H. R. 4346—240 
(F) promote access to, and early application of, the 
technologies, innovations, and expertise derived from Initia-
tive activities to agency missions and systems across the 
Federal Government, and to United States industry, 
including startup companies. 
(2) FUNDING.—The Director of the Office of Science and 
Technology Policy, in coordination with each participating Fed-
eral department and agency, as appropriate, shall develop and 
annually update an estimate of the funds necessary to carry 
out the activities of the Initiative Coordination Office and 
submit such estimate with an agreed summary of contributions 
from each agency to Congress as part of the President’s annual 
budget request to Congress. 
(3) TERMINATION.—The Initiative Coordination Office estab-
lished under this subsection shall terminate on the date that 
is 10 years after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section may be 
construed to alter the policies, processes, or practices of individual 
Federal agencies in effect on the day before the date of the enact-
ment of this Act relating to the conduct of biomedical research 
and advanced development, including the solicitation and review 
of extramural research proposals. 
SEC. 10404. ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON ENGINEERING BIOLOGY 
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The agency co-chair of the interagency com-
mittee established under section 10403 shall, in consultation with 
the Office of Science and Technology Policy, designate or establish 
an advisory committee on engineering biology research and develop-
ment (in this section referred to as the ‘‘advisory committee’’) to 
be composed of not fewer than 12 members, including representa-
tives of research and academic institutions, industry, and non-
governmental entities, who are qualified to provide advice on the 
Initiative. 
(b) ASSESSMENT.—The advisory committee shall assess the fol-
lowing: 
(1) The current state of United States competitiveness in 
engineering biology, including the scope and scale of United 
States investments in engineering biology research and develop-
ment in the international context. 
(2) Current market barriers to commercialization of 
engineering biology products, processes, and tools in the United 
States. 
(3) Progress made in implementing the Initiative. 
(4) The need to revise the Initiative. 
(5) The balance of activities and funding across the Initia-
tive. 
(6) Whether the strategic plan developed or updated by 
the interagency committee established under section 10403 is 
helping to maintain United States leadership in engineering 
biology. 
(7) Whether ethical, legal, environmental, safety, security, 
and other appropriate societal issues are adequately addressed 
by the Initiative. 
(c) REPORTS.—Beginning not later than two years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act and not less frequently than 
once every five years thereafter, the advisory committee shall
H. R. 4346—241 
submit to the President, 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 Com-
mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and the Com-
mittee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, a 
report on the following: 
(1) The findings of the advisory committee’s assessment 
under subsection (b). 
(2) The advisory committee’s recommendations for ways 
to improve the Initiative. 
(d) APPLICATION OF FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.—Sec-
tion 14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) 
shall not apply to the advisory committee. 
(e) TERMINATION.—The advisory committee established under 
subsection (a) shall terminate on the date that is 10 years after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 10405. EXTERNAL REVIEW OF ETHICAL, LEGAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, 
SAFETY, SECURITY, AND SOCIETAL ISSUES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than six months after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science 
Foundation shall seek to enter into an agreement with the National 
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a 
review, and make recommendations with respect to, the ethical, 
legal, environmental, safety, security, and other appropriate societal 
issues related to engineering biology research and development. 
The review shall include the following: 
(1) An assessment of the current research on such issues. 
(2) A description of the research needs relating to such 
issues. 
(3) Recommendations on how the Initiative can address 
the research needs identified pursuant to paragraph (2). 
(4) Recommendations on how researchers engaged in 
engineering biology can best incorporate considerations of such 
issues into the development of research proposals and the con-
duct of research. 
(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The agreement entered into under 
subsection (a) shall require the National Academies of Sciences, 
Engineering, and Medicine to, not later than two years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act— 
(1) submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech-
nology and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 
and Forestry of the Senate a report containing the findings 
and recommendations of the review conducted under subsection 
(a); and 
(2) make a copy of such report available on a publicly 
accessible website. 
SEC. 10406. AGENCY ACTIVITIES. 
(a) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.—As part of the Initiative, 
the National Science Foundation shall carry out the following: 
(1) Support research in engineering biology and biomanu-
facturing through individual grants, collaborative grants, and 
through interdisciplinary research centers.
H. R. 4346—242 
(2) Support research on the environmental, legal, ethical, 
and social implications of engineering biology. 
(3) Provide support for research instrumentation, equip-
ment, and cyberinfrastructure for engineering biology dis-
ciplines, including support for research, development, optimiza-
tion, and validation of novel technologies to enable the dynamic 
study of molecular processes in situ. 
(4) Support curriculum development and research experi-
ences for secondary, undergraduate, and graduate students in 
engineering biology and biomanufacturing, including through 
support 
for 
graduate 
fellowships 
and 
traineeships 
in 
engineering biology. 
(5) Award grants, on a competitive basis, to enable institu-
tions to support graduate students and postdoctoral fellows 
who perform some of their engineering biology research in 
an industry setting. 
(b) DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE.— 
(1) NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY.— 
As part of the Initiative, the Director of the National Institute 
of Standards and Technology shall carry out the following: 
(A) Advance the development of standard reference 
materials and measurements, including to promote inter-
operability between new component technologies and proc-
esses for engineering biology and biomanufacturing dis-
covery, innovation, and production processes. 
(B) Establish new data tools, techniques, and processes 
necessary to advance engineering biology and biomanufac-
turing. 
(C) Provide access to user facilities with advanced or 
unique equipment, services, materials, and other resources 
to industry, institutions of higher education, nonprofit 
organizations, 
and 
government 
agencies 
to 
perform 
research and testing. 
(D) Provide technical expertise to inform the potential 
development of guidelines or safeguards for new products, 
processes, and systems of engineering biology. 
(2) NATIONAL
OCEANIC
AND
ATMOSPHERIC
ADMINISTRA-
TION.—As part of the initiative, the Administrator of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall carry 
out the following: 
(A) Conduct and support research in omics and associ-
ated bioinformatic sciences and develop tools and products 
to improve ecosystem stewardship, monitoring, manage-
ment, assessments. and forecasts, consistent with the mis-
sion of the agency. 
(B) Collaborate with other agencies to understand 
potential environmental threats and safeguards related to 
engineering biology. 
(c) DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.—As part of the Initiative, the 
Secretary of Energy shall carry out the following: 
(1) Conduct and support research, development, demonstra-
tion, and commercial application activities in engineering 
biology, including in the areas of synthetic biology, advanced 
biofuel and bioproduct development, biobased materials, and 
environmental remediation.
H. R. 4346—243 
(2) Support the development, optimization and validation 
of novel, scalable tools and technologies to enable the dynamic 
study of molecular processes in situ. 
(3) Provide access to user facilities with advanced or unique 
equipment, services, materials, and other resources, including 
secure access to high-performance computing, as appropriate, 
to industry, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organiza-
tions, and government agencies to perform research and 
testing;. 
(4) Strengthen collaboration between the Office of Science 
and the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office to 
help transfer fundamental research results to industry and 
accelerate commercial applications. 
(d) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.—As part of the Initiative, the 
Secretary of Defense shall carry out the following: 
(1) Conduct and support research and development in 
engineering biology and associated data and information 
sciences. 
(2) Support curriculum development and research experi-
ences in engineering biology and associated data and informa-
tion sciences across the military education system, including 
the service academies, professional military education, and mili-
tary graduate education. 
(3) Assess risks of potential national security and economic 
security threats relating to engineering biology. 
(e) NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION.—As 
part of the Initiative, the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis-
tration shall carry out the following: 
(1) Conduct and support research in engineering biology, 
including in synthetic biology, and related to Earth and space 
sciences, aeronautics, space technology, and space exploration 
and experimentation, consistent with the priorities established 
in the National Academies’ decadal surveys. 
(2) Award grants, on a competitive basis, that enable 
institutions to support graduate students and postdoctoral fel-
lows who perform some of their engineering biology research 
in an industry setting. 
(f) DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.—As part of the Initiative, 
the Secretary of Agriculture shall support research and development 
in engineering biology through the Agricultural Research Service, 
the National Institute of Food and Agriculture programs and grants, 
and the Office of the Chief Scientist. 
(g) ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY.—As part of the Ini-
tiative, the Environmental Protection Agency shall support research 
on how products, processes, and systems of engineering biology 
will affect or can protect the environment. 
(h) DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES.—As part 
of the Initiative, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
as appropriate and consistent with activities of the Department 
of Health and Human Services in effect on the day before the 
date of the enactment of this Act, shall carry out the following: 
(1) Support research and development to advance the 
understanding and application of engineering biology for human 
health. 
(2) 
Support 
relevant 
interdisciplinary 
research 
and 
coordination.