SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Networking and Infor-
mation Technology Research and Development Act of 
2009’’. 
SEC. 2. PROGRAM PLANNING AND COORDINATION. 
(a) PERIODIC REVIEWS.—Section 101 of the High- 
Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5511) 
is amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(d) PERIODIC REVIEWS.—The agencies identified in 
subsection (a)(3)(B) shall— 
‘‘(1) periodically assess the contents and fund-
ing levels of the Program Component Areas and re-
structure the Program when warranted, taking into 
consideration any relevant recommendations of the 
advisory committee established under subsection (b); 
and 
‘‘(2) ensure that the Program includes large- 
scale, long-term, interdisciplinary research and de-
velopment activities, including activities described in 
section 104.’’. 
(b) DEVELOPMENT OF STRATEGIC PLAN.—Section 
101 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 5511) is amended further by 
adding after subsection (d), as added by subsection (a) 
of this Act, the following new subsection: 
‘‘(e) STRATEGIC PLAN.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The agencies identified in 
subsection (a)(3)(B), working through the National 
Science and Technology Council and with the assist-
ance of the National Coordination Office established 
under section 102, shall develop, within 12 months 
after the date of enactment of the Networking and 
Information Technology Research and Development 
Act of 2009, and update every 3 years thereafter, a 
5-year strategic plan to guide the activities described 
under subsection (a)(1). 
‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—The strategic plan shall 
specify near-term and long-term objectives for the 
Program, the anticipated time frame for achieving 
the near-term objectives, the metrics to be used for 
assessing progress toward the objectives, and how 
the Program will— 
‘‘(A) foster the transfer of research and 
development results into new technologies and 
applications for the benefit of society, including 
through cooperation and collaborations with 
networking and information technology re-
search, development, and technology transition 
initiatives supported by the States; 
‘‘(B) encourage and support mechanisms 
for interdisciplinary research and development
in networking and information technology, in-
cluding through collaborations across agencies, 
across Program Component Areas, with indus-
try, with Federal laboratories (as defined in 
section 4 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology 
Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703)), and 
with international organizations; 
‘‘(C) address long-term challenges of na-
tional importance for which solutions require 
large-scale, long-term, interdisciplinary research 
and development; 
‘‘(D) place emphasis on innovative and 
high-risk projects having the potential for sub-
stantial societal returns on the research invest-
ment; 
‘‘(E) strengthen all levels of networking 
and information technology education and 
training programs to ensure an adequate, well- 
trained workforce; and 
‘‘(F) attract more women and underrep-
resented minorities to pursue postsecondary de-
grees in networking and information tech-
nology. 
‘‘(3) NATIONAL RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE.—The 
strategic plan developed in accordance with paragraph (1)
shall be accompanied by milestones and roadmaps for es-
tablishing and maintaining the national research infra-
structure required to support the Program, including the 
roadmap required by subsection (a)(2)(E). 
‘‘(4) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The entities involved in 
developing the strategic plan under paragraph (1) shall 
take into consideration the recommendations— 
‘‘(A) of the advisory committee established 
under subsection (b); and 
‘‘(B) of the stakeholders whose input was solic-
ited by the National Coordination Office, as required 
under section 102(b)(3). 
‘‘(5) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Director of the 
National Coordination Office shall transmit the strategic 
plan required under paragraph (1) to the advisory com-
mittee, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans-
portation of the Senate, and the Committee on Science 
and Technology of the House of Representatives.’’. 
(c) ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF DIRECTOR.— 
Section 101(a)(2) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 5511(a)(2)) is 
amended— 
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) and 
(F) as subparagraphs (F) and (G), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the fol-
lowing new subparagraph:
‘‘(E) encourage and monitor the efforts of 
the agencies participating in the Program to al-
locate the level of resources and management 
attention necessary to ensure that the strategic 
plan under subsection (e) is developed and exe-
cuted effectively and that the objectives of the 
Program are met;’’. 
(d) ADVISORY COMMITTEE.—Section 101(b)(1) of 
such Act (15 U.S.C. 5511(b)(1)) is amended by inserting 
after ‘‘an advisory committee on high-performance com-
puting,’’ the following: ‘‘in which the co-chairs shall be 
members of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science 
and Technology and with the remainder of the com-
mittee’’. 
(e) REPORT.—Section 101(a)(3) of such Act (15 
U.S.C. 5511(a)(3)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (C)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘is submitted,’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘is submitted, the levels for the previous 
fiscal year,’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘each Program Component 
Area;’’ and inserting ‘‘each Program Compo-
nent Area and research area supported in ac-
cordance with section 104;’’; 
(2) in subparagraph (D)—
(A) by striking ‘‘each Program Component 
Area,’’ and inserting ‘‘each Program Compo-
nent Area and research area supported in ac-
cordance with section 104,’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘is submitted,’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘is submitted, the levels for the previous 
fiscal year,’’; and 
(C) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 
(3) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as sub-
paragraph (G); and 
(4) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the fol-
lowing new subparagraphs: 
‘‘(E) include a description of how the ob-
jectives for each Program Component Area, and 
the objectives for activities that involve multiple 
Program Component Areas, relate to the objec-
tives of the Program identified in the strategic 
plan required under subsection (e); 
‘‘(F) include— 
‘‘(i) a description of the funding re-
quired by the National Coordination Office 
to perform the functions specified under 
section 102(b) for the next fiscal year by 
category of activity;
tential for significant contributions to national economic 
competitiveness and for other significant societal benefits. 
Such activities, ranging from basic research to the dem-
onstration of technical solutions, shall be designed to ad-
vance the development of research discoveries. The advi-
sory committee established under section 101(b) shall 
make recommendations to the Program for candidate re-
search and development areas for support under this sec-
tion. 
‘‘(b) CHARACTERISTICS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Research and development 
activities under this section shall— 
‘‘(A) include projects selected on the basis 
of applications for support through a competi-
tive, merit-based process; 
‘‘(B) involve collaborations among re-
searchers in institutions of higher education 
and industry, and may involve nonprofit re-
search institutions and Federal laboratories, as 
appropriate; 
‘‘(C) when possible, leverage Federal in-
vestments through collaboration with related 
State initiatives; and 
‘‘(D) include a plan for fostering the trans-
fer of research discoveries and the results of
technology demonstration activities, including 
from institutions of higher education and Fed-
eral laboratories, to industry for commercial de-
velopment. 
‘‘(2) COST-SHARING.—In selecting applications 
for support, the agencies shall give special consider-
ation to projects that include cost sharing from non- 
Federal sources. 
‘‘(3) AGENCY COLLABORATION.—If 2 or more 
agencies identified in section 101(a)(3)(B), or other 
appropriate agencies, are working on large-scale re-
search and development activities in the same area 
of national importance, then such agencies shall 
strive to collaborate through joint solicitation and se-
lection of applications for support and subsequent 
funding of projects. 
‘‘(4) 
INTERDISCIPLINARY
RESEARCH
CEN-
TERS.—Research and development activities under 
this section may be supported through interdiscipli-
nary research centers that are organized to inves-
tigate basic research questions and carry out tech-
nology demonstration activities in areas described in 
subsection (a). Research may be carried out through 
existing interdisciplinary centers, including those au-
thorized under section 7024(b)(2) of the America
COMPETES Act (Public Law 110–69; 42 U.S.C. 
1862o–10).’’. 
SEC. 4. CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS AND INFORMATION 
MANAGEMENT. 
(a) ADDITIONAL PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS.—Sec-
tion 101(a)(1) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 5511(a)(1)) is 
amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (H), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
after the semicolon; 
(2) in subparagraph (I), by striking the period 
at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
paragraphs: 
‘‘(J) provide for increased understanding 
of the scientific principles of cyber-physical sys-
tems and improve the methods available for the 
design, development, and operation of cyber- 
physical systems that are characterized by high 
reliability, safety, and security; and 
‘‘(K) provide for research and development 
on human-computer interactions, visualization, 
and information management.’’. 
(b) TASK FORCE.—Title I of such Act (15 U.S.C. 
5511) is amended further by adding after section 104, as 
added by section 3, the following new section:
‘‘SEC. 105. UNIVERSITY/INDUSTRY TASK FORCE. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of the Networking and Infor-
mation Technology Research and Development Act of 
2009, the Director of the National Coordination Office es-
tablished under section 102 shall convene a task force to 
explore mechanisms for carrying out collaborative research 
and development activities for cyber-physical systems, in-
cluding the related technologies required to enable these 
systems, through a consortium or other appropriate entity 
with participants from institutions of higher education, 
Federal laboratories, and industry. 
‘‘(b) FUNCTIONS.—The task force shall— 
‘‘(1) develop options for a collaborative model 
and an organizational structure for such entity 
under which the joint research and development ac-
tivities could be planned, managed, and conducted 
effectively, including mechanisms for the allocation 
of resources among the participants in such entity 
for support of such activities; 
‘‘(2) propose a process for developing a re-
search and development agenda for such entity, in-
cluding objectives and milestones; 
‘‘(3) define the roles and responsibilities for the 
participants from institutions of higher education, 
Federal laboratories, and industry in such entity;
‘‘(4) propose guidelines for assigning intellec-
tual property rights and for the transfer of research 
results to the private sector; and 
‘‘(5) make recommendations for how such enti-
ty could be funded from Federal, State, and non- 
governmental sources. 
‘‘(c) COMPOSITION.—In establishing the task force 
under subsection (a), the Director of the National Coordi-
nation Office shall appoint an equal number of individuals 
from institutions of higher education and from industry 
with knowledge and expertise in cyber-physical systems, 
of which 2 may be selected from Federal laboratories. 
‘‘(d) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of the Networking and Information Tech-
nology Research and Development Act of 2009, the Direc-
tor of the National Coordination Office shall transmit to 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
of the Senate and the Committee on Science and Tech-
nology of the House of Representatives a report describing 
the findings and recommendations of the task force.’’. 
SEC. 5. NATIONAL COORDINATION OFFICE. 
Section 102 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 5512) is amended 
to read as follows:
‘‘SEC. 102. NATIONAL COORDINATION OFFICE. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director shall establish 
a National Coordination Office with a Director and full- 
time staff. 
‘‘(b) FUNCTIONS.—The National Coordination Office 
shall— 
‘‘(1) provide technical and administrative sup-
port to— 
‘‘(A) the agencies participating in planning 
and implementing the Program, including such 
support as needed in the development of the 
strategic plan under section 101(e); and 
‘‘(B) the advisory committee established 
under section 101(b); 
‘‘(2) serve as the primary point of contact on 
Federal networking and information technology ac-
tivities for government organizations, academia, in-
dustry, professional societies, State computing and 
networking technology programs, interested citizen 
groups, and others to exchange technical and pro-
grammatic information; 
‘‘(3) solicit input and recommendations from a 
wide range of stakeholders during the development 
of each strategic plan required under section 101(e) 
through the convening of at least 1 workshop with 
invitees from academia, industry, Federal labora-
tories, and other relevant organizations and institu-
tions; 
‘‘(4) conduct public outreach, including the dis-
semination of findings and recommendations of the 
advisory committee, as appropriate; and 
‘‘(5) promote access to and early application of 
the technologies, innovations, and expertise derived 
from Program activities to agency missions and sys-
tems across the Federal Government and to United 
States industry. 
‘‘(c) SOURCE OF FUNDING.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The operation of the Na-
tional Coordination Office shall be supported by 
funds from each agency participating in the Pro-
gram. 
‘‘(2) SPECIFICATIONS.—The portion of the total 
budget of such Office that is provided by each agen-
cy for each fiscal year shall be in the same propor-
tion as each such agency’s share of the total budget 
for the Program for the previous fiscal year, as spec-
ified 
in 
the 
report 
required 
under 
section 
101(a)(3).’’.
SEC. 6. IMPROVING NETWORKING AND INFORMATION 
TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION. 
Section 201(a) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 5521(a)) is 
amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 
(4) as paragraphs (3) through (5), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(2) the National Science Foundation shall use 
its existing programs, in collaboration with other 
agencies, as appropriate, to improve the teaching 
and learning of networking and information tech-
nology at all levels of education and to increase par-
ticipation in networking and information technology 
fields, including by women and underrepresented mi-
norities;’’. 
SEC. 7. CONFORMING AND TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS. 
(a) SECTION 3.—Section 3 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 
5502) is amended— 
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
striking ‘‘high-performance computing’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘networking and information technology’’; 
(2) in paragraph (1), in the matter preceding 
subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘high-performance 
computing’’ and inserting ‘‘networking and informa-
tion technology’’;
(3) in subparagraphs (A) and (F) of paragraph 
(1), by striking ‘‘high-performance computing’’ each 
place it appears and inserting ‘‘networking and in-
formation technology’’; and 
(4) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘high-performance com-
puting and’’ and inserting ‘‘networking and in-
formation technology and’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘high-performance com-
puting network’’ and inserting ‘‘networking and 
information technology’’. 
(b) TITLE I.—The heading of title I of such Act (15 
U.S.C. 5511) is amended by striking ‘‘HIGH-PER-
FORMANCE COMPUTING’’ and inserting ‘‘NET-
WORKING 
AND 
INFORMATION 
TECH-
NOLOGY’’. 
(c) SECTION 101.—Section 101 of such Act (15 
U.S.C. 5511) is amended— 
(1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘HIGH- 
PERFORMANCE
COMPUTING’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘NETWORKING
AND
INFORMATION
TECH-
NOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT’’; 
(2) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in the subsection heading, by striking 
‘‘NATIONAL HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING’’
and inserting ‘‘NETWORKING
AND INFORMA-
TION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOP-
MENT’’; 
(B) in paragraph (1) of such subsection— 
(i) in the matter preceding subpara-
graph (A), by striking ‘‘National High-Per-
formance Computing Program’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘networking and information tech-
nology research and development pro-
gram’’; 
(ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘high-performance computing, including 
networking’’ and inserting ‘‘networking 
and information technology’’; and 
(iii) in subparagraphs (B), (C), and 
(G), by striking ‘‘high-performance’’ each 
place it appears and inserting ‘‘high-end’’; 
and 
(C) in paragraph (2) of such subsection— 
(i) in subparagraphs (A) and (C)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘high-performance 
computing’’ each place it appears and 
inserting ‘‘networking and information 
technology’’; and
(II) by striking ‘‘development, 
networking,’’ each place it appears 
and inserting ‘‘development,’’; and 
(ii) in subparagraphs (F) and (G), as 
redesignated by section 2(c)(1) of this Act, 
by striking ‘‘high-performance’’ each place 
it appears and inserting ‘‘high-end’’; 
(3) in subsection (b)(1), in the matter pre-
ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘high-perform-
ance computing’’ both places it appears and insert-
ing ‘‘networking and information technology’’; and 
(4) in subsection (c)(1)(A), by striking ‘‘high- 
performance computing’’ and inserting ‘‘networking 
and information technology’’. 
(d) SECTION 201.—Section 201(a)(1) of such Act 
(15 U.S.C. 5521(a)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘high-per-
formance computing’’ and all that follows through ‘‘net-
working;’’ and inserting ‘‘networking and information re-
search and development;’’. 
(e) SECTION 202.—Section 202(a) of such Act (15 
U.S.C. 5522(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘high-perform-
ance computing’’ and inserting ‘‘networking and informa-
tion technology’’. 
(f) SECTION 203.—Section 203(a)(1) of such Act (15 
U.S.C. 5523(a)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘high-perform-
ance computing and networking’’ and inserting ‘‘net-
working and information technology’’. 
(g) SECTION 204.—Section 204(a)(1) of such Act 
(15 U.S.C. 5524(a)(1)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘high-per-
formance computing systems and networks’’ and in-
serting ‘‘networking and information technology sys-
tems and capabilities’’; and 
(2) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘high-per-
formance computing’’ and inserting ‘‘networking and 
information technology’’. 
(h) SECTION 205.—Section 205(a) of such Act (15 
U.S.C. 5525(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘computational’’ 
and inserting ‘‘networking and information technology’’. 
(i) SECTION 206.—Section 206(a) of such Act (15 
U.S.C. 5526(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘computational 
research’’ and inserting ‘‘networking and information 
technology research’’. 
(j) SECTION 208.—Section 208 of such Act (15 
U.S.C. 5528) is amended— 
(1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘HIGH- 
PERFORMANCE
COMPUTING’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘NETWORKING
AND
INFORMATION
TECH-
NOLOGY’’; and 
(2) in subsection (a)—
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘High- 
performance computing and associated’’ and in-
serting ‘‘Networking and information’’; 
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘high- 
performance computing’’ and inserting ‘‘net-
working and information technologies’’; 
(C) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘high- 
performance computers and associated’’ and in-
serting ‘‘networking and information’’; and 
(D) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘high- 
performance computing and associated’’ and in-
serting ‘‘networking and information’’. 
Passed the House of Representatives May 12, 2009. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 2020 
AN ACT 
To amend the High-Performance Computing Act of 
1991 to authorize activities for support of net-
working and information technology research, 
and for other purposes.