S.Amdt. 1909

SA 1909. Mr. BROWN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to
amendment SA 1502 proposed by Mr. Schumer to the bill S. 1260, to
establish a new Directorate for Technology and Innovation in the
National Science Foundation, to establish a regional technology hub
program, to require a strategy and report on economic security,
science, research, innovation, manufacturing, and job creation, to
establish a critical supply chain resiliency program, and for other
purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of division F, insert the following:

TITLE __--STEM RESEARCH GAINS

SEC. __01. SHORT TITLE.

This title may be cited as the ``Strengthening the STEM
Research Workforce to Generate American Infrastructure for
National

[[Page S3304]]

Security Act of 2021'' or the ``STEM Research GAINS Act of
2021''.

SEC. __02. DEFINITIONS.

In this title:
(1) Covered field.--The term ``covered field'' means a
field in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics
research or development that is determined to be--
(A) a subject area relating to the national security of the
United States;
(B) a subject area relating to the United States' ability
to compete in an open, fair, and competitive international
market and achieve economic growth; or
(C) a subject area that is in need of expanded and
strengthened academic pipelines to ensure a diverse
workforce.
(2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the National Science Foundation.
(3) Federal science agency.--The term ``Federal science
agency'' has the meaning given the term in section 103(f) of
the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C.
6623(f)).
(4) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' means an institution of
higher education described in section 101 of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).
(5) Minority.--The term ``minority'' means American Indian,
Alaska Native, Black (not of Hispanic origin), Hispanic
(including persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and
Central or South American origin), Asian (including
underrepresented subgroups), Native Hawaiian, Pacific
Islander origin subgroup, or other ethnic group
underrepresented in science and engineering.
(6) Minority-serving institution.--The term ``minority-
serving institution'' means--
(A) a part B institution (as defined in section 322 of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061));
(B) a Hispanic-serving institution (as defined in section
502 of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1101a));
(C) a Tribal College or University (as defined in section
316 of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1059c));
(D) an Alaska Native-serving institution (as defined in
section 317(b) of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)));
(E) a Native Hawaiian-serving institution (as defined in
section 317(b) of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)));
(F) a Predominantly Black Institution (as defined in
section 318 of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1059e));
(G) an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-
serving institution (as defined in section 320(b) of that Act
(20 U.S.C. 1059g(b))); or
(H) a Native American-serving, nontribal institution (as
defined in section 319 of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1059f)).
(7) STEM.--The term ``STEM'' means science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics, including computer science.
(8) Underrepresented field.--The term ``underrepresented
field'' means a field in STEM in which the national rate of
representation of women among tenured, tenure-track faculty,
or nonfaculty researchers at doctorate-granting institutions
of higher education is less than 25 percent, according to the
most recent data available from the National Center for
Science and Engineering Statistics.
(9) Underrepresented in science and engineering.--The term
``underrepresented in science and engineering'' means a
minority group whose number of scientists and engineers, per
10,000 population of that group, is substantially below the
comparable figure for scientists and engineers who are white
and not of Hispanic origin, as determined by the Secretary of
Education under section 637.4(b) of title 34, Code of Federal
Regulations, or similar successor regulations.

Subtitle A--Expanding Pipeline Programs to Research Opportunities

SEC. __11. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AREAS CRITICAL TO
NATIONAL SECURITY.

(a) Covered Fields.--The Industries of the Future
Coordination Council established under subsection (c) of
section 9412 of division A of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021
(Public Law 116-283) shall conduct a study to identify areas
for research and development that are covered fields.
(b) Report.--The Director of the Office of Science and
Technology Policy shall include covered fields in the report
on Federal research and development focused on industries of
the future required under subsection (b) of such section
9412.
(c) Update.--Not less than once every 5 years after the
initial report is filed under subsection (b) of such section
9412, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology
Policy shall, with advice from the Industries of the Future
Coordination Council, prepare and submit to Congress a
reassessment of the report under subsection (b), including
the covered fields identified under subsection (a).
(d) Conforming Amendment.--Section 9412(b) of division A of
the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116-283)
is amended by striking paragraph (6).

SEC. __12. RONALD E. MCNAIR POSTBACCALAUREATE ACHIEVEMENT
PROGRAM.

Section 402E(g) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1070a-15(g)) is amended to read as follows:
``(g) Funding.--In addition to amounts made available to
carry out this section under section 402A(g), there are
authorized to be appropriated $100,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2022 through 2027 to carry out this section.''.

SEC. __13. INCREASING INVESTMENT IN UNDERGRADUATE SCIENCE
PIPELINES.

(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to
the National Science Foundation $750,000,000 for fiscal year
2022 and for each of the following 4 years, which shall be
used, in amounts determined by the Director, for the
following programs:
(1) The Advanced Technological Education Program.
(2) The CyberCorps Scholarship for Service Program.
(3) The Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Undergraduate Program.
(4) Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE).
(5) The Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation
program.
(6) The Research Experiences for Undergraduates program.
(7) The Tribal Colleges and Universities Program.
(8) The Improving Undergraduates STEM Education: Hispanic-
Serving Institutions Program.
(b) Supplement Not Supplant.--The amounts authorized under
subsection (a) shall supplement, and not supplant, any other
amounts authorized for the National Science Foundation for
the programs described in such subsection.

SEC. __14. BOLSTERING STEM PIPELINES STRATEGIC PLAN.

(a) Broadening Participation Strategic Plan.--Not later
than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Director shall submit to Congress a report containing its
current strategic plan for the National Science Foundation to
increase the capacity of STEM programs carried out by the
National Science Foundation that are in effect as of the date
of the report to increase the participation of individuals
who are underrepresented in science and engineering, women
who are underrepresented in STEM fields, and low-income and
first-generation college students, in order to broaden
participation in grants and programs carried out by the
National Science Foundation. The report shall include--
(1) a description of how the grants and programs that are
carried out by the National Science Foundation, as of the
time of the report, are carried out in a manner that advances
diverse pipelines in STEM fields, and a description of how
the National Science Foundation can better advance such
diverse pipelines;
(2) an analysis of the data collection that would allow for
meaningful goal setting and transparency relating to the
National Science Foundation's progress in broadening
participation of individuals from groups that are
underrepresented in science and engineering with respect to
those grants and programs;
(3) an analysis of how the National Science Foundation can
meet goals related to broadening the participation of
individuals from groups that are underrepresented in science
and engineering by--
(A) creating or expanding funding opportunities;
(B) modifying existing research and development programs;
and
(C) establishing coordination between existing programs
carried out by the National Science Foundation;
(4) a description of the ways that the National Science
Foundation works with minority-serving institutions to--
(A) enable those eligible institutions to compete
effectively for grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements
carried out by the National Science Foundation;
(B) encourage those eligible institutions to participate in
programs carried out by the National Science Foundation and
other Federal science agencies; and
(C) encourage students and faculty at the eligible
institution to apply for and successfully earn graduate and
professional opportunities from programs supported by the
National Science Foundation;
(5) an analysis of the best ways to share best practices
for institutions of higher education and Federal science
agencies interested in supporting individuals from groups
that are underrepresented in science and engineering; and
(6) an analysis of how the National Science Foundation can
work with other Federal science agencies to advance goals
related to broadening the participation of individuals from
groups that are underrepresented in science and engineering.
(b) Report to Congress.--Not later than 2 years after the
date of enactment of this Act, and every 5 years thereafter,
the Director shall report to Congress on the implementation
by Federal science agencies of the policy guidelines
developed under this section.

SEC. __15. RESEARCH PROGRAM CLEARINGHOUSE AND TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE CENTER.

(a) Opportunities Clearinghouse.--The Federal Coordination
in STEM Education Task Force of the Committee on Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Math Education of the National
Science and Technology Council shall establish and maintain a
public clearinghouse (including by maintaining a publicly
available website) of all research programs sponsored by
Federal

[[Page S3305]]

science agencies that are available to individuals as
undergraduate and graduate students.
(b) Best Practices Clearinghouse.--The Director shall
establish and maintain a clearinghouse that will collect,
analyze, identify, disseminate, and make publicly available
information about best practices for institutions of higher
education to strengthen, at the undergraduate level, the
pipeline of individuals pursuing careers in covered fields.
(c) Technical Assistance.--The Director shall establish and
maintain a robust technical assistance center through the
National Science Foundation that shall work with institutions
of higher education seeking to implement strategies to--
(1) bolster and diversify the student body at the
institution that pursue STEM fields; and
(2) support students underrepresented in science and
engineering who are pursuing research-based STEM studies to
help those students continue and complete those studies.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated--
(1) to carry out subsection (a) $1,000,000 for fiscal year
2022 and for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years; and
(2) to carry out subsections (b) and (c), $1,000,000 for
fiscal year 2022 and for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal
years.

Subtitle B--Increasing Funding for Graduate Education

SEC. __21. FELLOWSHIPS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS IN COVERED
FIELDS.

(a) Global Competitiveness and National Security STEM
Fellowship Program Established.--The Director shall establish
a graduate fellowship program through which the Director
shall award funds to certain eligible students who have an
approved application in accordance with subsection (b)
(referred to in this section as ``fellowship participants'').
(b) Application; Eligible Students.--
(1) Application.--The Director shall establish and make
publicly available an application for eligible students who
desire to receive funds under this section.
(2) Eligible students.--A student may submit an application
to the National Science Foundation to receive funds under
this section if the student--
(A) is a United States citizen, an alien lawfully admitted
for permanent residence (as the terms are defined in section
101(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1101(a)), or an alien who has been granted deferred action
pursuant to the memorandum of the Department of Homeland
Security entitled ``Exercising Prosecutorial Discretion with
Respect to Individuals Who Came to the United States as
Children'' issued on June 15, 2012; and
(B)(i) is in the final year of undergraduate education at
an institution of higher education and is pursuing a
research-based master's or doctorate degree at an institution
of higher education that offers graduate degrees in a covered
field; or
(ii) is enrolled in a research-based master's or doctorate
degree program at an institution of higher education in a
covered field and has completed less than 12 months of that
program.
(3) Application review.--
(A) In general.--The Director shall establish a process for
reviewing applications received under this section and
determining which applications will be approved. As part of
such process the Director shall establish an
interdisciplinary panel of scientists, engineers, or other
relevant professional graduate education experts, who shall
review the merit of the applications submitted and consider
the broadening participation criteria described in
subparagraph (B).
(B) Broadening participation.--In determining which
applications are approved under this section, the Director
shall ensure that consideration is given to applicants who
would broaden participation in the program, including first-
generation college students, low-income individuals, minority
students, individuals underrepresented in science or
engineering, individuals eligible for or receiving a Pell
Grant, women pursuing studies in underrepresented fields, or
individuals who attend or attended a minority-serving
institution for the individual's undergraduate degree.
(c) Funding for Fellowship Participants.--
(1) In general.--The Director shall pay an annual stipend
and additional expenses for each eligible student whose
application is approved under subsection (b) in accordance
with paragraph (2).
(2) Amount.--The Director shall pay for each eligible
student with an approved application under this section, for
a total of 3 years--
(A) $50,000 each year for living expenses, which shall be
paid to the institution and disbursed annually as an aid
stipend to the student;
(B) a tuition and fees allowance, which shall be $15,000
per year and which shall be paid directly to the institution
that student is attending for the student's tuition and fees;
and
(C) a $2,000 professional development allowance, which
shall be distributed to an eligible student by the Director,
upon application, to reimburse the student for professional
development expenses.
(3) Adjustments for inflation.--The amounts described in
paragraph (2) shall be the amounts for fiscal year 2021 and
shall be adjusted annually for inflation.
(4) Exemption from tuition and fees; tax disclosure.--An
institution of higher education that enrolls a student who
will participate in the fellowship under this section and
that will receive funds described in subparagraph (A) and (B)
of paragraph (2) on behalf of such student--
(A) shall agree to exempt such student from paying tuition
and fees that are greater than the tuition and fees allowance
under paragraph (2)(B) that are normally charged to students
of similar academic standing, unless such charges are
optional or are refundable; and
(B) shall provide that student with information about how
funds received through the fellowship will be treated for
Federal tax purposes.
(d) Annual Meeting .--
(1) In general.--The Director shall arrange an annual
meeting for fellowship participants and representatives from
relevant Federal agencies in order--
(A) to facilitate professional development and networking
relating to covered fields; and
(B) to facilitate access to experiential training
opportunities, which may include such training at national
security facilities and federally funded research centers.
(2) Attendance required.--Each fellowship participant shall
be required to attend at least one annual meeting during the
period covered by that recipient's award, and the
professional development allowance under subsection (c)(2)(C)
may be used to cover expense for attendance at that meeting.
(e) Additional Requirements.--
(1) Termination.--An individual's participation in the
fellowship under this section and receipt of funds under this
section shall be terminated at the earlier of--
(A) the last day of the third year for which the individual
has received funding under this section; or
(B) the date of degree completion, unless that individual
is continuing from a master's to a doctoral degree in a
covered field and less than 3 years of funding had been
distributed since the individual became a fellowship
participant under this section.
(2) Request to change schools or programs or suspend or
defer participation.--A fellowship participant who wishes to
change institutions or programs, or suspend or defer
fellowship participation, shall submit a request to the
Director and must receive approval from the Director.
(3) No concurrent awards.--An individual shall not be
eligible to accept another Federal graduate fellowship
concurrently with fellowship participation under this
section.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section, $500,000,000
for fiscal year 2022 and for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal
years.

SEC. __22. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION GRADUATE RESEARCH
FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.

There is authorized to be appropriated to the Director of
the National Science Foundation, in addition to any other
amounts appropriated, $250,000,000 for the Graduate Research
Fellowship Program in each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.

SEC. __23. NATIONAL EMERGING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TRAINING
PROGRAM.

(a) In General.--The Director, in partnership with the
Secretary of Defense and in consultation with the Under
Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, shall
establish a National Emerging Science and Technology Training
Program to award grants to institutions of higher education
to enable those institutions to establish training programs
to educate cohorts of students in covered fields.
(b) Application.--An institution of higher education
desiring to receive a grant under this section shall submit
an application at such time, in such manner, and containing
such information as the Director may reasonably require.
(c) Awards.--
(1) Award totals.--Each grant award under this section
shall be in an amount not to exceed $5,000,000.
(2) Number of awards and distribution.--
(A) Number of awards.--A minimum of 45 institutional awards
shall be granted.
(B) Distribution.--The Director shall--
(i) encourage institutions of higher education that are
minority-serving institutions to apply for grants under this
section; and
(ii) consider broader impacts when awarding grants under
this section.
(3) Duration.--The duration of awards made through the
grant program shall not exceed 4 years.
(4) Use of funds.--
(A) In general.--An eligible institution shall use award
funds, in accordance with subparagraph (B), for the purposes
of--
(i) providing training programs in covered fields led by
faculty;
(ii) paying funds for the cost of attendance (as described
in section 472 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1087ll)) for eligible students participating in training
programs established by this section;
(iii) establishing scientific or technical internship
programs for students participating in training programs
established by this section; and
(iv) other costs associated with the administration of the
training program.
(B) Minimum amount for tuition and other costs.--An
eligible institution shall use not less than 70 percent of
grant funds

[[Page S3306]]

for expenses described in subparagraph (A)(ii).
(C) Eligible student.--In this section the term ``eligible
student'' means a student who is--
(i) a United States citizens or an alien lawfully admitted
for permanent residence (as the terms are defined in section
101(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1101(a)) or an alien who has been granted deferred action
pursuant to the memorandum of the Department of Homeland
Security entitled ``Exercising Prosecutorial Discretion with
Respect to Individuals Who Came to the United States as
Children'' issued on June 15, 2012; and
(ii) pursuing a masters or doctorate degree in a covered
field identified under section __11(c).
(d) Selection Criteria.--In making awards under this
section, the Director and the Secretary shall consider--
(1) the relevance of the institution's proposed program to
existing and anticipated strategic national needs as
determined by the study under section __11(a);
(2) the ability of the institution to effectively carry out
the proposed program;
(3) the geographic location of an institution related to
the Department of Defense's needs for developing specific
workforce capacity and skills within a particular region of
the country;
(4) the extent to which the institution's proposal would
include students who are underrepresented in science and
engineering, low-income students, women, minority students,
and first-generation college students; and
(5) the integration of internship opportunities into the
participant's program, including internships or cooperative
education agreements with government laboratories, nonprofit
research organizations, or for-profit commercial entities.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section, $250,000,000
for fiscal year 2022 and for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal
years.

SEC. __24. STRENGTHENING TRANSPARENCY.

(a) Assessments.--The Director shall conduct regular
assessments of the programs established under this subtitle
and other graduate research fellowship programs carried out
by the National Science Foundation and provide additional
publicly available information about those programs,
including for each program--
(1) the number of applications received, disaggregated by
undergraduate and graduate institution, race, gender, age,
and eligibility for a Federal Pell Grant;
(2) the number of applications approved, disaggregated by
undergraduate and graduate institution, race, gender, age,
and eligibility for a Federal Pell Grant; and
(3) the internal partnerships between the National Science
Foundation and institutions of higher education in order to
develop a diverse science workforce.
(b) Reports.--The Director shall prepare and submit to
Congress, and make publicly available, annual reports that
show trends in how research fellowships and scholarships
supported by the National Science Foundation are awarded to
individuals from underrepresented groups, institutions of
higher education, and entities from different geographic
areas, in order to better show trends in the participation of
underrepresented groups in such research fellowships and
scholarships.

Subtitle C--Strengthening the National Security Research Workforce

SEC. __31. NATIONAL SECURITY RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.

(a) Program Established.--The Director, in partnership with
the Secretary of Defense and in consultation with the Under
Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, shall
carry out a program, to be known as the ``National Security
Research Fellowship Program'' that will bolster Federal
Government research by finding placements in the Federal
Government for selected eligible graduates.
(b) Eligible Graduates.--The term ``eligible graduate''
means an individual who--
(1) is a United States citizen, an alien lawfully admitted
for permanent residence (as the terms are defined in section
101(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1101(a)), or an alien who has been granted deferred action
pursuant to the memorandum of the Department of Homeland
Security entitled ``Exercising Prosecutorial Discretion with
Respect to Individuals Who Came to the United States as
Children'' issued on June 15, 2012; and
(2) graduated not more than 3 years prior to the date of
the individual's application, with a master's or doctoral
degree in a covered field.
(c) Application; Selection of Eligible Graduates.--
(1) Application.--Eligible graduates who desire to
participate in the National Security Research Fellowship
Program shall submit an application at such time, in such
manner, and containing such information as the Director may
require, including information about the applicant's
educational background, previous research experience,
publications or presentations, letters of recommendation, or
written research proposals.
(2) Selection.--The Director shall establish a process for
the selection of eligible graduates who apply, which may
include a review and scoring of applications by a panel of
experts in broad discipline areas after an evaluation of the
demonstrated ability of the individual as a student and
potential for contributions as an independent scientist.
(d) National Security Research Fellowship Program.--Through
the National Security Research Fellowship Program, the
Director shall--
(1) select eligible graduates who apply for the program in
accordance with subsection (c);
(2) facilitate placement in a 3-year post-doctoral research
position in a covered field with a Federal agency for
selected eligible graduates;
(3) provide those eligible graduates with an orientation
process and a mentor;
(4) facilitate opportunities for participants who have
completed the program to transfer to a permanent civil
service position with the Federal Government in a covered
field after completion of program; and
(5) ensure that eligible participants in the program
receive the educational award described in section __32.
(e) Educational Awards.--
(1) In general.--Each individual who completes not less
than 2 years of the 3-year National Security Research
Fellowship Program described in this section shall be
eligible to receive an educational award in accordance with
this subsection.
(2) Educational award.--Each individual described in
paragraph (1) shall receive an educational award in an amount
equal to the product of--
(A) the maximum amount of a Federal Pell Grant for the most
recent year; multiplied by
(B) the number of years of participation in the fellowship
program (whether 2 or 3 years, as the case may be).
(3) Use of educational award.--The educational award under
this section--
(A) may be used for attendance at an institution of higher
education (as defined in section 102 of the Higher Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)); or
(B) may be used to repay a Federal or private student loan
of the individual.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section, $750,000,000
for fiscal year 2022 and for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal
years.

SEC. __32. EARLY CAREER FACULTY SUPPORTS.

(a) Rising Faculty Professional Advancement Program.--
(1) Establishment of pilot program.--Not later than 1 year
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall
establish a 5-year pilot mentorship program to be known as
``Rising Faculty Professional Advancement Program'' (referred
to in this section as the ``program'') in order to increase
the diversity of faculty in STEM fields.
(2) Purpose.--The purpose of the Rising Faculty
Professional Advancement Program shall be--
(A) to increase the number of doctoral-level professionals
from underrepresented groups in STEM fields who transition
into faculty positions at institutions of higher education;
and
(B) to improve mentorship and training for researchers who
are navigating the transition in the research pipeline to
becoming faculty, which is a time when a significant decrease
in diversity often occurs.
(b) Program Participants.--
(1) In general.--Eligible individuals who desire to
participate in the program shall submit an application to the
National Science Foundation at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Director may require,
including--
(A) information about the eligible individual's selected
mentor and the mentor's agreement to participate in the
program;
(B) an assertion that the selected mentor is--
(i) a tenured faculty member at a research institution of
higher education; or
(ii) a faculty equivalent at a National laboratory or
Federal agency; and
(C) a description of the applicant's reasoning for
selecting that mentor.
(2) Eligibility.--An individual shall be eligible to
participate in the program if the individual is a doctoral
degree holding researcher in a post-doctoral research
position or early-career faculty (defined as a faculty
researcher with a title of assistant professor or other non-
tenured equivalent).
(3) Priority.--In selecting applicants to participate in
the program--
(A) priority shall be given to--
(i) applicants from groups who are underrepresented in
science and engineering; or
(ii) applicants holding degrees from or faculty positions
at minority-serving institutions; and
(B) additional consideration may be given to--
(i) applicants holding doctoral degrees from institutions
of higher education in the bottom 90 percent of research and
development expenditures, as ranked by the National Center
for Science and Engineering Statistics; and
(ii) applicants who are women and who hold positions from
underrepresented fields.
(4) Number of participants.--The Foundation shall select a
cohort of not less than 100 eligible individuals to be
program participants (referred to in this section as ``Rising
Faculty'') for each year of the pilot program.

[[Page S3307]]

(5) Outreach.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Foundation shall--
(A) conduct outreach to solicit potential applicants for
Rising Faculty and mentor participants; and
(B) make publicly available information about the
expectations of mentor involvement and best practices in
finding a mentor.
(c) Activities.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director shall establish program
activities including--
(A) training for Rising Faculty and mentors;
(B) a program curriculum; and
(C) benchmarks for mentor engagement.
(2) Collaborative research.--The Foundation shall encourage
program mentors to network and enter into collaboration on
research projects with Rising Faculty and other mentors
within the program.
(3) Survey.--Following the first year of program
enrollment, and on an annual basis during the program, the
Director shall--
(A) conduct a survey of Rising Faculty and mentors to
determine best practices and outcomes achieved;
(B) collect information about the demographics of Rising
Faculty and mentor participants; and
(C) conduct additional surveys or other analyses of Rising
Faculty who completed the program to assess career
progression for not more than 5 years following the
completion of the program by Rising Faculty.
(d) Meetings.--
(1) Biannual meetings.--
(A) In general.--The Foundation shall hold biannual
meetings for mentors, Rising Faculty, and individuals who
have previously completed the program. The Foundation may
award travel grants for Rising Faculty who lack discretionary
travel funds to attend the biannual meeting.
(B) Introductory meeting.--The Foundation shall hold one
meeting at the start of each cohort's program year which may
include program introduction, mentor training, career
training for Rising Faculty, and networking, with the goal of
advancing early-career researchers along the academic faculty
track, and any other activities the Foundation determines are
appropriate for the career advancement of Rising Faculty.
(C) Second meeting.--The Foundation shall hold a second
meeting in the last quarter of the program year, which may
include opportunities for networking, continued training,
promotion of continued mentorship after program completion,
solicited feedback from Rising Faculty, and any other
activities the Foundation determines are appropriate for the
career advancement of Rising Faculty.
(e) Report to Congress.--Not later than 3 years after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall submit a
report to Congress that includes a summary and analysis of
the types and frequency of activities and policies developed
and carried out under the pilot program.
(f) Assessment of the Pilot Program and Recommendations.--
Not later than 180 days after the conclusion of the pilot
program, the Director shall provide a report to the
appropriate committees of Congress with respect to the pilot
program, which shall include--
(1) a description and evaluation of the status and
effectiveness of the program, including a summary of survey
data collected;
(2) an assessment of the success and utility of the pilot
program in meeting the purposes of this section; and
(3) a recommendation about continuing the program on a
pilot or permanent basis.
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section, $10,000,000 in
each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.

SEC. __33. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION FACULTY EARLY CAREER
DEVELOPMENT AWARDS.

There is authorized to be appropriated to the Director of
the National Science Foundation, in addition to any other
amounts appropriated, $400,000,000 for National Science
Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Awards for fiscal
years 2022 through 2026.
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