#aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dcgc ,,an ,,act ,to provide for a coordinated ,federal research initiative to ensure continued ,united ,states leadership in engineering biology4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,engineering ,biology ,research and ,development ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,findings ,the ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,cellular and molecular processes may be used1 mimicked1 or redesigned to develop new products1 processes1 and systems that improve societal well-being1 strengthen national security1 and contribute to the economy4 7#b7 ,engineering biology relies on a workforce with a diverse and unique set of skills combining the biological1 physical1 chemical1 and information sciences and engineering4 7#c7 ,long-term research and development is necessary to create breakthroughs in engineering biology4 ,such research and development requires government investment as many of the benefits are too distant or uncertain for industry to support alone4 7#d7 ,research is necessary to inform evidence-based governance of engineering biology and to support the growth of the engineering biology industry4 7#e7 ,the ,federal ,government can play an important role by facilitating the development of tools and technologies to further advance engineering biology1 including user facilities1 by facilitating public-private partnerships1 by supporting risk research1 and by facilitating the commercial application in the ,united ,states of research funded by the ,federal ,government4 7#f7 ,the ,united ,states led the development of the science and engineering techniques that created the field of engineering biology1 but due to increasing international competition1 the ,united ,states is at risk of losing its competitive advantage if does not invest the necessary resources and have a national strategy4 7#g7 ,a ,national ,engineering ,biology ,initiative can serve to establish new research directions and technology goals1 improve interagency coordination and planning processes1 drive technology transfer to the private sector1 and help ensure optimal returns on the ,federal investment4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,biomanufacturing ,the term biomanufacturing means the utilization of biological systems to develop new and advance existing products1 tools1 and processes at commercial scale4 7#b7 ,engineering biology ,the term engineering biology means the application of engineering design principles and practices to biological systems1 including molecular and cellular systems1 to advance fundamental understanding of complex natural systems and to enable novel or optimize functions and capabilities4 7#c7 ,initiative ,the term ,initiative means the ,national ,engineering ,biology ,research and ,development ,initiative established under section #d4 7#d7 ,omics ,the term omics refers to the collective technologies used to explore the roles1 relationships1 and actions of the various types of molecules that make up the cells of an organism4 #d4 ,national engineering biology research and development initiative 7a7 ,in general ,the ,president1 acting through the ,office of ,science and ,technology ,policy1 shall implement a ,national ,engineering ,biology ,research and ,development ,initiative to advance societal well-being1 national security1 sustainability1 and economic productivity and competitiveness through-- 7#a7 advancing areas of research at the intersection of the biological1 physical1 chemical1 and information sciences and engineering to accelerate scientific understanding and technological innovation in engineering biology2 7#b7 advancing areas of biomanufacturing research to optimize1 standardize1 scale1 and deliver new products and solutions2 7#c7 supporting social and behavioral sciences and economics research that advances the field of engineering biology and contributes to the development and public understanding of new products1 processes1 and technologies2 7#d7 supporting risk research1 including under subsection 7d72 7#e7 supporting the development of novel tools and technologies to accelerate scientific understanding and technological innovation in engineering biology2 7#f7 expanding the number of researchers1 educators1 and students with engineering biology training1 including from traditionally underserved populations2 7#g7 accelerating the translation and commercialization of engineering biology research and development by the private sector2 and 7#h7 improving the interagency planning and coordination of ,federal ,government activities related to engineering biology4 7b7 ,initiative activities ,the activities of the ,initiative shall include-- 7#a7 sustained support for engineering biology research and development through-- 7,a7 grants to individual investigators and teams of investigators1 including interdisciplinary teams2 7,b7 projects funded under joint solicitations by a collaboration of no fewer than two agencies participating in the ,initiative2 and 7,c7 interdisciplinary research centers that are organized to investigate basic research questions1 carry out technology development and demonstration activities1 and increase understanding of how to scale up engineering biology processes1 including biomanufacturing2 7#b7 sustained support for databases and related tools1 including-- 7,a7 support for curated genomics1 epigenomics1 and all other relevant omics databases1 including plant and microbial databases1 that are available to researchers to carry out engineering biology research2 7,b7 development of standards for such databases1 including for curation1 interoperability1 and protection of privacy and security2 7,c7 support for the development of computational tools1 including artificial intelligence tools1 that can accelerate research and innovation using such databases2 and 7,d7 an inventory and assessment of all ,federal government omics databases to identify opportunities for consolidation and inform investment in such databases as critical infrastructure for the engineering biology research enterprise2 7#c7 sustained support for the development1 optimization1 and validation of novel tools and technologies to enable the dynamic study of molecular processes in situ1 including through grants to investigators at institutions of higher education and other nonprofit research institutions1 and through the ,small ,business ,innovation ,research ,program and the ,small ,business ,technology ,transfer ,program1 as described in section #i of the ,small ,business ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #fch72 7#d7 education and training of undergraduate and graduate students in engineering biology1 in biomanufacturing1 in bioprocess engineering1 and in areas of computational science applied to engineering biology2 7#e7 activities to develop robust mechanisms for tracking and quantifying the outputs and economic benefits of engineering biology2 and 7#f7 activities to accelerate the translation and commercialization of new products1 processes1 and technologies by-- 7,a7 identifying precompetitive research opportunities2 7,b7 facilitating public-private partnerships in engineering biology research and development2 7,c7 connecting researchers1 graduate students1 and postdoctoral fellows with entrepreneurship education and training opportunities2 and 7,d7 supporting proof of concept activities and the formation of startup companies including through programs such as the ,small ,business ,innovation ,research ,program and the ,small ,business ,technology ,transfer ,program4 7c7 ,expanding participation ,the ,initiative shall include1 to the maximum extent practicable1 outreach to primarily undergraduate and minority-serving institutions about ,initiative opportunities1 and shall encourage the development of research collaborations between research-intensive universities and primarily undergraduate and minority-serving institutions4 7d7 ,ethical1 legal1 environmental1 safety1 security1 and societal issues ,initiative activities shall take into account ethical1 legal1 environmental1 safety1 security1 and other appropriate societal issues by-- 7#a7 supporting research1 including in the social sciences1 and other activities addressing ethical1 legal1 environmental1 and other appropriate societal issues related to engineering biology1 including integrating research on such topics with the research and development in engineering biology1 and ensuring that the results of such research are widely disseminated1 including through interdisciplinary engineering biology research centers described in subsection 7b77#a72 7#b7 supporting research and other activities related to the safety and security implications of engineering biology1 including outreach to increase awareness among federally-funded researchers at institutions of higher education about potential safety and security implications of engineering biology research1 as appropriate2 7#c7 ensuring that input from ,federal and non-,federal experts on the ethical1 legal1 environmental1 security1 and other appropriate societal issues related to engineering biology is integrated into the ,initiative2 and 7#d7 ensuring1 through the agencies and departments that participate in the ,initiative1 that public input and outreach are integrated into the ,initiative by the convening of regular and ongoing public discussions through mechanisms such as workshops1 consensus conferences1 and educational events1 as appropriate4 #e4 ,initiative coordination 7a7 ,interagency committee ,the ,president1 acting through the ,office of ,science and ,technology ,policy1 shall designate an interagency committee to coordinate engineering biology1 which shall be co-chaired by the ,office of ,science and ,technology ,policy1 and include representatives from the ,national ,science ,foundation1 the ,department of ,energy1 the ,national ,aeronautics and ,space ,administration1 the ,national ,institute of ,standards and ,technology1 the ,environmental ,protection ,agency1 the ,department of ,agriculture1 the ,national ,institutes of ,health1 the ,bureau of ,economic ,analysis1 and any other agency that the ,president considers appropriate 7in this section referred to as the interagency committee74 ,the ,director of the ,office of ,science and ,technology ,policy shall select an additional co-chairperson from among the members of the ,interagency ,committee4 ,the ,interagency ,committee shall oversee the planning1 management1 and coordination of the ,initiative4 ,the ,interagency ,committee shall-- 7#a7 provide for interagency coordination of ,federal engineering biology research1 development1 and other activities undertaken pursuant to the ,initiative2 7#b7 establish and periodically update goals and priorities for the ,initiative2 7#c7 develop1 not later than #ab months after the date of enactment of this ,act1 and update every #c years1 a strategic plan that-- 7,a7 guides the activities of the ,initiative for purposes of meeting the goals and priorities established under 7and updated pursuant to7 paragraph 7#b72 and 7,b7 describes-- 7i7 the ,initiative's support for long-term funding for interdisciplinary engineering biology research and development2 7ii7 the ,initiative's support for education and public outreach activities2 7iii7 the ,initiative's support for research and other activities on ethical1 legal1 environmental1 safety1 security1 and other appropriate societal issues related to engineering biology2 7iv7 how the ,initiative will move results out of the laboratory and into application for the benefit of society and ,united ,states competitiveness2 and 7v7 how the ,initiative will measure and track the contributions of engineering biology to ,united ,states economic growth and other societal indicators2 7#d7 develop a national genomic sequencing strategy to ensure engineering biology research fully leverages plant1 animal1 and microbe biodiversity to enhance long-term innovation and competitiveness in engineering biology in the ,united ,states2 7#e7 propose an annually coordinated interagency budget for the ,initiative that is intended to ensure-- 7,a7 the maintenance of a robust engineering biology research and development portfolio2 and 7,b7 that the balance of funding across the ,initiative is sufficient to meet the goals and priorities established for the ,program2 7#f7 develop a plan to utilize ,federal programs1 such as the ,small ,business ,innovation ,research ,program and the ,small ,business ,technology ,transfer ,program as described in section #i of the ,small ,business ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #fch71 in support of the activities described in section #d7;b77#c72 and 7#g7 in carrying out this section1 take into consideration the recommendations of the advisory committee established under section #f1 the results of the workshop convened under section #g1 existing reports on related topics1 and the views of academic1 ,state1 industry1 and other appropriate groups4 7b7 ,annual report ,beginning with fiscal year #bjbj1 not later than #ij days after submission of the ,president's annual budget request and each fiscal year thereafter1 the interagency committee shall prepare and submit to the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation of the ,senate a report that includes-- 7#a7 a summarized agency budget in support of the ,initiative for the fiscal year to which such budget request applies1 and for the then current fiscal year1 including a breakout of spending for each agency participating in the ,program and for the development and acquisition of any research facilities and instrumentation2 and 7#b7 an assessment of how ,federal agencies are implementing the plan described in subsection 7a77#c71 and a description of the amount and number of awards made under the ,small ,business ,innovation ,research ,program and the ,small ,business ,technology ,transfer ,program 7as described in section #i of the ,small ,business ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #fch77 in support of the ,initiative4 7c7 ,initiative office 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,president shall establish an ,initiative ,coordination ,office1 with a ,director and full-time staff1 which shall-- 7,a7 provide technical and administrative support to the interagency committee and the advisory committee established under section #f2 7,b7 serve as the point of contact on ,federal engineering biology activities for government organizations1 academia1 industry1 professional societies1 ,state governments1 interested citizen groups1 and others to exchange technical and programmatic information2 7,c7 oversee interagency coordination of the ,initiative1 including by encouraging and supporting joint agency solicitation and selection of applications for funding of activities under the ,initiative2 7,d7 conduct public outreach1 including dissemination of findings and recommendations of the advisory committee established under section #f1 as appropriate2 and 7,e7 promote access to1 and early application of1 the technologies1 innovations1 and expertise derived from ,initiative activities to agency missions and systems across the ,federal ,government1 and to ,united ,states industry1 including startup companies4 7#b7 ,funding ,the ,director of the ,office of ,science and ,technology ,policy shall develop an estimate of the funds necessary to carry out the activities of the ,initiative ,coordination ,office1 including an estimate of how much each participating agency described in subsection 7a7 will contribute to such funds1 and submit such estimate to ,congress no later than #ij days after the enactment of this ,act4 7#c7 ,termination ,the ,initiative ,coordination ,office established under this subsection shall terminate on the date that is #aj years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 unless a determination is made by the ,president that such ,office is necessary to meet the economic or national security goals of the ,program4 #f4 ,advisory committee 7a7 ,in general ,the ,president1 acting through the ,office of ,science and ,technology ,policy1 shall designate or establish an advisory committee on engineering biology research and development 7in this section referred to as the advisory committee7 to be composed of not fewer than #ab members1 including representatives of research and academic institutions1 industry1 and nongovernmental entities1 who are qualified to provide advice on the ,initiative4 7b7 ,assessment ,the advisory committee shall assess-- 7#a7 the current state of ,united ,states competitiveness in engineering biology1 including the scope and scale of ,united ,states investments in engineering biology research and development in the international context2 7#b7 current market barriers to commercialization of engineering biology products1 processes1 and tools in the ,united ,states2 7#c7 progress made in implementing the ,initiative2 7#d7 the need to revise the ,initiative2 7#e7 the balance of activities and funding across the ,initiative2 7#f7 whether the strategic plan developed or updated by the interagency committee established under section #e is helping to maintain ,united ,states leadership in engineering biology2 7#g7 the management1 coordination1 implementation1 and activities of the ,initiative2 and 7#h7 whether ethical1 legal1 environmental1 safety1 security1 and other appropriate societal issues are adequately addressed by the ,initiative4 7c7 ,reports ,beginning not later than #b years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 and not less frequently than once every #c years thereafter1 the advisory committee shall submit to the ,president1 the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology of the ,house of ,representatives1 and the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation of the ,senate1 a report on-- 7#a7 the findings of the advisory committee's assessment under subsection 7b72 and 7#b7 the advisory committee's recommendations for ways to improve the ,initiative4 7d7 ,application of ,federal ,advisory ,committee ,act ,section #ad of the ,federal ,advisory ,committee ,act 7#e ,u4,s4,c4 ,app47 shall not apply to the ,advisory ,committee4 #g4 ,external review of ethical1 legal1 environmental1 and societal issues 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #f months after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation shall enter into an agreement with the ,national ,academies of ,sciences1 ,engineering1 and ,medicine to conduct a review1 and make recommendations with respect to1 the ethical1 legal1 environmental1 and other appropriate societal issues related to engineering biology research and development4 ,the review shall include-- 7#a7 an assessment of the current research on such issues2 7#b7 a description of the research gaps relating to such issues2 7#c7 recommendations on how the ,initiative can address the research needs identified pursuant to paragraph 7#b72 and 7#d7 recommendations on how engineering biology researchers can best incorporate considerations of ethical1 legal1 environmental1 and other societal issues into the development of research proposals and the conduct of research4 7b7 ,report to ,congress ,the agreement entered into under subsection 7a7 shall require the ,national ,academy of ,sciences1 ,engineering1 and ,medicine to1 not later than #b years after the date of the enactment of this ,act-- 7#a7 submit to the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation of the ,senate a report containing the findings and recommendations of the review conducted under subsection 7a72 and 7#b7 make a copy of such report available on a publicly accessible website4 #h4 ,agency activities 7a7 ,national ,science ,foundation ,as part of the ,initiative1 the ,national ,science ,foundation shall-- 7#a7 support basic research in engineering biology through individual grants and through interdisciplinary research centers2 7#b7 support research on the environmental1 legal1 and social implications of engineering biology2 7#c7 provide support for research instrumentation for engineering biology disciplines1 including support for research1 development1 optimization and validation of novel technologies to enable the dynamic study of molecular processes in situ2 7#d7 support curriculum development and research experiences for secondary1 undergraduate1 and graduate students in engineering biology and biomanufacturing2 and 7#e7 award grants1 on a competitive basis1 to enable institutions to support graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who perform some of their engineering biology research in an industry setting4 7b7 ,department of ,commerce ,as part of the ,initiative1 the ,director of the ,national ,institute of ,standards and ,technology shall-- 7#a7 establish a bioscience research program to advance the development of standard reference materials and measurements and to create new data tools1 techniques1 and processes necessary to advance engineering biology and biomanufacturing2 7#b7 provide access to user facilities with advanced or unique equipment1 services1 materials1 and other resources to industry1 institutions of higher education1 nonprofit organizations1 and government agencies to perform research and testing2 and 7#c7 provide technical expertise to inform the potential development of guidelines or safeguards for new products1 processes1 and systems of engineering biology4 7c7 ,department of ,energy ,as part of the ,initiative1 the ,secretary of ,energy shall-- 7#a7 conduct and support research1 development1 demonstration1 and commercial application activities in engineering biology1 including in the areas of synthetic biology1 advanced biofuel development1 biobased materials1 and environmental remediation2 7#b7 support the development1 optimization and validation of novel1 scalable tools and technologies to enable the dynamic study of molecular processes in situ2 and 7#c7 provide access to user facilities with advanced or unique equipment1 services1 materials1 and other resources1 as appropriate1 to industry1 institutions of higher education1 nonprofit organizations1 and government agencies to perform research and testing4 7d7 ,national ,aeronautics and ,space ,administration ,as part of the ,initiative1 the ,national ,aeronautics and ,space ,administration shall-- 7#a7 conduct and support basic and applied research in engineering biology1 including in synthetic biology1 and related to ,earth and space sciences1 aeronautics1 space technology1 and space exploration and experimentation1 consistent with the priorities established in the ,national ,academies' decadal surveys2 and 7#b7 award grants1 on a competitive basis1 that enable institutions to support graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who perform some of their engineering biology research in an industry setting4 7e7 ,environmental ,protection ,agency ,as part of the ,initiative1 the ,environmental ,protection ,agency shall support research on how products1 processes1 and systems of engineering biology will affect or can protect the environment4 ,passed the ,house of ,representatives ,december #i1 #bjai4;,clerk4