HBCU Research, Innovation, Security, and Excellence Act
Bill: H.R.8140 | Sponsor: Rep. Adams, Alma S. (D-NC)
Policy area: Education

Summary:
HBCU Research, Innovation, Security, and Excellence 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 and maintain 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.
DOD must award grants to support research activities in the areas of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) and critical technologies. 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 research areas for STEM and critical technologies 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, and for other purposes.

    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''.

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) 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 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, including by--
                    (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 supporting 
                        basic and applied research on aerospace systems 
                        (RQ), materials and manufacturing (RX), and 
                        information (RI); and
                            (iii) Centers of Excellence in 
                        biotechnology and materials science; and
                    (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 and maintain 
very high research activity status.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Eligible institution.--The term ``eligible 
        institution'' means a historically Black college or university 
        that is classified as a high research activity 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 status, as classified by 
        the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher 
        Education.
            (3) 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).
            (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 Classification of Institutions of Higher 
        Education.
            (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 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.--
            (1) In general.--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 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 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 Authorized.--The Secretary shall award, on a competitive 
basis, grants to eligible institutions 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 require, including a description of--
            (1) nascent research capabilities with respect to research 
        areas of interest to the Department of Defense;
            (2) a plan for increasing the level of research activity 
        toward achieving very high research activity status 
        classification during the grant period, including measurable 
        milestones such as growth in very high research activity status 
        indicators and other relevant factors;
            (3) how such institution will sustain the increased 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.--
            (1) Use of funds.--An eligible institution that receives a 
        grant under this section shall use the grant funds to support 
        research activities with respect to research areas for STEM and 
        critical technologies, as determined by the Secretary under 
        paragraph (2), 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 grant period;
                    (F) construction, modernization, rehabilitation, or 
                retrofitting of facilities for research purposes; and
                    (G) other activities necessary to build capacity in 
                achieving very high research activity status 
                indicators.
            (2) Strategic areas of scientific research.--The Secretary, 
        in consultation with the Defense Science Board, shall establish 
        and update, 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 assessment by 
                        the institution, using the criteria established 
                        in subparagraph (B), of the progress made by 
                        such institution with respect to achieving very 
                        high research activity indicators; and
                            (ii) an updated plan described in 
                        subsection (c)(2).
                    (B) Research assessment.--The Secretary, in 
                partnership with the eligible institution, shall 
                establish criteria for the report required 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 Secretary may award 
        grants under this section to historically Black colleges and 
        universities that are not eligible institutions if the 
        Secretary determines that the program can support such colleges 
        and universities while achieving the purpose of the program 
        described in section 3.
    (e) 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 eligible institutions that 
        received a grant under this section; and
            (3) emerging research areas of interest to the Department 
        of Defense conducted by eligible institutions 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 subsection (f), 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 that includes the following:
            (1) An analysis of the growth in very high research 
        activity status indicators of eligible institutions that 
        received a grant under this section.
            (2) An evaluation on the effectiveness of the program in 
        increasing the research capacity of eligible institutions that 
        received a grant under this section.
            (3) An description of 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 maintenance of very high research 
        status by eligible institutions that received a grant under 
        this section.
            (5) An evaluation of the effectiveness of the program in 
        increasing the diversity of students conducting 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.
            (7) Recommendations on whether the program established 
        under this section should be renewed or expanded.
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