S.Amdt. 4772

SA 4772. Mr. VAN HOLLEN (for himself and Mr. Tillis) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 3867 submitted by Mr.
Reed and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 4350, to authorize
appropriations for fiscal year 2022 for military activities of the
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel
strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

SEC. ____. HIGH RESEARCH ACTIVITY STATUS HBCU PILOT PROGRAM.

(a) Purposes.--The purposes of the program established
under this section shall be--
(1) to enable high research activity status historically
Black colleges and universities to achieve very high research
activity status; and
(2) to increase the national number of African-American
undergraduate and graduate students with degrees in science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics.
(b) Definitions.--
(1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Defense.
(2) High research activity status.--The term ``high
research activity status'' means such 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) 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.
(c) Very High Research Activity Status Historically Black
Colleges or Universities Program.--
(1) Program.--The Secretary is authorized to establish and
carry out, using funds made available for research activities
across the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for
Research and Engineering, a pilot program to award grants in
focused areas of scientific research on a competitive, merit-
reviewed basis to grow high research activity status (R2)
historically Black colleges and universities to achieve very
high research activity status (R1), while increasing the
national number of African-American undergraduate, graduate,
and post-doctoral students with degrees in science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics. 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.
(2) 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.
(3) Application.--
(A) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
this section, a historically Black college or university
described in paragraph (2) shall submit an application to the
Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information and assurances as the Secretary may require.
(B) Contents.--The application described in subparagraph
(A) shall include, at a minimum, a description of--
(i) a plan for increasing the level of research activity
and achieving very high research activity status
classification within 10 years of the grant award, including
measurable milestones such as growth in research
expenditures, number of research doctoral degrees awarded,
number of research-focused faculty, and other relevant
factors;
(ii) how the institution of higher education will sustain
the increased level of research activity beyond the duration
of the award; and

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(iii) how the implementation of the proposed plan will be
evaluated and assessed.
(4) Program components.--
(A) 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.
(B) Use of funds.--An institution that receives a grant
under this section shall use the grant funds to support
research activities, including--
(i) faculty professional development;
(ii) stipends for undergraduate and graduate students and
post-doctoral scholars;
(iii) laboratory equipment and instrumentation; and
(iv) other activities necessary to build research capacity.
(C) Research assessment.--
(i) In general.--An institution that submits a proposal for
a grant under this section shall submit with their proposal a
plan that describes the institution's plan to achieve very
high research activity status, including making investments
with institutional and non-Federal funds, to achieve that
status within a decade of the grant award, to the extent
practicable.
(ii) Updated plan.--An institution that receives a grant
under this section shall submit to the Secretary an updated
plan described in clause (i) not less than once every 3
years, which shall be based on a self-assessment of progress
in achieving very high research activity status.
(D) 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.
______