,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #aigh ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #e1 #bjbe,mr4 ,schmitt 7for himself and ,mr4 ,hickenlooper7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,armed ,services ,a ,,bill ,to require the ,secretary of ,defense to establish a network of regional hubs to foster innovation1 collaboration1 and rapid development of defense-related technologies1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,defense ,technology ,hubs ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,purpose ,the purpose of this ,act is to enhance national security and technological superiority by requiring the ,secretary of ,defense to establish a network of regional defense technology hubs to foster innovation1 collaboration1 and rapid development of defense-related technologies to attract talent from across the ,united ,states4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,anchor ,federal defense institution ,the term anchor ,federal defense institution means a defense manufacturing facility1 an institution of higher education that engages the ,department on research1 development1 testing1 and evaluation1 or a military installation4 7#b7 ,defense technology hub ,the term defense technology hub means a regional hub designated and supported under the ,program4 7#c7 ,eligible consortium ,the term eligible consortium means a consortium composed of universities1 defense contractors1 small businesses1 nonprofit organizations1 and ,state or local governments4 7#d7 ,emerging technologies ,the term emerging technologies means scientific and engineering advancements with potential military applications as identified by the ,secretary of ,defense4 7#e7 ,program ,the term ,program means the ,defense ,technology ,hubs ,program established under section #d7;a74 #d4 ,establishment of ,defense ,technology ,hubs ,program 7a7 ,program required 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,defense shall establish a program to designate and support regional hubs focused on advancing defense technologies critical to national security4 7#b7 ,designation ,the program established pursuant to paragraph 7#a7 shall be known as the ,defense ,technology ,hubs ,program4 7b7 ,designation of defense technology hubs 7#a7 ,solicitation of applications ,under the ,program1 the ,secretary shall solicit applications from eligible consortia to be designated as defense technology hubs under the ,program4 7#b7 ,submittal of applications ,a consortium seeking designation and support as a regional hub under subsection 7a77#a7 shall submit to the ,secretary an application therefor at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require4 7#c7 ,criteria ,the ,secretary shall select eligible consortia for designation and support under subsection 7a77#a7 from among those submitting applications pursuant to paragraph 7#b7 of this subsection using the following criteria3 7,a7 ,demonstrated capability in defense-relevant technology areas4 7,b7 ,evidence of regional collaboration and stakeholder commitment4 7,c7 ,presence of anchor ,federal defense institutions or mission-critical installations of the ,department that support or utilize emerging defense technologies1 particularly in areas such as geospatial intelligence1 data fusion1 and artificial intelligence4 7,d7 ,existence of regional innovation ecosystems with demonstrated success in leveraging ,federal1 ,state1 and private sector collaboration1 such as technology innovation consortia1 academic research clusters1 and specialized defense accelerators4 7,e7 ,potential to address ,department-identified strategic priorities4 7,f7 ,economic and workforce development impact4 7#d7 ,geographic distribution ,in selecting eligible consortia for designation and support under the ,program1 the ,secretary shall ensure that defense technology hubs are distributed across diverse geographic regions of the ,united ,states1 with a goal of designating at least #aj defense technology hubs before the date that is #c years after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 ,in considering geographic distribution1 the ,secretary may give preference to regions with demonstrated strategic relevance to national security missions1 including those with newly constructed or expanded ,department facilities and intelligence community investments4 7c7 ,objectives of defense technology hubs ,the objectives of a defense technology hub under the ,program are as follows3 7#a7 ,to accelerate the research1 development1 prototyping1 and transition to operational use of emerging technologies with military applications1 including artificial intelligence1 quantum technologies1 hypersonics1 biotechnology1 and advanced manufacturing4 7#b7 ,to foster partnerships among components of the ,department of ,defense1 private industry1 academic institutions1 and ,state and local governments4 7#c7 ,to address regional defense technology needs while leveraging local expertise1 infrastructure1 and economic strengths1 including proximity to ,federal mission partners such as combat support agencies and participation in existing innovation consortia or university-industry alliances4 7#d7 ,to promote workforce development and training programs to build a skilled pipeline for defense innovation including partnerships with research universities1 community colleges1 and vocational programs4 7#e7 ,to enhance the resilience and security of the defense industrial base4 7d7 ,grants 7#a7 ,grants authorized ,under the ,program1 the ,secretary may award grants to defense technology hubs4 7#b7 ,use of funds ,a defense technology hub receiving a grant under paragraph 7#a7 shall use the amounts of the grant for the following purposes3 7,a7 ,as seed funding for establishment of the defense technology hub4 7,b7 ,for research1 prototyping1 and technology transition projects consistent with the objectives set forth in subsection 7c74 7,c7 ,administrative and evaluation expenses of the defense technology hub relating activities under the ,program4 7e7 ,security and compliance requirements 7#a7 ,in general ,under the ,program1 each defense technology hub shall do the following3 7,a7 ,implement cybersecurity measures consistent with ,department cybersecurity standards4 7,b7 ,ensure all research and technology transfers comply with the ,international ,traffic in ,arms ,regulations 7,,itar7 and the ,export ,administration ,regulations 7,,ear74 7,c7 ,prevent participation by foreign entities of concern1 as identified by the ,secretary in coordination with the heads of the elements of the intelligence community 7as defined in section #c of the ,national ,security ,act of #aidg 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #cjjc77 or identified in the ,entity ,list maintained by the ,bureau of ,industry and ,security of the ,department of ,commerce and set forth in ,supplement ,no4 #d to part #gdd of title #ae1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations1 and consistent with existing ,federal designations4 7,d7 ,establish mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive defense-related research and technology4 7#b7 ,monitoring and enforcement ,the ,secretary shall1 in coordination with the ,director of the ,defense ,counterintelligence and ,security ,agency1 establish procedures to monitor and enforce compliance with the requirements set forth in paragraph 7#a74 7f7 ,intellectual property management 7#a7 ,guidelines required ,the ,secretary shall develop guidelines under the ,program for intellectual property ownership and licensing within the defense technology hubs1 balancing national security needs with commercial incentives for private sector participation4 7#b7 ,retention of rights ,the guidelines developed pursuant to paragraph 7#a7 shall include provisions for the ,department to retain necessary rights for defense applications while allowing members of consortia that are defense technology hubs to pursue commercial opportunities as may be appropriate4 7g7 ,funding 7#a7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,department of ,defense to carry out the ,program #cge1jjj1jjj for the period of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjcj4 7#b7 ,availability ,of the amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization in paragraph 7#a71 #ge1jjj1jjj shall be available to the ,secretary to award grants under subsection 7d74 7#c7 ,federal share ,the ,federal share of support provided to a defense technology hub under the ,program in a fiscal year may not exceed #ej percent of the total cost of the operations and activities of the defense technology hub under the ,program in that fiscal year4 7h7 ,administration 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall administer the ,program through the ,under ,secretary of ,defense for ,research and ,engineering1 in coordination with the ,director of the ,defense ,innovation ,unit and the heads of such other elements of the ,department as the ,secretary considers appropriate4 7#b7 ,waiver of acquisition regulations ,for any project of a defense technology hub under the ,program that the ,secretary determines has a total cost of less than #aj1jjj1jjj1 the ,secretary may waive applicable acquisition regulations to expedite development and prototyping1 consistent with similar authorities of the ,secretary that were in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this ,act4 7#c7 ,annual progress reports ,each defense technology hub shall1 not less frequently than once each year1 submit to the ,secretary an annual progress report detailing technological advancements1 partnerships1 and economic outcomes4 #e4 ,coordination with existing program ,the ,secretary of ,defense shall ensure the ,program complements1 and does not duplicate1 existing efforts such as efforts of the ,defense ,advanced ,research ,projects ,agency 7,,darpa71 the ,manufacturing ,,usa ,institutes1 the ,regional ,technology and ,innovation ,hubs of the ,economic ,development ,administration 7,,eda71 the ,defense ,innovation ,unit 7,,diu71 and the ,regional ,innovation ,engines of the ,national ,science ,foundation4 ,the ,secretary shall1 as the ,secretary determines appropriate1 align defense technology hub activities with existing defense and intelligence infrastructure to maximize the use of established mission platforms and reduce redundant investments1 particularly in areas where new ,federal campuses are designed to serve as long-term anchors for defense innovation ecosystems4 #f4 ,evaluation and reporting 7a7 ,independent evaluations ,the ,secretary of ,defense shall seek to enter into a contract with an independent entity to evaluate the effectiveness of the ,program annually for the first #e years of the ,program1 and biennially thereafter1 assessing technology outputs1 national security impacts1 and return on investment4 7b7 ,annual reports ,not less frequently than once each year1 the ,secretary shall submit to the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,house of ,representatives an annual report detailing ,program activities1 defense technology hub performance1 and recommendations for improvement to the ,program4 #g4 ,effective date ,the provisions of this ,act shall take effect on the date that is #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act4