‘‘(3) any recommendations on how the program 
may be improved; and 
‘‘(4) a recommendation as to whether such pro-
gram should be continued or terminated. 
‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Director to carry 
out this section— 
‘‘(1) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2014; 
‘‘(2) $25,500,000 for fiscal year 2015; 
‘‘(3) $39,750,000 for fiscal year 2016; 
‘‘(4) $42,250,000 for fiscal year 2017; and 
‘‘(5) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2018.’’. 
SEC. 4. INNOVATION VOUCHER PILOT PROGRAM. 
Section 25 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Inno-
vation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3720) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following: 
‘‘(d) INNOVATION VOUCHER PILOT PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 
through the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneur-
ship and in conjunction with the States, shall estab-
lish an innovation voucher pilot program to accel-
erate innovative activities and enhance the competi-
tiveness of small and medium-sized manufacturers in 
the United States. The pilot program shall— 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
19:27 Apr 11, 2013
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1421.IH
H1421
sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(A) foster collaborations between small 
and medium-sized manufacturers and research 
institutions; and 
‘‘(B) enable small and medium-sized man-
ufacturers to access technical expertise and ca-
pabilities that will lead to the development of 
innovative products or manufacturing processes, 
including through— 
‘‘(i) research and development, includ-
ing proof of concept, technical develop-
ment, and compliance testing activities; 
‘‘(ii) early-stage product development, 
including engineering design services; and 
‘‘(iii) technology transfer and related 
activities. 
‘‘(2) AWARD SIZE.—The Secretary shall com-
petitively award vouchers worth up to $20,000 to 
small and medium-sized manufacturers for use at el-
igible research institutions to acquire the services de-
scribed in paragraph (1)(B). 
‘‘(3) STREAMLINED
PROCEDURES.—The Sec-
retary shall streamline and simplify the application, 
administrative, and reporting procedures for vouch-
ers administered under the program. 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
19:27 Apr 11, 2013
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1421.IH
H1421
sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(4) REGULATIONS.—Prior to awarding any 
vouchers under the program, the Secretary shall pro-
mulgate regulations— 
‘‘(A) establishing criteria for the selection 
of recipients of awards under this subsection; 
‘‘(B) establishing procedures regarding fi-
nancial reporting and auditing— 
‘‘(i) to ensure that awards are used 
for the purposes of the program; and 
‘‘(ii) that are in accordance with 
sound accounting practices; and 
‘‘(C) describing any other policies, proce-
dures, or information necessary to implement 
this subsection, including those intended to 
streamline and simplify the program in accord-
ance with paragraph (3). 
‘‘(5) TRANSFER
AUTHORITY.—The Secretary 
may transfer funds appropriated to the Department 
of Commerce to other Federal agencies for the per-
formance of services authorized under this sub-
section. 
‘‘(6) ADMINISTRATIVE
COSTS.—All of the 
amounts appropriated to carry out this subsection 
for a fiscal year shall be used for vouchers awarded 
under this subsection, except that an eligible re-
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
19:27 Apr 11, 2013
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1421.IH
H1421
sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
search institution performing the services described 
in paragraph (1)(B) may retain a percentage of any 
amount received from the Secretary under this sub-
section to defray administrative costs associated with 
the services. The Secretary shall establish a single, 
fixed percentage for such purposes that will apply to 
all eligible research institutions. 
‘‘(7) OUTREACH.—The Secretary may use cen-
ters established under section 25 of the National In-
stitute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 
278k) to provide information about the program es-
tablished under this subsection and to conduct out-
reach to potential applicants, as appropriate. 
‘‘(8) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.— 
‘‘(A) PLAN.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this subsection, 
the Secretary shall transmit to Congress a plan 
that will serve as a guide for the activities of 
the program. The plan shall include a descrip-
tion of the specific objectives of the program 
and the metrics that will be used in assessing 
progress toward those objectives. 
‘‘(B) OUTCOMES.—Not later than 3 years 
after the date of enactment of this subsection, 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
19:27 Apr 11, 2013
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1421.IH
H1421
sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
the Secretary shall transmit to Congress a re-
port containing— 
‘‘(i) a summary of the activities car-
ried out under this subsection; 
‘‘(ii) an assessment of the impact of 
such activities on the innovative capacity of 
small and medium-sized manufacturers re-
ceiving assistance under the pilot program; 
and 
‘‘(iii) any recommendations for admin-
istrative and legislative action that could 
optimize the effectiveness of the pilot pro-
gram. 
‘‘(9) COORDINATION AND NONDUPLICATION.— 
To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary 
shall ensure that the activities carried out under this 
subsection are coordinated with, and do not dupli-
cate the efforts of, other programs within the Fed-
eral Government. 
‘‘(10) ELIGIBLE RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS DE-
FINED.—For the purposes of this subsection, the 
term ‘eligible research institution’ means— 
‘‘(A) an institution of higher education, as 
such term is defined in section 101(a) of the 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
19:27 Apr 11, 2013
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1421.IH
H1421
sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS