SEC. 6. EXTERNAL REVIEW OF ETHICAL, LEGAL, ENVIRON-
MENTAL, AND SOCIETAL ISSUES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 12 months after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Na-
tional Science Foundation shall enter into an agreement 
with the National Academies to convene a workshop to 
review the ethical, legal, environmental, and other appro-
priate societal issues related to engineering biology re-
search and development. The goals of the workshop shall 
be to— 
(1) assess the current research on such issues; 
(2) evaluate the research gaps relating to such 
issues; and 
(3) provide recommendations on how the Pro-
gram can address the research needs identified. 
(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 years 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of 
the National Science Foundation shall transmit to the 
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Com-
merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a sum-
mary report containing the findings of the workshop con-
vened under this section. 
SEC. 7. AGENCY ACTIVITIES. 
(a) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.—As part of 
the Program, the National Science Foundation shall— 
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(1) support basic research at the intersection of 
the biological, physical, and information sciences and 
engineering through individual grants and through 
interdisciplinary research centers; 
(2) support research on the environmental and 
social effects of engineering biology; 
(3) provide research instrumentation support 
for engineering biology disciplines; and 
(4) award grants, on a competitive basis, to en-
able institutions to support graduate students and 
postdoctoral fellows who perform some of their engi-
neering biology research in an industry setting. 
(b) DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE.—As part of the 
Program, the Director of the National Institute of Stand-
ards and Technology shall— 
(1) establish a bioscience research program to 
advance the development of standard reference ma-
terials and measurements and to create new data 
tools, techniques, and processes necessary to advance 
engineering biology and biomanufacturing; 
(2) provide access to user facilities with ad-
vanced or unique equipment, services, materials, and 
other resources to industry, institutions of higher 
education, nonprofit organizations, and government 
agencies to perform research and testing; and 
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(3) provide technical expertise to inform the de-
velopment of guidelines and safeguards for new 
products, processes, and systems of engineering biol-
ogy. 
(c) DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.—As part of the Pro-
gram, the Secretary of Energy shall— 
(1) conduct and support basic research, devel-
opment, demonstration, and commercial application 
activities in engineering biology disciplines, including 
in the areas of synthetic biology, advanced biofuel 
development, biobased materials, and environmental 
remediation; and 
(2) provide access to user facilities with ad-
vanced or unique equipment, services, materials, and 
other resources, as appropriate, to industry, institu-
tions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, 
and government agencies to perform research and 
testing. 
(d) NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINIS-
TRATION.—As part of the Program, the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration shall— 
(1) conduct and support basic and applied re-
search in engineering biology fields, including in the 
field of synthetic biology, and related to Earth and 
space sciences, aeronautics, space technology, and 
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space exploration and experimentation, consistent 
with the priorities established in the National Acad-
emies’ decadal surveys; and 
(2) award grants, on a competitive basis, that 
enable institutions to support graduate students and 
postdoctoral fellows who perform some of their engi-
neering biology research in an industry setting. 
(e) ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
AGENCY.—As 
part of the Program, the Environmental Protection Agen-
cy shall support research on how products, processes, and 
systems of engineering biology will affect the environment. 
Æ 
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