116th Congress
Endless Frontier Act
Purpose
A bill to establish a new Directorate for Technology in the redesignated National Science and Technology Foundation, to establish a regional technology hub program, to require a strategy and report on economic security, science, research, and innovation, and for other purposes.
Summary of Selected Provisions
- Renames the National Science Foundation as the National Science and Technology Foundation to reflect the addition of a directorate focused on translating research advances into new technologies
- Requires the new directorate to focus on no more than 10 “key technology areas” that are determined by the NSTF director and refreshed every four years in consultation with an advisory board
- Establishes an initial list of key technology areas, which include AI, high performance computing, quantum information systems, robotics, manufacturing, communications, cybersecurity, biotechnology, energy, materials science, and “natural or anthropogenic disaster prevention”
- Recommends Congress provide the directorate $2 billion in fiscal year 2021, ramping up to $35 billion in fiscal years 2024 and 2025, with a total five year budget of $100 billion
- Stipulates that the directorate apportion its budget between university technology centers, fellowships, testbeds, a lab-to-market program, and other NSTF directorates
- Prevents the technology directorate from receiving any funds if the budget allocated to the rest of the agency declines year over year in inflation-adjusted terms
- Directs the Commerce Department to create a program focused on catalyzing R&D partnerships in areas that are not already leading centers of innovation, with a recommend budget of $10 billion over five years
Primary Sponsors
-
SENATOR D-NY -
SENATOR R-IN
Co-sponsors by Party
R
4
D
3
I
0
Actions
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05/21/2020Introduced in Senate
FYI Coverage
JUN 11, 2021
MAY 14, 2021
APR 20, 2021
APR 16, 2021
MAR 26, 2021
MAR 18, 2021
FEB 24, 2021