1.This Act may be cited as the
Manufacturing Technology Competitiveness Act of 2005
.
2.Collaborative
Manufacturing Research Pilot GrantsThe National Institute of Standards and
Technology Act is amended—
(1)by redesignating
the first section 32 (15 U.S.C. 271 note; as redesignated by Public Law
105–309) as section 34; and
(2)by inserting
before the section redesignated by paragraph (1) the following:
33.Collaborative
Manufacturing Research Pilot Grants
(a)
(1)The
Director shall establish a Manufacturing Research Pilot Grants program to make
awards to partnerships consisting of participants described in paragraph (2)
for the purposes described in paragraph (3). Awards shall be made on a
peer-reviewed, competitive basis.
(2)The
partnerships described in this paragraph shall include at least—
(A)1 manufacturing
industry partner; and
(B)1 nonindustry
partner.
(3)The
purpose of the program established under this section is to foster cost-shared
collaborations among firms, educational institutions, research institutions,
State agencies, and nonprofit organizations to encourage the development of
innovative, multidisciplinary manufacturing technologies. Partnerships
receiving awards under this section shall conduct applied research to develop
new manufacturing processes, techniques, or materials that would contribute to
improved performance, productivity, and the manufacturing competitiveness of
the United States, and build lasting alliances among collaborators.
(b)An award made under this section shall provide for
not more than one-third of the costs of the partnership. Not more than an
additional one-third of such costs may be obtained directly or indirectly from
other Federal sources.
(c)Applications
for awards under this section shall be submitted in such manner, at such time,
and containing such information as the Director shall require. Such
applications shall describe at a minimum—
(1)how each partner
will participate in developing and carrying out the research agenda of the
partnership;
(2)the research that
the grant will fund; and
(3)how the research
to be funded with the award will contribute to improved performance,
productivity, and the manufacturing competitiveness of the United
States.
(d)In selecting applications for awards under this section,
the Director shall consider at a minimum—
(1)the degree to
which projects will have a broad impact on manufacturing;
(2)the novelty and
scientific and technical merit of the proposed projects; and
(3)the demonstrated
capabilities of the applicants to successfully carry out the proposed
research.
(e)In
selecting applications under this section the Director shall ensure, to the
extent practicable, a distribution of overall awards among a variety of
manufacturing industry sectors and a range of firm sizes.
(f)In
carrying out this section, the Director shall conduct a single pilot
competition to solicit and make awards. Each award shall be for a 3-year
period.
.
3.Manufacturing
fellowship ProgramSection 18
of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278g–1) is
amended—
(1)by inserting
(a) In
general.—
before The Director is
authorized
; and
(2)by adding at the
end the following new subsection:
(b)Manufacturing
fellowship program
(1)To
promote the development of a robust research community working at the leading
edge of manufacturing sciences, the Director shall establish a program to
award—
(A)postdoctoral
research fellowships at the Institute for research activities related to
manufacturing sciences; and
(B)senior research
fellowships to established researchers in industry or at institutions of higher
education who wish to pursue studies related to the manufacturing sciences at
the Institute.
(2)To
be eligible for an award under this subsection, an individual shall submit an
application to the Director at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information as the Director may require.
(3)Under this section, the Director shall provide stipends
for postdoctoral research fellowships at a level consistent with the National
Institute of Standards and Technology Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program,
and senior research fellowships at levels consistent with support for a faculty
member in a sabbatical
position.
.
4.
(a)Manufacturing
center evaluationSection 25(c)(5) of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k(c)(5)) is amended by inserting
A Center that has not received a positive evaluation by the evaluation
panel shall be notified by the panel of the deficiencies in its performance and
may be placed on probation for one year, after which time the panel may
reevaluate the Center. If the Center has not addressed the deficiencies
identified by the panel, or shown a significant improvement in its performance,
the Director may conduct a new competition to select an operator for the Center
or may close the Center.
after sixth year at declining
levels.
.
(b)Section 25(d) of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k(d)) is amended to read as follows:
(d)In addition to such sums as may be appropriated to the
Secretary and Director to operate the Centers program, the Secretary and
Director also may accept funds from other Federal departments and agencies and
under section 2(c)(7) from the private sector for the purpose of strengthening
United States manufacturing. Such funds, if allocated to a Center, shall not be
considered in the calculation of the Federal share of capital and annual
operating and maintenance costs under subsection
(c).
.
(c)Manufacturing
extension center competitive grant programSection 25 of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k) is amended
by adding at the end the following new subsections:
(e)Competitive
grant program
(1)The
Director shall establish, within the Manufacturing Extension Partnership
program under this section and section 26 of this Act, a program of competitive
awards among participants described in paragraph (2) for the purposes described
in paragraph (3).
(2)Participants
receiving awards under this subsection shall be the Centers, or a consortium of
such Centers.
(3)The
purpose of the program under this subsection is to develop projects to solve
new or emerging manufacturing problems as determined by the Director, in
consultation with the Director of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership
program, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership National Advisory Board, and
small and medium-sized manufacturers. One or more themes for the competition
may be identified, which may vary from year to year, depending on the needs of
manufacturers and the success of previous competitions. These themes shall be
related to projects associated with manufacturing extension activities,
including supply chain integration and quality management, or extend beyond the
traditional areas.
(4)Applications
for awards under this subsection shall be submitted in such manner, at such
time, and containing such information as the Director shall require, in
consultation with the Manufacturing Extension Partnership National Advisory
Board.
(5)Awards
under this subsection shall be peer reviewed and competitively awarded. The
Director shall select proposals to receive awards—
(A)that utilize
innovative or collaborative approaches to solving the problem described in the
competition;
(B)that will improve
the competitiveness of industries in the region in which the Center or Centers
are located; and
(C)that will
contribute to the long-term economic stability of that region.
(6)Recipients of awards under this subsection shall not
be required to provide a matching contribution.
(f)A
center that receives assistance under this section shall submit annual audits
to the Secretary in accordance with Office of Management and Budget Circular
A–133 and shall make such audits available to the public on
request.
.
(d)Programmatic
and operational planNot later than 120 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology shall transmit to the Committee on Science of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of
the Senate a 3-year programmatic and operational plan for the Manufacturing
Extension Partnership program under sections 25 and 26 of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k and
278l). The plan shall include comments on the plan from the
Manufacturing Extension Partnership State partners and the Manufacturing
Extension Partnership National Advisory Board.
5.Authorization of
appropriations for manufacturing support programs
(a)Manufacturing
extension partnership programThere are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary of Commerce, or other appropriate Federal
agencies, for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program under sections 25
and 26 of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C.
278k and 278l)—
(1)$110,000,000 for
fiscal year 2006, of which not more than $1,000,000 shall be for the
competitive grant program under section 25(e) of such Act (15 U.S.C.
278k(e));
(2)$115,000,000 for
fiscal year 2007, of which not more than $4,000,000 shall be for the
competitive grant program under section 25(e) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 278k(e));
and
(3)$120,000,000 for
fiscal year 2008, of which not more than $4,100,000 shall be for the
competitive grant program under section 25(e) of such Act (15 U.S.C.
278k(e)).
(b)Collaborative
manufacturing research pilot grants programThere are authorized
to be appropriated to the Secretary of Commerce for the Collaborative
Manufacturing Research Pilot Grants program under section 33 of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology Act—
(1)$10,000,000 for
fiscal year 2006;
(2)$10,000,000 for
fiscal year 2007; and
(3)$10,000,000 for
fiscal year 2008.
(c)There
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Commerce for
Manufacturing Fellowships at the National Institute of Standards and Technology
under section 18(b) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act,
as added by section 3 of this Act—
(1)$1,500,000 for
fiscal year 2006;
(2)$1,750,000 for
fiscal year 2007; and
(3)$2,000,000 for
fiscal year 2008.
6.Technical
workforce education and development
(a)Authorization
of appropriations
(1)There are authorized to be appropriated to the Director
of the National Science Foundation, from sums otherwise authorized to be
appropriated, for the programs established under section 3 of the Scientific
and Advanced-Technology Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 1862i)—
(A)$55,000,000 for
fiscal year 2006, $5,000,000 of which may be used to support the education and
preparation of manufacturing technicians for certification;
(B)$57,750,000 for
fiscal year 2007, $5,000,000 of which may be used to support the education and
preparation of manufacturing technicians for certification; and
(C)$60,600,000 for
fiscal year 2008, $5,000,000 of which may be used to support the education and
preparation of manufacturing technicians for certification.
(2)Funds
appropriated under this subsection shall be made available, to the maximum
extent practicable, to diverse institutions, including historically Black
colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions.
(b)Section
3 of the Scientific and Advanced-Technology Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 1862i) is
amended—
(1)in subsections
(a)(1) and (c)(2), by inserting , including manufacturing,
after
advanced-technology fields
; and
(2)by inserting
, including manufacturing
after advanced-technology
fields
each place the term appears, other than in subsections (a)(1)
and (c)(2).
7.Scientific and
technical research and services
(a)There are authorized to be appropriated to the
Secretary of Commerce for the scientific and technical research and services
laboratory activities of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology—
(1)$426,267,000 for
fiscal year 2006, of which—
(A)$50,833,000 shall
be for Electronics and Electrical Engineering;
(B)$28,023,000 shall
be for Manufacturing Engineering;
(C)$52,433,000 shall
be for Chemical Science and Technology;
(D)$46,706,000 shall
be for Physics;
(E)$33,500,000 shall
be for Material Science and Engineering;
(F)$24,321,000 shall
be for Building and Fire Research;
(G)$68,423,000 shall
be for Computer Science and Applied Mathematics;
(H)$20,134,000 shall
be for Technical Assistance;
(I)$48,326,000 shall
be for Research Support Activities;
(J)$29,369,000 shall
be for the National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Neutron
Research; and
(K)$18,543,000 shall
be for the National Nanomanufacturing and Nanometrology Facility;
(2)$447,580,000 for
fiscal year 2007; and
(3)$456,979,000 for
fiscal year 2008.
(b)Malcolm
Baldrige National Quality Award ProgramThere are authorized to
be appropriated to the Secretary of Commerce for the Malcolm Baldrige National
Quality Award program under section 17 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology
Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3711a)—
(1)$5,654,000 for
fiscal year 2006;
(2)$5,795,000 for
fiscal year 2007; and
(3)$5,939,000 for
fiscal year 2008.
(c)Construction
and MaintenanceThere are authorized to be appropriated to the
Secretary of Commerce for construction and maintenance of facilities of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology—
(1)$58,898,000 for
fiscal year 2006;
(2)$61,843,000 for
fiscal year 2007; and
(3)$63,389,000 for
fiscal year 2008.
8.Advanced
technology program
(a)Authorization
of appropriationsThere is authorized to be appropriated to the
Secretary of Commerce for the Advanced Technology Program under section 28 of
the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278n)
$140,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2008.
(b)Not later than 3 months after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report detailing the
impacts of the possible elimination of the Advanced Technology Program on the
laboratory programs at the National Institute of Standards Technology.
(c)At the time of the President’s budget request for fiscal
year 2007, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on how the
Department of Commerce plans to absorb the loss of Advanced Technology Program
funds to the laboratory programs at the National Institute of Standards and
Technology, or otherwise mitigate the effects of this loss on its programs and
personnel.
9.Standards
Education Program
(a)(1)As part of the Teacher
Science and Technology Enhancement Institute Program, the Director of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology shall carry out a Standards
Education program to award grants to institutions of higher education to
support efforts by such institutions to develop curricula on the role of
standards in the fields of engineering, business, science, and economics. The
curricula should address topics such as—
(A)development of technical
standards;
(B)demonstrating conformity to
standards;
(C)intellectual property and antitrust
issues;
(D)standardization as a key element of
business strategy;
(E)survey of organizations that develop
standards;
(F)the standards life cycle;
(G)case studies in effective
standardization;
(H)managing standardization activities;
and
(I)managing organizations that develop
standards.
(2)Grants shall be awarded under this
section on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis and shall require cost-sharing
from non-Federal sources.
(b)(1)An institution of
higher education seeking funding under this section shall submit an application
to the Director at such time, in such manner, and containing such information
as the Director may require. The application shall include at a minimum—
(A)a description of the content and
schedule for adoption of the proposed curricula in the courses of study offered
by the applicant; and
(B)a description of the source and amount
of cost-sharing to be provided.
(2)In evaluating the applications
submitted under paragraph (1) the Director shall consider, at a minimum—
(A)the level of commitment demonstrated
by the applicant in carrying out and sustaining lasting curricula changes in
accordance with subsection (a)(1); and
(B)the amount of cost-sharing
provided.
(c)Authorization
of AppropriationsThere are authorized to be appropriated to the
Secretary of Commerce for the Teacher Science and Technology Enhancement
Institute program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology—
(1)$773,000 for
fiscal year 2006;
(2)$796,000 for
fiscal year 2007; and
(3)$820,000 for
fiscal year 2008.