232 
to sponsor research and development activities at the 
National Laboratories. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBILITY.—When exercising the au-
thority authorized by this subsection, the Secretary 
shall permit the directors of the National Labora-
tories to execute agreements with non-Federal enti-
ties, including non-Federal entities that have re-
ceived Federal funding, provided that the non-Fed-
eral entity uses no funds derived from a current 
Federal contract or award to carry out such an 
agreement. 
‘‘(3) CONTINUATION OF AUTHORITY.—The Sec-
retary shall continue to provide Agreements for 
Commercializing Technology authority for at least 2 
years after the date of enactment of this Act. 
‘‘(4) REPORT.—Upon completion of the Agree-
ments for Commercializing Technology pilot pro-
gram, the Secretary shall submit a report to the 
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on En-
ergy and Natural Resources of the Senate that in-
cludes the results of the pilot program and explains 
the Department’s decision whether or not to con-
tinue permitting the directors of the National Lab-
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233 
oratories to exercise Agreements for Commer-
cializing Technology authority. 
‘‘(g) INCLUSION OF TECHNOLOGY MATURATION IN 
AUTHORIZED TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER ACTIVITIES.—The 
Secretary shall permit the directors of the National Lab-
oratories to use funds authorized to support technology 
transfer, following the standard practices of the Depart-
ment, to carry out technology maturation activities to 
identify and improve potential commercial application op-
portunities and demonstrate applications of research and 
technologies arising from National Laboratory activities.’’. 
(c) DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY FOR TECHNOLOGY 
TRANSFER AGREEMENTS.— 
(1) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Energy 
shall delegate to directors of the National Labora-
tories signature authority for any technology trans-
fer agreement with a total cost of not more than 
$500,000, including both National Laboratory con-
tributions and the project recipient cost share con-
tribution, if such an agreement falls within the scope 
of a strategic plan for the National Laboratory that 
has been approved by the Department. 
(2) AGREEMENTS INCLUDED.—The agreements 
to which this subsection applies include— 
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234 
(A) Cooperative Research and Develop-
ment Agreements; and 
(B) non-Federal Work for Others Agree-
ments. 
SEC. 644. ELIMINATION OF COST SHARING REQUIREMENT 
FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVI-
TIES CONDUCTED BY UNIVERSITIES AND 
NONPROFIT INSTITUTIONS. 
Section 988(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 
U.S.C. 16352(b)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Except as 
provided in paragraphs (2) and (3)’’ and inserting 
‘‘Except as provided in paragraphs (2), (3) and 
(4)’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(4) EXEMPTIONS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Paragraph (1) shall 
not apply to a research or development activity 
performed by universities and other nonprofit 
institutions. 
‘‘(B) DEFINITION.—In this paragraph, the 
term ‘nonprofit institution’ has the meaning 
given that term in section 4(3) of the Steven-
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235 
son-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 
(15 U.S.C. 3703(3)).’’. 
SEC. 645. PILOT RACE TO THE TOP FOR ENERGY EFFI-
CIENCY AND GRID MODERNIZATION PRO-
GRAM. 
The Secretary of Energy shall carry out a pilot pro-
gram to promote innovative technologies and practices at 
the State, local, or tribal level or by electric cooperatives 
to increase energy efficiency, increase distributed elec-
tricity generation, and modernize the grid. The Depart-
ment shall provide— 
(1) informational resources as appropriate to 
potential applicants; and 
(2) technical assistance awards to carry out 
these activities on a competitive merit-reviewed 
basis. 
SEC. 646. RENAME UNDER SECRETARY FOR SCIENCE TO 
UNDER SECRETARY FOR SCIENCE AND EN-
ERGY. 
Section 202 of the Department of Energy Organiza-
tion Act (42 U.S.C. 7132) is amended by striking ‘‘Under 
Secretary for Science’’ each place it appears and inserting 
‘‘Under Secretary for Science and Energy’’. 
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236 
SEC. 647. SPECIAL HIRING AUTHORITY FOR SCIENTIFIC, 
ENGINEERING, AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT 
PERSONNEL. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary shall have 
the authority to— 
(1) make appointments of scientific, engineer-
ing, and professional personnel, without regard to 
civil service laws, to assist the Department in meet-
ing specific project or research needs; 
(2) fix the basic pay of any employee appointed 
under this section at a rate to be determined by the 
Under Secretary at rates not in excess of the Execu-
tive Schedule (EX–II) without regard to the civil 
service laws; and 
(3) pay any employee appointed under this sec-
tion payments in addition to basic pay, except that 
the total amount of additional payments paid to an 
employee under this subsection for any 12-month pe-
riod shall not exceed the least of the following 
amounts: 
(A) $25,000. 
(B) The amount equal to 25 percent of the 
annual rate of basic pay of that employee. 
(C) The amount of the limitation that is 
applicable for a calendar year under section 
5307(a)(1) of title 5, United States Code. 
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