate study and to the 
workplace. 
(B) AWARDS.—The Director shall ensure, 
to the extent practicable, that grants are 
awarded under this subsection in a wide range 
of geographic areas and categories of institu-
tions of higher education. 
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(5) ASSESSMENT REQUIRED.—The Director, in 
consultation with the heads of other Federal agen-
cies as appropriate, shall evaluate the program es-
tablished under this subsection no later than 3 years 
after the establishment of the program. At a min-
imum, the Director shall evaluate the extent to 
which the grants have achieved their objectives of in-
creasing the quality and quantity of students pur-
suing undergraduate or master’s degrees in informa-
tion fields. The Director shall make this assessment 
publicly available. 
(6) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Na-
tional Science Foundation to carry out this sub-
section— 
(A) $9,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; 
(B) $9,200,000 for fiscal year 2011; 
(C) $9,400,000 for fiscal year 2012; and 
(D) $9,600,000 for fiscal year 2013. 
(b) SCIENTIFIC AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY ACT 
OF 1992.— 
(1) 
GRANTS.—The 
Director 
shall 
provide 
grants under the Scientific and Advanced Tech-
nology Act of 1992 for the purposes of section 3(a) 
and (b) of that Act, except that the activities sup-
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ported pursuant to this subsection shall be limited to 
improving education in fields related to information. 
(2) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Na-
tional Science Foundation to carry out this sub-
section— 
(A) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; 
(B) $7,200,000 for fiscal year 2011; 
(C) $7,400,000 for fiscal year 2012; and 
(D) $7,600,000 for fiscal year 2013. 
Æ 
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