IB 
Union Calendar No. 294 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5356 
[Report No. 109–525] 
To authorize the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy 
Office of Science to provide grants to early career researchers to establish 
innovative research programs and integrate education and research, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 11, 2006 
Mr. MCCAUL of Texas (for himself, Mr. BOEHLERT, Mr. SMITH of Texas, Mr. 
CALVERT, Mr. EHLERS, Mrs. BIGGERT, Mr. INGLIS of South Carolina, 
and Mr. SCHWARZ of Michigan) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Science 
JUNE 22, 2006 
Additional sponsors: Mr. GILCHREST, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. AL GREEN of 
Texas, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. GORDON, Mr. REICHERT, Mr. 
WYNN, Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland, Ms. HOOLEY, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. 
MILLER of North Carolina, Mr. HONDA, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON 
of Texas, Mr. BAIRD, Mr. JOHNSON of Illinois, Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee, 
Mr. COSTA, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. MELANCON, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. PRICE of 
North Carolina, Mr. HALL, Mr. GUTKNECHT, and Mr. MARIO DIAZ- 
BALART of Florida 
JUNE 22, 2006 
Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee of the Whole House 
on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
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[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on May 11, 2006] 
A BILL 
To authorize the National Science Foundation and the De-
partment of Energy Office of Science to provide grants 
to early career researchers to establish innovative re-
search programs and integrate education and research, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Research for Competi-
tiveness Act’’. 
SEC. 2. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION EARLY CAREER 
AWARDS FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 
RESEARCHERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National 
Science Foundation shall carry out a program to award 
grants to scientists and engineers at the early stage of their 
careers at institutions of higher education and organiza-
tions described in subsection (c)(2) to conduct research in 
fields relevant to the mission of the Foundation. The exist-
ing Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Pro-
gram may be designated as the mechanism for awarding 
such grants. 
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(b) SIZE AND DURATION OF AWARD.—The duration 
of awards under this section shall be 5 years, and the 
amount per year shall be at least $80,000. 
(c) ELIGIBILITY.—Award recipients shall be individ-
uals who are employed in a tenure-track position as an as-
sistant professor or equivalent title, or who hold an equiva-
lent position, at— 
(1) an institution of higher education in the 
United States; or 
(2) an organization in the United States that is 
a nonprofit, nondegree-granting research organization 
such as a museum, observatory, or research labora-
tory. 
(d) SELECTION.—Award recipients shall be selected on 
a competitive, merit-reviewed basis. 
(e) 
SELECTION
PROCESS
AND
CRITERIA
FOR 
AWARDS.—An applicant seeking funding under this section 
shall submit a proposal to the Director at such time, in 
such manner, and containing such information as the Di-
rector may require. In evaluating the proposals submitted 
under this section, the Director shall consider, at a min-
imum— 
(1) the intellectual merit of the proposed work; 
(2) the innovative or transformative nature of 
the proposed research; 
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(3) the extent to which the proposal integrates re-
search and education, including undergraduate edu-
cation in science and engineering disciplines; and 
(4) the potential of the applicant for leadership 
at the frontiers of knowledge. 
(f) AWARDS.—In awarding grants under this section, 
the Director shall endeavor to ensure that the recipients are 
from a variety of types of institutions of higher education 
and nonprofit, nondegree-granting research organizations. 
In support of this goal, the Director shall broadly dissemi-
nate information about when and how to apply for grants 
under this section, including by conducting outreach to His-
torically Black Colleges and Universities that are part B 
institutions as defined in section 322(2) of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2)) and minority insti-
tutions (as defined in section 365(3) of that Act (20 U.S.C. 
1067k(3))). 
(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For each 
of the fiscal years 2007 through 2011, the Director shall 
allocate at least 3.5 percent of funds appropriated to the 
National Science Foundation for Research and Related Ac-
tivities to the grants program under this section. 
(h) REPORT.—Not later than 6 months after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Director shall transmit to the 
Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and 
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to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation of the Senate a report describing the distribution of 
the institutions of the awardees of the Faculty Early Career 
Development Program since fiscal year 2001 among each 
of the categories of institutions of higher education defined 
by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teach-
ing and the organizations in subsection (c)(2). 
(i) EVALUATION.—Not later than 2 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Director shall transmit to the 
Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and 
to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation of the Senate a report evaluating the impact of the 
Faculty Early Career Development Program on the ability 
of young faculty to compete for National Science Founda-
tion research grants. 
SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY EARLY CAREER AWARDS 
FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING RESEARCH-
ERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Office of Science 
of the Department of Energy shall carry out a program to 
award grants to scientists and engineers at the early stage 
of their careers at institutions of higher education and orga-
nizations described in subsection (c)(2) to conduct research 
in fields relevant to the mission of the Department. 
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