162 
relationships are disclosed and proper recusal 
procedures are in place. 
‘‘(C) LIMITATION.—Board members may 
not serve simultaneously on more than one Cen-
ter’s oversight board or serve as a contractor 
providing services to a Center. 
‘‘(7) PROTECTION OF CONFIDENTIAL INFORMA-
TION.—The Secretary shall ensure that the following 
are not publically disclosed: 
‘‘(A) Confidential information on the busi-
ness operations of— 
‘‘(i) a participant under the program; 
or 
‘‘(ii) a client of a Center. 
‘‘(B) Trade secrets possessed by any client 
of a Center. 
‘‘(8) PATENT RIGHTS.—The provisions of chap-
ter 18 of title 35, United States Code, shall apply, 
to the extent not inconsistent with this section, to 
the promotion of technology from research by Cen-
ters under this section except for contracts for such 
specific technology extension or transfer services as 
may be specified by statute or by the Director. 
‘‘(d) REPORTING AND AUDITING REQUIREMENTS.— 
The Director shall establish procedures regarding Center 
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financial reporting and auditing to ensure that awards are 
used for the purposes specified in this section and are in 
accordance with sound accounting practices. 
‘‘(e) ACCEPTANCE OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to such sums 
as may be appropriated to the Secretary and Direc-
tor to operate the Hollings Manufacturing Extension 
Partnership, the Secretary and Director also may 
accept funds from other Federal departments and 
agencies and, under section 2(c)(7), from the private 
sector for the purpose of strengthening United 
States manufacturing. 
‘‘(2) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(A) FUNDS ACCEPTED FROM OTHER FED-
ERAL DEPARTMENTS OR AGENCIES.—The Di-
rector shall determine whether funds accepted 
from other Federal departments or agencies 
shall be counted in the calculation of the Fed-
eral share of capital and annual operating and 
maintenance costs under subsection (c). 
‘‘(B) FUNDS ACCEPTED FROM THE PRI-
VATE SECTOR.—Funds accepted from the pri-
vate sector under section 2(c)(7), if allocated to 
a Center, may not be considered in the calcula-
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tion of the Federal share under subsection (c) 
of this section. 
‘‘(f) MEP ADVISORY BOARD.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established 
within the Institute a Manufacturing Extension 
Partnership Advisory Board (in this subsection re-
ferred to as the ‘MEP Advisory Board’). 
‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The MEP Advisory 
Board shall consist of not fewer than 10 mem-
bers broadly representative of stakeholders, to 
be appointed by the Director. At least 2 mem-
bers shall be employed by or on an advisory 
board for the Centers, at least 1 member shall 
represent a community college, and at least 5 
other members shall be from United States 
small businesses in the manufacturing sector. 
No member shall be an employee of the Federal 
Government. 
‘‘(B) TERM.—Except as provided in sub-
paragraph (C) or (D), the term of office of each 
member of the MEP Advisory Board shall be 3 
years. 
‘‘(C) VACANCIES.—Any member appointed 
to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expira-
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tion of the term for which his predecessor was 
appointed shall be appointed for the remainder 
of such term. 
‘‘(D) SERVING
CONSECUTIVE
TERMS.— 
Any person who has completed two consecutive 
full terms of service on the MEP Advisory 
Board shall thereafter be ineligible for appoint-
ment during the one-year period following the 
expiration of the second such term. 
‘‘(3) MEETINGS.—The MEP Advisory Board 
shall meet not less than 2 times annually and shall 
provide to the Director— 
‘‘(A) advice on Hollings Manufacturing 
Extension Partnership programs, plans, and 
policies; 
‘‘(B) assessments of the soundness of Hol-
lings Manufacturing Extension Partnership 
plans and strategies; and 
‘‘(C) assessments of current performance 
against 
Hollings 
Manufacturing 
Extension 
Partnership program plans. 
‘‘(4) FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT AP-
PLICABILITY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In discharging its du-
ties under this subsection, the MEP Advisory 
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Board shall function solely in an advisory ca-
pacity, in accordance with the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act. 
‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—Section 14 of the Fed-
eral Advisory Committee Act shall not apply to 
the MEP Advisory Board. 
‘‘(5) REPORT.—The MEP Advisory Board shall 
transmit an annual report to the Secretary for 
transmittal to Congress within 30 days after the 
submission to Congress of the President’s annual 
budget request in each year. Such report shall ad-
dress the status of the program established pursuant 
to this section and comment on the relevant sections 
of the programmatic planning document and updates 
thereto transmitted to Congress by the Director 
under subsections (c) and (d) of section 23. 
‘‘(g) COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director shall es-
tablish, within the Hollings Manufacturing Exten-
sion Partnership, a program of competitive awards 
among participants described in paragraph (2) for 
the purposes described in paragraph (3). 
‘‘(2) 
PARTICIPANTS.—Participants 
receiving 
awards under this subsection shall be the Centers, or 
a consortium of such Centers. 
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