1.This Act may be cited as the
10,000 Trained by 2010
Act
.
2.The Congress finds that—
(1)the National Science Foundation has long
been a government leader in strengthening our Nation’s information
infrastructure;
(2)as automation and
digitization reach the healthcare industry, that industry will need to draw
heavily on the expertise of researchers funded by the National Science
Foundation for the collection, processing, and utilization of
information;
(3)the National
Science Foundation’s basic research, demonstrations, and curriculum development
assistance are all required to help make sure the industry has the knowledge,
procedures, and workforce necessary to take full advantage of advanced
communications and information technology;
(4)the Bureau of
Labor Statistics estimated that 136,000 Americans were employed in 2000 as
information management professionals in the healthcare industry alone, with
projected growth of 49 percent by 2010; and
(5)no systematic plan
exists for designing and implementing systems and information tools and for
ensuring that the healthcare workforce can make the transition to the
information age.
3.In this Act:
(1)The term Director
means the
Director of the National Science Foundation.
(2)The
term information
means healthcare information.
(3)Institution of
higher educationThe term
institution of higher education
has the meaning given that term
in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).
4.National Science
Foundation research
(a)
(1)The Director, in consultation with the heads of other
Federal agencies as appropriate, shall award grants for basic research on
innovative approaches to improve information systems. Research areas may
include—
(A)information
studies;
(B)population
informatics;
(C)translational
informatics; and
(D)data security,
integrity, and confidentiality.
(2)Merit Review;
CompetitionGrants shall be
awarded under this section on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis.
(3)Authorization of
AppropriationsThere are
authorized to be appropriated to the National Science Foundation to carry out
this subsection—
(A)$3,500,000 for
fiscal year 2010;
(B)$3,600,000 for
fiscal year 2011;
(C)$3,700,000 for
fiscal year 2012; and
(D)$3,800,000 for
fiscal year 2013.
(b)Informatics
research centers
(1)The Director, in consultation with the heads of other
Federal agencies as appropriate, shall award multiyear grants, subject to the
availability of appropriations, to institutions of higher education (or
consortia thereof) to establish multidisciplinary Centers for Informatics
Research. Institutions of higher education (or consortia thereof) receiving
such grants may partner with one or more government laboratories, for-profit
institutions, or non-profit institutions.
(2)Merit review;
competitionGrants shall be awarded under this subsection on a
merit-reviewed, competitive basis.
(3)The
purpose of the Centers shall be to generate innovative approaches in
information by conducting cutting-edge, multidisciplinary research, including
in the research areas described in subsection (a)(1).
(4)An
institution of higher education (or a consortium thereof) seeking funding under
this subsection 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 description of—
(A)the research
projects that will be undertaken by the Center and the contributions of each of
the participating entities;
(B)how the Center
will promote active collaboration among professionals from different
disciplines, such as information technology specialists, health professionals,
administrators, and social science researchers; and
(C)how the Center
will contribute to increasing the number of information researchers and other
professionals.
(5)In
evaluating the applications submitted under paragraph (4), the Director shall
consider, at a minimum—
(A)the ability of the
applicant to generate innovative approaches to information and effectively
carry out the research program;
(B)the experience of
the applicant in conducting research in the information field, and the capacity
of the applicant to foster new multidisciplinary collaborations;
(C)the capacity of
the applicant to attract and provide adequate support for undergraduate and
graduate students to pursue information research; and
(D)the extent to
which the applicant will partner with government laboratories or for-profit or
non-profit entities, and the role the government laboratories or for-profit or
non-profit entities will play in the research undertaken by the Center.
(6)The Director shall convene an annual meeting of the
Centers in order to foster collaboration and communication between Center
participants.
(7)Authorization of
appropriationsThere are
authorized to be appropriated for the National Science Foundation to carry out
this subsection—
(A)$4,500,000 for
fiscal year 2010;
(B)$4,600,000 for
fiscal year 2011;
(C)$4,700,000 for
fiscal year 2012; and
(D)$4,800,000 for
fiscal year 2013.
5.National Science
Foundation Information Programs
(a)
(1)The Director, in consultation with the heads of other
Federal agencies as appropriate, shall establish a program to award grants to
institutions of higher education (or consortia thereof) to establish or improve
undergraduate and master’s degree information programs, to increase the number
of students who pursue undergraduate or master’s degrees in information fields,
to provide students with experience in government or industry related to their
information studies, and, to the extent practicable, to do so using distance
learning.
(2)Merit review;
competitionGrants shall be awarded under this subsection on a
merit-reviewed, competitive basis.
(3)Grants awarded under this subsection shall be used for
activities that enhance the ability of an institution of higher education (or
consortium thereof) to provide high-quality information education, including
certification and undergraduate and master’s degree programs, and to recruit
and retain increased numbers of students to such programs. Activities may
include—
(A)developing and
revising curriculum to better prepare undergraduate and master’s degree
students for careers in the information field;
(B)establishing
degree and certificate programs in the information field;
(C)creating opportunities in information
research for undergraduate students;
(D)acquiring
equipment necessary for student instruction in these programs, including the
installation of testbed networks for student use;
(E)providing
opportunities for faculty to work with State, local, or Federal Government
agencies, private industry, and other academic institutions to develop new
expertise or to formulate new information research directions;
(F)establishing
collaborations with other academic institutions or departments that seek to
establish, expand, or enhance these programs;
(G)establishing
student internships for students in these programs at State, local, and Federal
Government agencies or in private industry;
(H)establishing or
enhancing bridge programs in information fields between community colleges and
universities; and
(I)any other
activities the Director, in consultation with the heads of other Federal
agencies as appropriate, determines will achieve the purposes described in
paragraph (1).
(4)
(A)An
institution of higher education (or a consortium thereof) seeking funding under
this subsection shall submit an application to the Director at such time, in
such manner, and with such contents as the Director may require. The
application shall include, at a minimum—
(i)a
description of the applicant’s relevant research and instructional capacity,
and in the case of an application from a consortium of institutions of higher
education, a description of the role that each member will play in implementing
the proposal;
(ii)a
comprehensive plan by which the institution or consortium will build
instructional capacity in information fields;
(iii)a
description of relevant collaborations with State, local, or Federal Government
agencies or private industry that inform the instructional program;
(iv)a
survey of the applicant’s historic student enrollment and placement data and a
study of potential enrollment and placement for students enrolled in the
proposed program; and
(v)a
plan to evaluate the success of the proposed program, including postgraduate
assessment of graduate school and job placement and retention rates as well as
the relevance of the instructional program to graduate study and to the
workplace.
(B)The
Director shall ensure, to the extent practicable, that grants are awarded under
this subsection in a wide range of geographic areas and categories of
institutions of higher education.
(5)The Director, in consultation with the heads of other
Federal agencies as appropriate, shall evaluate the program established under
this subsection no later than 3 years after the establishment of the program.
At a minimum, the Director shall evaluate the extent to which the grants have
achieved their objectives of increasing the quality and quantity of students
pursuing undergraduate or master’s degrees in information fields. The Director
shall make this assessment publicly available.
(6)Authorization of
appropriationsThere are authorized to be appropriated to the
National Science Foundation to carry out this subsection—
(A)$9,000,000 for
fiscal year 2010;
(B)$9,200,000 for
fiscal year 2011;
(C)$9,400,000 for
fiscal year 2012; and
(D)$9,600,000 for
fiscal year 2013.
(b)Scientific and
advanced technology act of 1992
(1)The
Director shall provide grants under the Scientific and Advanced Technology Act
of 1992 for the purposes of section 3(a) and (b) of that Act, except that the
activities supported pursuant to this subsection shall be limited to improving
education in fields related to information.
(2)Authorization of
appropriationsThere are authorized to be appropriated to the
National Science Foundation to carry out this subsection—
(A)$7,000,000 for
fiscal year 2010;
(B)$7,200,000 for
fiscal year 2011;
(C)$7,400,000 for
fiscal year 2012; and
(D)$7,600,000 for
fiscal year 2013.