Short title

This Act may be cited as the

Blue Collar Computing and Business Assistance Act of 2007

Definitions

In this Act: (1)

Advanced multidisciplinary computing software center; center

The terms Advanced Multidisciplinary Computing Software Center and Center mean a center created by an eligible entity with a grant awarded under section 3. (2)

Eligible entity

The term eligible entity means any— (A)nonprofit organization; (B)consortium of nonprofit organizations; or (C)partnership between a for profit and a nonprofit organization. (3)

Nonprofit organization

The term nonprofit organization means any organization that— (A)is described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and (B)is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code. (4)

Small business or manufacturer

The term small business or manufacturer has the meaning given the term small business concern in section 3(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632(a)), including a small manufacturing concern. (5)

Under secretary

The term Under Secretary means the Under Secretary for Technology of the Department of Commerce.

Advanced multidisciplinary computing software center grants

(a)

In general

The Under Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities to establish up to 5 Advanced Multidisciplinary Computing Software Centers throughout the United States. (b)

Purposes

Each Center established with grant funds awarded under subsection (a) shall— (1)conduct general outreach to small businesses and manufacturers in all industry sectors within the geographic region assigned to the Center by the Under Secretary; and (2)conduct technology transfer, development, and utilization programs for businesses throughout the United States in the specific industry sector assigned to the Center by the Under Secretary. (c)

Application

(1)

In general

Each eligible entity desiring a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Under Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such additional information as the Under Secretary may reasonably require. (2)

Publication in federal register

Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary shall publish the application requirements referred to in paragraph (1) in the Federal Register. (3)

Contents

Each application submitted under paragraph (1) shall— (A)conform to the requirements prescribed by the Under Secretary under this subsection; and (B)a proposal for the allocation of the legal rights associated with any invention that may result from the activities of the proposed Center. (4)

Selection criteria

In evaluating each application submitted under paragraph (1) on the basis of merit, the Under Secretary shall consider— (A)the extent to which the eligible entity— (i)has a partnership with nonprofit organizations, businesses, software vendors, and academia recognized for relevant expertise in its selected industry sector; (ii)uses State-funded academic supercomputing centers and universities or colleges with expertise in the computational needs of the industry assigned to the eligible entity under subsection (b)(1); (iii)has a history of working with small businesses and manufacturers; (iv)has experience providing educational programs aimed at helping organizations adopt the use of high-performance computing and computational science; (v)has partnerships with education or training organizations that can help educate future workers on the application of computational science to industry needs; (vi)is accessible to businesses, academia, incubators, or other economic development organizations via high-speed networks; and (vii)is capable of partnering with small businesses and manufacturers to enhance the ability of such entities to compete in the global marketplace; (B)the ability of the eligible entity to enter successfully into collaborative agreements with small businesses and manufacturers to experiment with new high performance computing and computational science technologies; and (C)such other factors that the Under Secretary considers relevant. (d)

Maximum amount

The Under Secretary may not award a grant under this section in an amount which exceeds $5,000,000 for any year of the grant period. (e)

Duration

(1)

In general

Except as provided under paragraph (2), a grant may not be awarded under this section for a period exceeding 5 years. (2)

Renewal

The Under Secretary may renew any grant awarded under this section. (f)

Matching requirement

(1)

In general

The Under Secretary may not award a grant under this section unless the eligible entity receiving such grant agrees to provide not less than 50 percent of the capital and annual operating and maintenance funds required to create and maintain the Center established with such grant funds. (2)

Funding from other federal, state, or local government agencies

The funds provided by the eligible entity under paragraph (1) may include amounts received by the eligible entity from the Federal Government (other than the Department of Commerce), a State, or a unit of local government. (g)

Limitation on administrative expenses

The Under Secretary may establish a reasonable limitation on the portion of each grant awarded under this section that may be used for administrative expenses or other overhead costs. (h)

Fees and alternative funding sources authorized

(1)

In general

A Center established with a grant awarded under this section may, in accordance with regulations established by the Under Secretary— (A)collect a nominal fee from a small business or manufacturer for a service provided under this section, if such fee is utilized for the budget and operation of the Center; and (B)accept financial assistance from the Federal Government (other than the Department of Commerce) for capital costs and operating budget expenses. (2)

Condition

Any Center receiving financial assistance from the Federal Government (other than the Department of Commerce) may be selected, and if selected shall be operated, in accordance with this section.

Use of funds

Grant funds received under section 3 shall be used for the benefit of businesses in the industry sector designated by the Under Secretary under section 3(b)(1) to— (1)create a repository of nonclassified, nonproprietary new and existing federally funded software and algorithms; (2)test and validate software in the repository; (3)determine when and how the industry sector it serves could benefit from resources in the repository; (4)work with software vendors to commercialize repository software and algorithms from the repository; (5)make software available to small businesses and manufacturers where it has not been commercialized by a software vendor; (6)help software vendors, small businesses, and manufacturers test or utilize the software on high-performance computing systems; and (7)maintain a research and outreach team that will work with small businesses and manufacturers to aid in the identification of software or computational science techniques which can be used to solve challenging problems, or meet contemporary business needs of such organizations.

Reports and evaluations

(a)

Annual report

Each eligible entity that receives a grant under section 3 shall submit an annual report to the Under Secretary that describes— (1)the goals of the Center established by the eligible entity; and (2)the progress made by the eligible entity in achieving the purposes described in section 3(b). (b)

Evaluation

The Under Secretary shall establish a peer review committee, composed of representatives from industry and academia, to review the goals and progress made by each Center during the grant period.

Authorization of appropriations

(a)

In general

There are authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2012 to carry out this Act. (b)

Availability

Funds appropriated pursuant to subsection (a) shall remain available until expended.