H. R. 4346—236 
(B) Development of standards for such databases, 
including for curation, interoperability, and protection of 
privacy and security. 
(C) Support for the development of computational tools, 
including artificial intelligence tools, that can accelerate 
research and innovation using such databases. 
(D) An inventory and assessment of all Federal govern-
ment omics databases to identify opportunities to improve 
the utility of such databases, as appropriate and in a 
manner that does not compromise national security or the 
privacy and security of information within such databases, 
and inform investment in such databases as critical infra-
structure for the engineering biology research enterprise. 
(3) Sustained support for the development, optimization, 
and validation of novel tools and technologies to enable the 
dynamic study of molecular processes in situ, including through 
the following: 
(A) Research conducted at Federal laboratories. 
(B) Grants to fund the work of investigators at institu-
tions of higher education and other nonprofit research 
institutions. 
(C) Incentivized development of retooled industrial 
sites across the country that foster a pivot to modernized 
engineering biology initiatives. 
(D) Awards under the Small Business Innovation 
Research Program and the Small Business Technology 
Transfer Program (as described in section 9 of the Small 
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638)). 
(4) Support for education and training of undergraduate 
and graduate students in engineering biology, biomanufac-
turing, bioprocess engineering, and computational science 
applied to engineering biology and in the related ethical, legal, 
environmental, safety, security, and other societal domains. 
(5) Support for a national network of testbeds based on 
open standards, interfaces, and processes, including by 
repurposing existing facilities such as those specified in para-
graph (3)(C), that would enable scale up of laboratory 
engineering biology research. 
(6) Activities to develop robust mechanisms for docu-
menting and quantifying the outputs and economic benefits 
of engineering biology. 
(7) Activities to accelerate the translation and commer-
cialization of new products, processes, and technologies by car-
rying out the following: 
(A) Identifying precompetitive research opportunities. 
(B) 
Facilitating 
public-private 
partnerships 
in 
engineering biology research and development, including 
to address barriers to scaling up innovations in engineering 
biology. 
(C) Connecting researchers, graduate students, and 
postdoctoral fellows with entrepreneurship education and 
training opportunities. 
(D) Supporting proof of concept activities and the 
formation of startup companies including through programs 
such as the Small Business Innovation Research Program 
and the Small Business Technology Transfer Program.
H. R. 4346—237 
(c) EXPANDING PARTICIPATION.—The Initiative shall include, 
to the maximum extent practicable, outreach to primarily under-
graduate and historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal 
Colleges or Universities, and minority-serving institutions about 
Initiative opportunities, and shall encourage the development of 
research collaborations between research-intensive universities and 
primarily undergraduate and historically Black colleges and univer-
sities, Tribal Colleges or Universities, and minority-serving institu-
tions. 
(d) ETHICAL, LEGAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, SAFETY, SECURITY, AND 
SOCIETAL ISSUES.—Initiative activities shall take into account eth-
ical, legal, environmental, safety, security, and other appropriate 
societal issues by carrying out the following: 
(1) Supporting research, including in the social sciences, 
and other activities addressing ethical, legal, environmental, 
and other appropriate societal issues related to engineering 
biology, including integrating research on such topics with the 
research and development in engineering biology, and encour-
aging the dissemination of the results of such research, 
including 
through 
interdisciplinary 
engineering 
biology 
research centers described in subsection (b)(1)(C). 
(2) Supporting research and other activities related to the 
safety and security implications of engineering biology, 
including outreach to increase awareness among Federal 
researchers and federally-funded researchers at institutions of 
higher education about potential safety and security implica-
tions of engineering biology research, as appropriate. 
(3) Ensuring that input from Federal and non-Federal 
experts on the ethical, legal, environmental, safety, security, 
and other appropriate societal issues related to engineering 
biology is integrated into the Initiative. 
(4) Ensuring, through the agencies and departments that 
participate in the Initiative, that public input and outreach 
are integrated into the Initiative by the convening of regular 
and ongoing public discussions through mechanisms such as 
workshops, consensus conferences, and educational events, as 
appropriate. 
(5) Complying with all applicable provisions of Federal 
law. 
SEC. 10403. INITIATIVE COORDINATION. 
(a) INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE.—The President, acting through 
the Office of Science and Technology Policy, shall designate an 
interagency committee to coordinate activities of the Initiative as 
appropriate, which shall be co-chaired by the Office of Science 
and Technology Policy. The Director of the Office of Science and 
Technology Policy shall select an additional co-chairperson from 
among the members of the interagency committee. The interagency 
committee shall oversee the planning, management, and coordina-
tion of the Initiative. The interagency committee shall carry out 
the following: 
(1) Provide for interagency coordination of Federal 
engineering biology research, development, and other activities 
undertaken pursuant to the Initiative. 
(2) Establish and periodically update goals and priorities 
for the Initiative.
H. R. 4346—238 
(3) Develop, not later than 12 months after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, and update every five years there-
after, a strategic plan submitted to the Committee on Science, 
Space, and Technology, the Committee on Agriculture, and 
the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation, the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
Forestry, the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneur-
ship, and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions of the Senate that— 
(A) guides the activities of the Initiative for purposes 
of meeting the goals and priorities established under (and 
updated pursuant to) paragraph (2); and 
(B) describes— 
(i) the Initiative’s support for long-term funding 
for interdisciplinary engineering biology research and 
development; 
(ii) the Initiative’s support for education and public 
outreach activities; 
(iii) the Initiative’s support for research and other 
activities on ethical, legal, environmental, safety, secu-
rity, and other appropriate societal issues related to 
engineering biology, including— 
(I) an applied biorisk management research 
plan; 
(II) recommendations for integrating security 
into biological data access and international reci-
procity agreements; 
(III) 
recommendations 
for 
manufacturing 
restructuring 
to 
support 
engineering 
biology 
research, development, and scaling-up initiatives; 
and 
(IV) an evaluation of existing biosecurity 
governance policies, guidance, and directives for 
the purposes of creating an adaptable, evidence- 
based framework to respond to emerging biosecu-
rity challenges created by advances in engineering 
biology; 
(iv) how the Initiative will contribute to moving 
results out of the laboratory and into application for 
the benefit of society and United States competitive-
ness; and 
(v) how the Initiative will measure and track the 
contributions of engineering biology to United States 
economic growth and other societal indicators. 
(4) Develop a national genomic sequencing strategy to 
ensure engineering biology research fully leverages plant, 
animal, and microbe biodiversity, as appropriate and in a 
manner that does not compromise economic competitiveness, 
national security, or the privacy or security of human genetic 
information, to enhance long-term innovation and competitive-
ness in engineering biology in the United States. 
(5) Develop a plan to utilize Federal programs, such as 
the Small Business Innovation Research Program and the Small 
Business Technology Transfer Program (as described in section 
9 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638)), in support of 
the activities described in section 10402(b)(3).
H. R. 4346—239 
(6) In carrying out this section, take into consideration 
the recommendations of the advisory committee established 
under section 10404, the results of the workshop convened 
under section 10402, existing reports on related topics, and 
the views of academic, State, industry, and other appropriate 
groups. 
(b) QUINQUENNIAL REPORT.—Beginning with fiscal year 2023 
and every five years thereafter for ten years, the interagency com-
mittee shall prepare and submit to the Committee on Science, 
Space, and Technology, the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 
and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, the 
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and the Com-
mittee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a 
report that includes the following: 
(1) A summarized agency budget in support of the Initiative 
for the current fiscal year, including a breakout of spending 
for each agency participating in the Program, and for the 
development and acquisition of any research facilities and 
instrumentation. 
(2) An assessment of how Federal agencies are imple-
menting the plan described in subsection (a)(3), including the 
following: 
(A) A description of the amount and number of awards 
made under the Small Business Innovation Research Pro-
gram and the Small Business Technology Transfer Program 
(as described in section 9 of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 638)) in support of the Initiative. 
(B) A description of the amount and number of projects 
funded under joint solicitations by a collaboration of not 
fewer than two agencies participating in the Initiative. 
(C) A description of effects of newly-funded projects 
by the Initiative. 
(c) INITIATIVE COORDINATION OFFICE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall establish an Initiative 
Coordination Office, with a Director and full-time staff, which 
shall— 
(A) provide technical and administrative support to 
the interagency committee and the advisory committee 
established under subsection (a) and section 10404; 
(B) serve as the point of contact on Federal engineering 
biology activities for government organizations, academia, 
industry, 
professional 
societies, 
State 
governments, 
interested citizen groups, and others to exchange technical 
and programmatic information; 
(C) oversee interagency coordination of the Initiative, 
including by encouraging and supporting joint agency solici-
tation and selection of applications for funding of activities 
under the Initiative, as appropriate; 
(D) conduct public outreach, including dissemination 
of findings and recommendations of the advisory committee, 
as appropriate; 
(E) serve as the coordinator of ethical, legal, environ-
mental, safety, security, and other appropriate societal 
input; and