H. R. 4346—220 
(c) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—From within funds 
authorized for the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Part-
nerships, there are authorized to carry out the activities under 
this section and section 10388 $6,500,000,000 for fiscal years 2023 
through 2027. 
SEC. 10390. TEST BEDS. 
(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—From amounts made available for the 
Directorate, the Director, in coordination with the Director 
of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the 
Secretary of Energy, and other Federal agencies, as determined 
appropriate by the Director, shall establish a program in the 
Directorate to make awards, on a competitive basis, to institu-
tions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, or consortia 
thereof to establish and operate test beds, which may include 
fabrication facilities and cyberinfrastructure, to advance the 
development, operation, integration, deployment, and, as appro-
priate, demonstration of new, innovative critical technologies, 
which may include hardware or software. 
(2) COORDINATION.—In establishing new test beds under 
this section, the Director shall ensure coordination with other 
test beds supported by the Foundation or other Federal agencies 
to avoid duplication and maximize the use of Federal resources. 
(b) PROPOSALS.—An applicant for an award under this section 
shall submit a proposal to the Director, at such time, in such 
manner, and containing such information as the Director may 
reasonably require. The proposal shall, at a minimum, describe— 
(1) the technology or technologies that will be the focus 
of the test bed; 
(2) the goals of the work to be done at the test bed; 
(3) how the applicant will assemble a workforce with the 
skills needed to operate the test bed; 
(4) how the applicant will ensure broad access to the test 
bed; 
(5) how the applicant will collaborate with firms in critical 
technologies, including through coordinated research and 
development and funding, to ensure that work in the test 
bed will contribute to the commercial viability of any tech-
nologies and will include collaboration from industry and labor 
organizations; 
(6) how the applicant will encourage the participation of 
inventors and entrepreneurs and the development of new 
businesses; 
(7) how the applicant will increase participation by popu-
lations that are underrepresented in STEM; 
(8) how the applicant will demonstrate that the commercial 
viability of any new technologies will support the creation of 
high-quality domestic jobs; 
(9) how the test bed will operate after Federal funding 
has ended; 
(10) how the test bed will disseminate lessons and other 
technical information to United States entities or allied or 
partner country entities in the United States; and 
(11) how the applicant plans to take measures to prevent 
the inappropriate use of research results, data, and intellectual
H. R. 4346—221 
property, as applicable and consistent with the requirements 
of the award. 
(c) AUTHORIZED USE OF FUNDS.—A recipient of an award under 
this section may, consistent with the purposes of this section, use 
the award for the purchase of equipment and for the support 
of students, faculty and staff, and postdoctoral researchers. 
(d) GEOGRAPHIC
DIVERSITY.—In selecting award recipients 
under this section, the Director shall consider the extent to which 
proposals would expand the geographic diversity of test beds. 
SEC. 10391. PLANNING AND CAPACITY BUILDING AWARDS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Under the program established in section 
508 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (42 
U.S.C. 1862p–2) and the activities authorized under this section, 
from amounts made available to the Directorate, the Director, in 
coordination with other Federal agencies as determined appropriate 
by the Director, shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to 
eligible entities to advance the development, adoption, and commer-
cialization of technologies, consistent with the purposes of the Direc-
torate under section 10382. 
(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—To be eligible to receive an award under 
this section, an entity shall be— 
(1) an institution of higher education, which may be a 
community college (or a consortium of such institutions); 
(2) a nonprofit organization that is either affiliated with 
an institution of higher education or designed to support tech-
nology development or entrepreneurship; or 
(3) a consortium that includes— 
(A) an entity described in paragraph (1) or (2) as the 
lead award recipient; and 
(B) one or more additional individuals or entities, 
which shall be— 
(i) an economic development organization or 
similar entity that is focused primarily on improving 
science, technology, innovation, or entrepreneurship; 
(ii) an industry organization or firm in a relevant 
technology or innovation sector; 
(iii) 
an 
industry-experienced 
executive 
with 
entrepreneurship experience that is focused primarily 
on de-risking technologies from both a scientific and 
a business perspective; or 
(iv) an individual or entity with industry and 
startup expertise, including a mentor network, across 
relevant technology or innovation sectors. 
(c) USE OF FUNDS.—In addition to activities listed under section 
10383, an eligible entity receiving an award under this section 
may use funds to— 
(1) identify academic research with the potential for tech-
nology transfer and commercialization, particularly as relevant 
to the purposes of the Directorate under section 10382; 
(2) ensure the availability of staff, including technology 
transfer professionals, entrepreneurs in residence, and other 
mentors as required to accomplish the purpose of this section; 
(3) help offset the costs of patenting and licensing research 
products, both domestically and internationally; 
(4) revise institution policies, including policies related to 
intellectual property and faculty entrepreneurship, and taking
H. R. 4346—222 
other necessary steps to implement relevant best practices for 
academic technology transfer; 
(5) develop local, regional, and national partnerships among 
institutions of higher education and between institutions of 
higher education and private sector entities and other relevant 
organizations, including investors, with the purpose of building 
networks, expertise, and other capacity to identify promising 
research that may have potential market value and enable 
researchers to pursue further development and transfer of their 
ideas into possible commercial or other use; 
(6) develop seminars, courses, and other educational 
opportunities for students, post-doctoral researchers, faculty, 
and other relevant staff at institutions of higher education 
to increase awareness and understanding of entrepreneurship, 
patenting, business planning, research security, and other areas 
relevant to technology transfer, and connect students and 
researchers to relevant resources, including mentors in the 
private sector; and 
(7) create, support, or fund entities or competitions to allow 
entrepreneurial students and faculty to illustrate the commer-
cialization potential of their ideas, including through venture 
funds of institution of higher education. 
(d) LIMITATIONS ON FUNDING.— 
(1) Awards made under this section shall be at least 3 
years in duration and shall not exceed $1,000,000 per fiscal 
year. 
(2) Awards made under this section shall not support the 
development or operation of capital investment funds. 
(e) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity seeking funding under this 
section shall submit an application to the Director at such time, 
in such manner, and containing such information and assurances 
as such Director may require. The application shall include, at 
a minimum, a description of— 
(1) how the eligible entity submitting an application plans 
to sustain the proposed activities beyond the duration of the 
award; 
(2) the steps the applicant will take to enable technology 
transfer and adoption and why such steps are likely to be 
effective; 
(3) how the applicant will encourage the training and 
participation of students and potential entrepreneurs and the 
transition of research results to practice, including the develop-
ment of new businesses; 
(4) as relevant, potential steps to drive economic growth 
in a particular region, by collaborating with industry, venture 
capital entities, non-profit organizations, and State and local 
governments within that region; and 
(5) background information that the Director determines 
is relevant to demonstrate the success of the innovation and 
entrepreneurship support models proposed by the applicant 
to commercialize technologies. 
(f) COLLABORATIVE INNOVATION RESOURCE CENTER PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall make awards under 
this section to eligible entities to establish collaborative innova-
tion resource centers that promote regional technology transfer 
and technology development activities available to more than
H. R. 4346—223 
one institution of higher education and to other entities in 
a region. 
(2) USE
OF
FUNDS.—An eligible entity that receives an 
award under this subsection shall use award funds to carry 
out one or more of the following activities, to the benefit of 
the region in which the center is located: 
(A) Providing start-ups and small business concerns 
(as defined in section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 632)) within the region with access to facilities, 
scientific infrastructure, personnel, and other assets as 
required for technology maturation. 
(B) Supporting entrepreneurial training for start-up 
and small business personnel. 
(3) Providing engineering and entrepreneurial experiences 
and hands-on training for students enrolled in participating 
institutions of higher education. 
(g) REPORTING ON COMMERCIALIZATION METRICS.—The Director 
shall establish— 
(1) metrics related to commercialization for an award under 
this section; and 
(2) a reporting schedule for recipients of such awards that 
takes into account both short- and long-term goals of the pro-
grams under this section. 
(h) GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY.—The Director shall ensure regional 
and geographic diversity in issuing awards under this section. 
(i) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—From within funds 
authorized for the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Part-
nerships, there are authorized to carry out the activities under 
this section $3,100,000,000 for fiscal years 2023 through 2027. 
SEC. 10392. ENTREPRENEURIAL FELLOWSHIPS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director, acting through the Directorate 
for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships, shall award fellow-
ships to scientists and engineers to help develop leaders capable 
of maturing promising ideas and technologies from lab to market 
or other use and forge connections between academic research and 
the government, industry, financial sectors, and other end users. 
(b) APPLICATION.—An applicant for a fellowship under this sec-
tion shall submit to the Director an application at such time, 
in such manner, and containing such information as the Director 
may require. At a minimum, the Director shall require that 
applicants— 
(1) have completed a doctoral degree in a STEM field 
no more than 5 years prior to the date of the application, 
or have otherwise demonstrated significant postbaccalaureate 
scientific research experience and are considered early career, 
according to requirements established by the Director; and 
(2) have included in the application a proposal for how 
the fellow will be embedded in a host institution’s research 
environment. 
(c) OUTREACH.—The Director shall conduct program outreach 
to recruit fellowship applicants— 
(1) from diverse research institutions; 
(2) from all regions of the country; and 
(3) from groups historically underrepresented in STEM 
fields.