Title: Missed Opportunities in Science and Engineering Research Act of 2017
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Missed Opportunities in Science and Engineering Research Act of 2017
This bill requires the National Science Foundation (NSF) to report to Congress on the fiscal health of the NSF research enterprise and the volume of worthy but unfunded grant proposals submitted to the NSF in the preceding year.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4354 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4354

To require reporting by the National Science Foundation on requests for 
 funding research that were not granted and had the greatest potential 
   for promoting scientific progress and advancing national health, 
            prosperity, and welfare, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 9, 2017

Mr. Lewis of Georgia introduced the following bill; which was referred 
           to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require reporting by the National Science Foundation on requests for 
 funding research that were not granted and had the greatest potential 
   for promoting scientific progress and advancing national health, 
            prosperity, and welfare, 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 ``Missed Opportunities in Science and 
Engineering Research Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. ANNUAL REPORTING BY NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION ON MISSED 
              OPPORTUNITIES.

    (a) In General.--Not later than March 30 of each fiscal year 
starting with fiscal year 2017 through fiscal year 2021, the Director 
of the National Science Foundation (in this section, referred to as the 
``Director'') shall submit to Congress a report on the fiscal health of 
the National Science Foundation research enterprise and the volume of 
worthy but unfunded grant proposals submitted to the National Science 
Foundation in the preceding fiscal year. Such report shall identify--
            (1) the success rate of grant applications reviewed during 
        such fiscal year;
            (2) the top two grant applications reviewed during such 
        fiscal year that were not selected for funding; and
            (3) if the success rate described in paragraph (1) is less 
        than 32 percent, the top applications for grants that were not 
        selected for funding but would have been so selected if the 
        Foundation had achieved a success rate of 32 percent or greater 
        for the fiscal year.
    (b) Trade Secrets and Confidential Information.--This section does 
not authorize the Secretary to disclose any information that is a trade 
secret or confidential information subject to section 552(b)(4) of 
title 5, United States Code, or section 1905 of title 18, United States 
Code.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Success rate.--The term ``success rate'' means the 
        percentage of grant applications reviewed by the Director that 
        received funding.
            (2) Top.--The term ``top'', with respect to a grant 
        application, means that such application has been determined by 
        the Director to have greater potential than any other grant 
        applications submitted to the Director for--
                    (A) promoting any field of fundamental science or 
                engineering;
                    (B) advancing the national health, prosperity, and 
                welfare; or
                    (C) securing the national defense.
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