HBCU RISE Act
Bill: S.4018 | Sponsor: Sen. Van Hollen, Chris (D-MD)
Policy area: Education

Summary:
HBCU Research, Innovation, Security, and Excellence Act or the HBCU RISE Act
This bill directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to establish a pilot program to increase capacity for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that are designated as high research activity status to achieve very high research activity status. High research activity status (known as R2 status) and very high research activity status (known as R1 status) are classifications by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
In carrying out the pilot program, DOD must award grants for key areas of scientific research to HBCUs that are classified as high research activity status institutions. DOD may expand the program to other HBCUs beyond those that are classified as high research activity status if DOD determines that the program can support such an expansion.
DOD must annually establish a list of key areas of scientific research for which grant applicants may seek funding.

To enable high research activity status historically Black colleges or 
 universities to increase capacity toward achieving very high research 
                            activity status.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``HBCU Research, Innovation, Security, 
and Excellence Act'' or the ``HBCU RISE Act''.

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, engineering, and mathematics 
        academic and workforce communities.
            (2) Even though 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 baccalaureate 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 doctorate 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 outcomes and developing the 
        next generation of the research ecosystem, such as by--
                    (A) conducting high quality research in unique 
                areas that has enriched the Department of Defense 
                research enterprise and the United States research 
                ecosystem;
                    (B) strengthening and diversifying the United 
                States research ecosystem by increasing the number of 
                students who are students of diverse backgrounds from 
                historically Black colleges and universities with 
                undergraduate or graduate degrees in science, 
                technology, engineering, or mathematics; and
                    (C) fueling domestic and international 
                collaborations that led to trailblazing discoveries and 
                innovative technologies.
            (6) In 2019, historically Black colleges and universities 
        received $371,000,000, or about 0.8 percent of the 
        $44,500,000,000 in Federal funding to institutions of higher 
        education for research and development. 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 institutions 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 capacity 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 universities to achieve very high 
research activity status.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) High research activity status.--The term ``high 
        research activity status'' means such status, as classified by 
        the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher 
        Education.
            (2) Historically black college or university.--The term 
        ``historically Black college or university'' has the meaning 
        given the term ``part B institution'' under section 322 of the 
        Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061).
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Defense.
            (4) Very high research activity status.--The term ``very 
        high research activity status'' means such status, as 
        classified by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of 
        Higher Education.
            (5) 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. These include--
                    (A) annual expenditures in science and engineering;
                    (B) per-capita (faculty member) expenditures in 
                science and engineering;
                    (C) annual expenditures in non-science and 
                engineering fields;
                    (D) per-capita (faculty member) expenditures in 
                non-science and engineering fields;
                    (E) doctorates awarded in science, technology, 
                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 researchers 
                in science and engineering and per-capita (faculty) 
                number of doctorate-level research 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.--The Secretary shall establish and carry out, using 
funds made available for research activities, a pilot program to 
increase capacity at high research activity status (R2) historically 
Black colleges and universities toward achieving very high research 
activity status (R1) within a decade. In establishing such a pilot 
program, the Secretary may consider the recommendations pursuant to 
section 262 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2020 (Public Law 116-92; 10 U.S.C. 2362 note) and section 220 of the 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 
117-81).
    (b) Grants.--In carrying out the program, the Secretary shall award 
grants for key areas of scientific research on a competitive, merit-
reviewed basis to historically Black colleges or universities that are 
classified as high research activity status institutions at the time of 
application for such a grant.
    (c) Expansion of Eligibility.--The Secretary may expand the program 
to other historically Black colleges or universities beyond those 
historically Black colleges or universities classified as high research 
activity status if the Secretary determines that the program can 
support such an expansion while achieving the purpose of the program, 
as described in section 3.
    (d) Application.--
            (1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
        this section, a historically Black college or university 
        described in subsection (b) shall submit an application to the 
        Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
        information and assurances as the Secretary may require.
            (2) Contents.--The application described in paragraph (1) 
        shall include, at a minimum, a description of--
                    (A) nascent research capabilities and research 
                areas of interest to the Department of Defense;
                    (B) a plan for increasing the level of research 
                activity toward achieving very high research activity 
                status classification within a decade of the grant 
                award, including measurable milestones such as growth 
                in very high research activity status indicators and 
                other relevant factors;
                    (C) how the institution of higher education will 
                sustain the increased level of research activity beyond 
                the duration of the award; and
                    (D) how the implementation of the proposed plan 
                will be evaluated and assessed.
    (e) Program Components.--
            (1) Strategic areas of scientific research.--In 
        consultation with the Defense Science Board, the Secretary, or 
        the Secretary's designee, shall establish annually a list of 
        key areas of research for which applicants can seek funding.
            (2) Use of funds.--An institution that receives a grant 
        under this section shall use the grant funds to support 
        research activities, including--
                    (A) faculty professional development;
                    (B) stipends for undergraduate and graduate 
                students and post-doctoral scholars;
                    (C) laboratory equipment and instrumentation;
                    (D) recruitment and retention of faculty and 
                graduate students;
                    (E) communication and dissemination of products 
                produced during the funding period;
                    (F) construction, modernization, rehabilitation, or 
                retrofitting of facilities for research purposes; and
                    (G) other activities necessary to build capacity in 
                research activity indicator areas.
            (3) Research assessment.--The Secretary, in partnership 
        with the institution, shall provide criteria for assessing and 
        evaluating progress related to the very high research activity 
        indicators.
            (4) Research progress reporting.--An institution that 
        receives a grant under this section shall submit to the 
        Secretary a progress report and an updated plan described in 
        subsection (d)(2)(B) not less than once every 3 years, which 
        shall be based on a self-assessment of progress in advancing in 
        very high research activity indicators.
            (5) Transition eligibility.--The Secretary may consider 
        creating pathways for new historically Black colleges or 
        universities to enter into the program under this section as 
        participating institutions achieve very high research activity 
        status.
    (f) Evaluation.--Not later than 5 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare and submit a report 
to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on 
Armed Services of the House of Representatives providing an update on 
the pilot program, including--
            (1) activities carried out under the pilot program;
            (2) an analysis of the growth in very high research 
        activity status indicators of participating institutions; and
            (3) emerging research areas of interest to the Department 
        of Defense conducted by participating institutions.
    (g) Termination.--The pilot program established under this section 
shall terminate 10 years after the date on which the Secretary 
establishes such program.
    (h) Report to Congress.--Not later than 180 days after the 
termination of the pilot program, the Secretary shall prepare and 
submit a report to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and 
the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives on the 
pilot program. Such report shall include the following elements:
            (1) An analysis of the growth in very high research 
        activity status indicators of participating institutions.
            (2) An evaluation on the effectiveness of the program in 
        bolstering the research capacity of participating institutions.
            (3) An assessment on how institutions that have achieved 
        very high research activity status plan to sustain that status 
        beyond the duration of the program.
            (4) An evaluation of the effectiveness of the program to 
        increase diversity of students conducting high quality research 
        in unique areas.
            (5) Recommendations on further activities and investments 
        necessary to elevate the research status of historically Black 
        colleges and universities.
            (6) Recommendations on renewal or expansion of the program 
        established under this section.
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