I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8140 
To enable high research activity status historically Black colleges or univer-
sities to increase capacity toward achieving very high research activity 
status, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 17, 2022 
Ms. ADAMS (for herself, Ms. STRICKLAND, Mr. TURNER, Mr. BROWN of Mary-
land, and Mr. STEWART) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee 
on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall with-
in the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To enable high research activity status historically Black 
colleges or universities to increase capacity toward 
achieving very high research activity status, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘HBCU Research, In-
novation, Security, and Excellence Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Historically Black colleges and universities 
hold a unique position in the efforts of the United 
States to diversify the science, technology, engineer-
ing, and mathematics academic and workforce com-
munities. 
(2) Although our Nation’s historically Black 
colleges and universities make up just 3 percent of 
the colleges and universities in the United States, 
historically Black colleges and universities graduate 
25 percent of African-American students with bacca-
laureate degrees in the fields of science, technology, 
engineering, and mathematics. 
(3) Historically Black colleges and universities 
are the institution of origin for almost 30 percent of 
Black graduates of science and engineering doc-
torate programs. 
(4) The health of the Department of Defense 
and the United States research ecosystem relies on 
high quality researchers from a diverse talent pool. 
(5) Historically Black colleges and universities 
have a history of conducting high quality research in 
unique areas, both providing impactful research out-
comes and developing the next generation of the re-
search ecosystem, including by— 
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(A) conducting high quality research in 
unique areas that has enriched the Department 
of Defense research enterprise and the United 
States research ecosystem, including— 
(i) providing science and engineering 
faculty research opportunities at U.S. 
Navy Laboratories; 
(ii) a ‘‘Young Investigators Program’’ 
at the Air Force Research Laboratory sup-
porting basic and applied research on aero-
space systems (RQ), materials and manu-
facturing (RX), and information (RI); and 
(iii) Centers of Excellence in bio-
technology and materials science; and 
(B) strengthening and diversifying the 
United States research ecosystem by increasing 
the number of students who are students of di-
verse backgrounds from historically Black col-
leges and universities with undergraduate or 
graduate degrees in science, technology, engi-
neering, or mathematics; and 
(C) fueling domestic and international col-
laborations that led to trailblazing discoveries 
and innovative technologies. 
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(6) In 2019, historically Black colleges and uni-
versities received $371,000,000, or about 0.8 percent 
of the $44,500,000,000 in Federal funding to insti-
tutions of higher education for research and develop-
ment. The amount of funding for 2019 is a marked 
decrease from fiscal year 2018, when historically 
Black 
colleges 
and 
universities 
received 
$400,000,000 in Federal research and development 
funding (0.9 percent of the Federal funding to insti-
tutions of higher education for such purposes). 
(7) There are no historically Black colleges and 
universities designated as very high research activity 
status, as classified by the Carnegie Classification of 
Institutions of Higher Education. 
(8) Meaningfully investing in the research ca-
pacity of historically Black colleges and universities 
is an investment in our Nation’s future and will help 
meet accelerating science, technology, engineering, 
and mathematics workforce demands and safeguard 
the national security interests of the United States. 
SEC. 3. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of the program established under this 
Act is to provide additional pathways needed for further 
increasing capacity at historically Black colleges and uni-
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versities to achieve and maintain very high research activ-
ity status. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘‘eligi-
ble institution’’ means a historically Black college or 
university that is classified as a high research activ-
ity status institution at the time of application for 
a grant under section 5. 
(2) HIGH RESEARCH ACTIVITY STATUS.—The 
term ‘‘high research activity status’’ means R2 sta-
tus, as classified by the Carnegie Classification of 
Institutions of Higher Education. 
(3) HISTORICALLY
BLACK
COLLEGE
OR
UNI-
VERSITY.—The term ‘‘historically Black college or 
university’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘part B 
institution’’ under section 322 of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061). 
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Defense. 
(5) VERY HIGH RESEARCH ACTIVITY STATUS.— 
The term ‘‘very high research activity status’’ means 
R1 status, as classified by the Carnegie Classifica-
tion of Institutions of Higher Education. 
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(6) VERY
HIGH
RESEARCH
ACTIVITY
STATUS 
INDICATORS.—The term ‘‘very high research activity 
status indicators’’ means the categories used by the 
Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher 
Education to delineate which institutions have very 
high activity status, including— 
(A) annual expenditures in science and en-
gineering; 
(B) per-capita (faculty member) expendi-
tures in science and engineering; 
(C) annual expenditures in non-science and 
engineering fields; 
(D) per-capita (faculty member) expendi-
tures in non-science and engineering fields; 
(E) doctorates awarded in science, tech-
nology, engineering, and mathematics fields; 
(F) doctorates awarded in social science 
fields; 
(G) doctorates awarded in the humanities; 
(H) doctorates awarded in other fields with 
a research emphasis; 
(I) total number of research staff including 
postdoctoral researchers; 
(J) other doctorate-holding non-faculty re-
searchers in science and engineering and per- 
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capita (faculty) number of doctorate-level re-
search staff including post-doctoral researchers; 
and 
(K) other categories utilized to determine 
classification. 
SEC. 5. PROGRAM TO INCREASE CAPACITY TOWARD 
ACHIEVING VERY HIGH RESEARCH ACTIVITY 
STATUS AT HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES 
OR UNIVERSITIES. 
(a) PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 
and carry out, using funds made available for re-
search activities, a pilot program to increase capac-
ity at high research activity status historically Black 
colleges and universities toward achieving very high 
research activity status during the grant period. 
(2) RECOMMENDATIONS.—In establishing such 
program, the Secretary may consider the rec-
ommendations pursuant to section 262 of the Na-
tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2020 (Public Law 116–92; 10 U.S.C. 2362 note) 
and section 220 of the National Defense Authoriza-
tion Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 117–81). 
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(b) GRANTS
AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary shall 
award, on a competitive basis, grants to eligible institu-
tions to carry out the activities under subsection (d)(1). 
(c) APPLICATION.—An eligible institution seeking a 
grant under this section shall submit an application to the 
Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing 
such information and assurances as the Secretary may re-
quire, including a description of— 
(1) nascent research capabilities with respect to 
research areas of interest to the Department of De-
fense; 
(2) a plan for increasing the level of research 
activity toward achieving very high research activity 
status classification during the grant period, includ-
ing measurable milestones such as growth in very 
high research activity status indicators and other 
relevant factors; 
(3) how such institution will sustain the in-
creased level of research activity after the conclusion 
of the grant period; and 
(4) how the institution will evaluate and assess 
progress with respect to the implementation of the 
plan under paragraph (2). 
(d) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.— 
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(1) USE
OF
FUNDS.—An eligible institution 
that receives a grant under this section shall use the 
grant funds to support research activities with re-
spect to research areas for STEM and critical tech-
nologies, as determined by the Secretary under para-
graph (2), including— 
(A) faculty professional development; 
(B) stipends for undergraduate and grad-
uate students and post-doctoral scholars; 
(C) laboratory equipment and instrumenta-
tion; 
(D) recruitment and retention of faculty 
and graduate students; 
(E) communication and dissemination of 
products produced during the grant period; 
(F) construction, modernization, rehabilita-
tion, or retrofitting of facilities for research 
purposes; and 
(G) other activities necessary to build ca-
pacity in achieving very high research activity 
status indicators. 
(2) STRATEGIC
AREAS
OF
SCIENTIFIC
RE-
SEARCH.—The Secretary, in consultation with the 
Defense Science Board, shall establish and update, 
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on an annual basis, a list of research areas for 
STEM and critical technologies. 
(3) RESEARCH PROGRESS REPORTING.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years 
after receiving a grant under this section, and 
every 3 years thereafter, an eligible institution 
shall submit to the Secretary— 
(i) a report that includes an assess-
ment by the institution, using the criteria 
established in subparagraph (B), of the 
progress made by such institution with re-
spect to achieving very high research activ-
ity indicators; and 
(ii) an updated plan described in sub-
section (c)(2). 
(B) RESEARCH
ASSESSMENT.—The Sec-
retary, in partnership with the eligible institu-
tion, shall establish criteria for the report re-
quired under subparagraph (A)(i). 
(4) GRANT PERIOD.—A grant awarded under 
this section shall be for a period of not more than 
10 years, to be determined by the Secretary. 
(5) EXPANSION
OF
ELIGIBILITY.—The Sec-
retary may award grants under this section to his-
torically Black colleges and universities that are not 
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eligible institutions if the Secretary determines that 
the program can support such colleges and univer-
sities while achieving the purpose of the program de-
scribed in section 3. 
(e) EVALUATION.—Not later than 5 years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall pre-
pare and submit a report to the Committee on Armed 
Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Serv-
ices of the House of Representatives providing an update 
on the pilot program, including— 
(1) activities carried out under the pilot pro-
gram; 
(2) an analysis of the growth in very high re-
search activity status indicators of eligible institu-
tions that received a grant under this section; and 
(3) emerging research areas of interest to the 
Department of Defense conducted by eligible institu-
tions that received a grant under this section. 
(f) TERMINATION.—The authority of the Secretary to 
award grants under the pilot program established by this 
section shall terminate 10 years after the date on which 
the Secretary establishes such program. 
(g) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 180 days 
after the termination of the pilot program under sub-
section (f), the Secretary shall prepare and submit a re-
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port to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate 
and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
Representatives on the pilot program that includes the fol-
lowing: 
(1) An analysis of the growth in very high re-
search activity status indicators of eligible institu-
tions that received a grant under this section. 
(2) An evaluation on the effectiveness of the 
program in increasing the research capacity of eligi-
ble institutions that received a grant under this sec-
tion. 
(3) An description of how institutions that have 
achieved very high research activity status plan to 
sustain that status beyond the duration of the pro-
gram. 
(4) An evaluation of the maintenance of very 
high research status by eligible institutions that re-
ceived a grant under this section. 
(5) An evaluation of the effectiveness of the 
program in increasing the diversity of students con-
ducting high quality research in unique areas. 
(6) Recommendations with respect to further 
activities and investments necessary to elevate the 
research status of historically Black colleges and 
universities. 
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(7) Recommendations on whether the program 
established under this section should be renewed or 
expanded. 
Æ 
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