(3) the extent to which the proposal integrates 
research and education, including undergraduate 
education in science and engineering disciplines; and 
(4) the potential of the applicant for leadership 
at the frontiers of knowledge. 
(f) COLLABORATION
WITH
NATIONAL
LABORA-
TORIES.—In awarding grants under this section, the Di-
rector shall give priority to proposals in which the pro-
posed work includes collaboration with the Department of 
Energy National Laboratories. 
(g) AWARDS.—In awarding grants under this section, 
the Director shall endeavor to ensure that the recipients 
are from a variety of types of institutions of higher edu-
cation and nonprofit, nondegree-granting research organi-
zations. In support of this goal, the Director shall broadly 
disseminate information about when and how to apply for 
grants under this section, including by conducting out-
reach to Historically Black Colleges and Universities that 
are part B institutions as defined in section 322(2) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2)) and 
minority institutions (as defined in section 365(3) of that 
Act (20 U.S.C. 1067k(3))). 
(h) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of En-
ergy to carry out the Director’s responsibilities under this
section $25,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 
through 2012. 
(i) REPORT ON RECRUITING AND RETAINING EARLY 
CAREER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING RESEARCHERS AT 
THE
NATIONAL
LABORATORIES.—Not later than 3 
months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Direc-
tor of the Office of Science shall transmit to the Com-
mittee on Science and Technology of the House of Rep-
resentatives and to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources of the Senate a report on efforts to recruit and 
retain young scientists and engineers at the early stages 
of their careers at the Department of Energy National 
Laboratories. The report shall include— 
(1) a description of Department of Energy and 
National Laboratory policies and procedures, includ-
ing financial incentives, awards, promotions, time set 
aside for independent research, access to equipment 
or facilities, and other forms of recognition, designed 
to attract and retain young scientists and engineers; 
(2) an evaluation of the impact of these incen-
tives on the careers of young scientists and engi-
neers at Department of Energy National Labora-
tories, and also on the quality of the research at the 
National Laboratories and in Department of Energy 
programs;
(3) a description of what barriers, if any, exist 
to efforts to recruit and retain young scientists and 
engineers, including limited availability of full time 
equivalent positions, legal and procedural require-
ments, and pay grading systems; and 
(4) the amount of funding devoted to efforts to 
recruit and retain young researchers and the source 
of such funds. 
SEC. 4. INTEGRATIVE GRADUATE EDUCATION AND RE-
SEARCH TRAINEESHIP PROGRAM. 
(a) FUNDING.—For each of the fiscal years 2008 
through 2012, the Director of the National Science Foun-
dation shall allocate at least 1.5 percent of funds appro-
priated for Research and Related Activities to the Integra-
tive Graduate Education and Research Traineeship pro-
gram. 
(b) COORDINATION.—The Director shall coordinate 
with Federal departments and agencies, as appropriate, 
to expand the interdisciplinary nature of the Integrative 
Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program. 
(c) AUTHORITY TO ACCEPT FUNDS FROM OTHER 
AGENCIES.—The Director is authorized to accept funds 
from other Federal departments and agencies to carry out 
the Integrative Graduate Education and Research 
Traineeship program.
SEC. 5. PRESIDENTIAL INNOVATION AWARD. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The President shall periodi-
cally present the Presidential Innovation Award, on the 
basis of recommendations received from the Director of 
the Office of Science and Technology Policy or on the 
basis of such other information as the President considers 
appropriate, to individuals who develop one or more 
unique scientific or engineering ideas in the national inter-
est at the time the innovation occurs. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The awards under this section shall 
be made to— 
(1) stimulate scientific and engineering ad-
vances in the national interest; 
(2) illustrate the linkage between science and 
engineering and national needs; 
(3) show the potential of such innovation to 
substantively enhance the economic competitiveness 
of the United States through development of 
commercializable intellectual property; and 
(4) provide an example to students of the con-
tribution they could make to society by entering the 
science and engineering profession. 
(c) CITIZENSHIP.—An individual is not eligible to re-
ceive the award under this section unless at the time such 
award is made the individual—
(1) is a citizen or other national of the United 
States; or 
(2) is an alien lawfully admitted to the United 
States for permanent residence who— 
(A) has filed an application for naturaliza-
tion in the manner prescribed by section 334 of 
the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1445); and 
(B) is not permanently ineligible to become 
a citizen of the United States. 
(d) PRESENTATION.—The presentation of the award 
shall be made by the President with such ceremonies as 
he may deem proper, including attendance by appropriate 
Members of Congress. 
SEC. 6. NATIONAL COORDINATION OFFICE FOR RESEARCH 
INFRASTRUCTURE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Office of Science and Tech-
nology Policy shall establish a National Coordination Of-
fice for Research Infrastructure. Such Office shall— 
(1) identify and prioritize the deficiencies in re-
search facilities and major instrumentation located 
at academic institutions and at national laboratories 
that are available for use by academic researchers; 
and
(2) institute and coordinate the planning by 
Federal agencies for the acquisition, refurbishment, 
and maintenance of research facilities and major in-
strumentation required to address the deficiencies 
identified under paragraph (1). 
In prioritizing the deficiencies identified under paragraph 
(1), the Office shall consider research needs in areas rel-
evant to the Nation’s economic competitiveness. 
(b) STAFFING.—The Director of the Office of Science 
and Technology Policy shall appoint individuals to serve 
in the Office established under subsection (a) from among 
the principal Federal agencies that support research in the 
sciences, mathematics, and engineering, and shall at a 
minimum include individuals from the National Science 
Foundation and the Department of Energy. 
(c) REPORT.—The Director of the Office of Science 
and Technology Policy shall provide annually a report to 
Congress at the time of the President’s budget proposal— 
(1) describing the research infrastructure needs 
identified in accordance with subsection (a); 
(2) listing research facilities projects and budg-
et proposals, by agency, for major instrumentation 
acquisitions that are included in the President’s 
budget proposal; and
(3) explaining how these facilities projects and 
instrumentation acquisitions relate to the defi-
ciencies and priorities arrived at in accordance with 
subsection (a). 
SEC. 7. RESEARCH ON INNOVATION AND INVENTIVENESS. 
In carrying out its research programs on science pol-
icy and on the science of learning, the National Science 
Foundation may support research on the process of inno-
vation and the teaching of inventiveness. 
SEC. 8. REPORT ON NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS 
AND TECHNOLOGY EFFORTS TO RECRUIT 
AND RETAIN EARLY CAREER SCIENCE AND 
ENGINEERING RESEARCHERS. 
Not later than 3 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Director of the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology shall transmit to the Com-
mittee on Science and Technology of the House of Rep-
resentatives and to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate a report on efforts to 
recruit and retain young scientists and engineers at the 
early stages of their careers at the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology laboratories and joint insti-
tutes. The report shall include— 
(1) a description of National Institute of Stand-
ards and Technology policies and procedures, includ-
ing financial incentives, awards, promotions, time set 
aside for independent research, access to equipment 
or facilities, and other forms of recognition, designed 
to attract and retain young scientists and engineers; 
(2) an evaluation of the impact of these incen-
tives on the careers of young scientists and engi-
neers at the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology, and also on the quality of the research 
at the National Institute of Standards and Tech-
nology’s laboratories and in the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology’s programs; 
(3) a description of what barriers, if any, exist 
to efforts to recruit and retain young scientists and 
engineers, including limited availability of full time 
equivalent positions, legal and procedural require-
ments, and pay grading systems; and 
(4) the amount of funding devoted to efforts to 
recruit and retain young researchers and the source 
of such funds. 
SEC. 9. NASA’S CONTRIBUTION TO INNOVATION. 
(a) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the 
Congress that— 
(1) a balanced science program as authorized 
by section 101(d) of the National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005
(Public Law 109–155) contributes significantly to 
innovation in and the economic competitiveness of 
the United States; and 
(2) a robust National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration, funded at the levels authorized 
under sections 202 and 203 of that Act, would offer 
a balance among science, aeronautics, exploration, 
and human space flight programs, all of which can 
attract and employ scientists, engineers, and techni-
cians across a broad range of fields in science, tech-
nology, mathematics, and engineering. 
(b) PARTICIPATION IN INNOVATION AND COMPETI-
TIVENESS PROGRAMS.—The Administrator of the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Administration shall fully 
participate in any interagency efforts to promote innova-
tion and economic competitiveness through scientific re-
search and development within the spending levels cited 
in subsection (a). 
SEC. 10. UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR SCIENCE, 
TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHE-
MATICS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The National Science Foun-
dation shall establish a program, to be known as the Un-
dergraduate Scholarships for Science, Technology, Engi-
neering, and Mathematics, or US-STEM, program, for
awarding scholarships to undergraduate scholars in 
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY.—A student is eligible for a scholar-
ship under this section only if the student— 
(1) is enrolled at a public, 4-year college or uni-
versity; 
(2) will have completed at least one-half of the 
credit requirements for an undergraduate degree be-
fore beginning studies to be funded by the scholar-
ship; 
(3) has maintained a grade point average in un-
dergraduate studies of at least 3.0 on a scale of 4.0, 
or an equivalent level as calculated by the National 
Science Foundation, except that if the student’s in-
stitution appeals this criterion on the basis of undue 
hardship on the student, the National Science Foun-
dation may waive this paragraph; 
(4) has a total family income of less than 
$75,000 per year, with such amount to be adjusted 
annually by the National Science Foundation for in-
flation; 
(5) has not been convicted of a felony; and 
(6) is a citizen or permanent resident alien of 
the United States.
(c) SELECTION CRITERIA.—Scholarship recipients 
shall be selected on the basis of merit and such other cri-
teria as the National Science Foundation shall establish. 
(d) AWARDS.—The National Science Foundation 
shall announce awards before April 1 for each upcoming 
academic year, and may make up to 2,500 awards per 
year. Awards may be made for a maximum of 2 academic 
years for each student, and scholarship amounts shall be 
paid to the institution. 
(e) ADVISORY BOARD.—The Director of the National 
Science Foundation shall establish an advisory board, 
which shall make recommendations to the Director for se-
lection criteria for scholarship recipients, and provide 
guidance and oversight for the program. 
(f) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the National Science 
Foundation for carrying out this section— 
(1) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2009; 
(2) $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; 
(3) $61,800,000 for fiscal year 2011; 
(4) $63,600,000 for fiscal year 2012; and
(5) $65,500,000 for fiscal year 2013. 
Passed the House of Representatives April 24, 2007. 
Attest: 
Clerk.