Supporting research and technical analysis

The Secretary shall continue to support a vigorous program of basic energy sciences to provide basic research support for the development of energy technologies. Such program shall focus on the efficient production and use of energy, and the expansion of our knowledge of materials, chemistry, geology, and other related areas of advancing technology development. The Secretary shall not require cost sharing for research and development pursuant to this subsection, except— The Secretary shall support programs for improvements and upgrading of university research reactors and associated instrumentation and equipment. Within 1 year after October 24, 1992, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress a report on the condition and status of university research reactors, which includes a 5-year plan for upgrading and improving such facilities, instrumentation capabilities, and related equipment. The Secretary shall develop a method to evaluate the effectiveness of science and mathematics education programs provided by the Department of Energy and its laboratories, including specific evaluation criteria. In this paragraph: The term “eligible jurisdiction” means a State that is determined to be eligible for a grant under this paragraph in accordance with subparagraph (D). The term “EPSCoR” means the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research operated under subparagraph (B). The term “National Laboratory” has the meaning given the term in section 15801 of this title. The term “State” means— The Secretary shall operate an Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. The objectives of EPSCoR shall be— The Secretary may establish criteria for determining whether a State is eligible for a grant under this paragraph. Except as provided in clause (iii), in establishing criteria under clause (i), the Secretary shall ensure that a State is eligible for a grant under this paragraph if the State, as determined by the Secretary, is a State that— has demonstrated a commitment— At the election of the Secretary, or if the Secretary declines to establish criteria under clause (i), the Secretary may continue to use the eligibility criteria in use on January 1, 2021, or any successor criteria. EPSCoR shall make grants to eligible jurisdictions to carry out and support applied energy research and research in all areas of environmental management and basic science sponsored by the Department of Energy, including— scientific research, including— EPSCoR shall make grants under this subparagraph for activities consistent with the objectives described in subparagraph (C) in the areas of applied energy research, environmental management, and basic science described in clause (i), including— EPSCoR shall not impose any cost-sharing requirement with respect to a grant made under this subparagraph, but may require letters of commitment from National Laboratories. Pursuant to subparagraph (E)(ii), the Secretary shall award grants to institutions of higher education in eligible jurisdictions for those institutions of higher education to provide scholarships and fellowships. A scholarship or fellowship awarded by an institution of higher education in an eligible jurisdiction using a grant provided under subclause (I)— in the case of an undergraduate scholarship— Pursuant to subparagraph (E)(ii), the Secretary shall award grants to early career faculty and staff at institutions of higher education in eligible jurisdictions— A grant awarded under subclause (I) shall be— Pursuant to subparagraph (E)(ii), the Secretary shall award competitive grants to institutions of higher education in eligible jurisdictions for research capacity development and implementation, including— A grant awarded under subclause (I) shall be— To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary shall ensure that research equipment and instrumentation developed or acquired pursuant to a grant awarded under subclause (I) may sustain continued operation and be maintained without the need for additional or subsequent funding under this section. Not later than 270 days after January 1, 2021, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Energy and Natural Resources and Appropriations of the Senate and the Committees on Energy and Commerce and Appropriations of the House of Representatives a plan describing how the Secretary shall implement EPSCoR. The plan described in clause (i) shall include a description of— Not later than 270 days after August 9, 2022, the Secretary shall— Not later than 5 years after January 1, 2021, the Secretary shall contract with a federally funded research and development center, the National Academy of Sciences, or a similar organization to carry out an assessment of the effectiveness of EPSCoR, including an assessment of— The organization with which the Secretary contracts under clause (i) shall not be a National Laboratory. Not later than 6 years after January 1, 2021, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space and Technology and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives a report describing the results of the assessment carried out under clause (i), including recommendations for improvements that would enable the Secretary to achieve the objectives described in subparagraph (C). At the end of each fiscal year, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives a report that includes— There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out EPSCoR, to remain available until expended— In the case of an EPSCoR grant awarded to a consortium that contains institutions of higher education that are not located in eligible jurisdictions, the Secretary may count— In addition to funds authorized to be appropriated under clause (i), the Secretary, to the maximum extent practicable while maintaining the competitive, merit-based award processes of the Office of Science, shall ensure that, of the research and development funds of the Office of Science that are awarded by the Secretary each year to institutions of higher education, not less than 10 percent is awarded to institutions of higher education in eligible jurisdictions pursuant to the evaluation and selection criteria in section 605.10 of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations). In addition to funds authorized to be appropriated under clause (i), there is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to award grants under subparagraph (F)(iii)(I) for the purpose described in item (bb) of that subparagraph $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027, to remain available until expended. To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary shall ensure that each program within the Department of Energy that endorses an EPSCoR grant awardee shall contribute funding to the award to acknowledge the research benefits to the mission of that program. The Secretary shall support technology transfer activities conducted by the National Laboratories. Within 1 year after October 24, 1992, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress a report on the adequacy of funding for such activities, along with a proposal recommending ways to reduce the length of time required to consummate cooperative research and development agreements. The Secretary shall develop and implement a least cost strategy for correcting facility problems, closing unneeded facilities, making facility modifications, and building new facilities at multiprogram energy laboratories. Within 1 year after October 24, 1992, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the Congress a comprehensive plan for conducting future facility maintenance, making repairs, modifications, and new additions, and constructing new facilities at multiprogram energy laboratories. Such plan shall provide for facilities work in accordance with the following priorities, listed in descending order of priority: There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for Supporting Research and Technical Analysis, including Basic Energy Sciences, Energy Research Analysis, University and Science Education, Technology Transfer, Advisory and Oversight Program Direction, and Facilities Support for Multiprogram Energy Laboratories, $966,804,000 for fiscal year 1993 and such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 1994.