[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 200 (Wednesday, November 17, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8380-S8381]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 4772. Mr. VAN HOLLEN (for himself and Mr. Tillis) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 3867 submitted by Mr. 
Reed and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 4350, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2022 for military activities of the 
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense 
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel 
strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was 
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. ____. HIGH RESEARCH ACTIVITY STATUS HBCU PILOT PROGRAM.

       (a) Purposes.--The purposes of the program established 
     under this section shall be--
       (1) to enable high research activity status historically 
     Black colleges and universities to achieve very high research 
     activity status; and
       (2) to increase the national number of African-American 
     undergraduate and graduate students with degrees in science, 
     technology, engineering, and mathematics.
       (b) Definitions.--
       (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Defense.
       (2) High research activity status.--The term ``high 
     research activity status'' means such status, as classified 
     by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher 
     Education.
       (3) Historically black college or university.--The term 
     ``historically Black college or university'' has the meaning 
     given the term ``part B institution'' under section 322 of 
     the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061).
       (4) Very high research activity status.--The term ``very 
     high research activity status'' means such status, as 
     classified by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of 
     Higher Education.
       (c) Very High Research Activity Status Historically Black 
     Colleges or Universities Program.--
       (1) Program.--The Secretary is authorized to establish and 
     carry out, using funds made available for research activities 
     across the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for 
     Research and Engineering, a pilot program to award grants in 
     focused areas of scientific research on a competitive, merit-
     reviewed basis to grow high research activity status (R2) 
     historically Black colleges and universities to achieve very 
     high research activity status (R1), while increasing the 
     national number of African-American undergraduate, graduate, 
     and post-doctoral students with degrees in science, 
     technology, engineering, and mathematics. The Secretary may 
     expand the program to other historically Black colleges or 
     universities beyond those historically Black colleges or 
     universities classified as high research activity status if 
     the Secretary determines that the program can support such an 
     expansion.
       (2) Grants.--In carrying out the program, the Secretary 
     shall award grants for key areas of scientific research on a 
     competitive, merit-reviewed basis to historically Black 
     colleges or universities that are classified as high research 
     activity status institutions at the time of application for 
     such a grant.
       (3) Application.--
       (A) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
     this section, a historically Black college or university 
     described in paragraph (2) shall submit an application to the 
     Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
     information and assurances as the Secretary may require.
       (B) Contents.--The application described in subparagraph 
     (A) shall include, at a minimum, a description of--
       (i) a plan for increasing the level of research activity 
     and achieving very high research activity status 
     classification within 10 years of the grant award, including 
     measurable milestones such as growth in research 
     expenditures, number of research doctoral degrees awarded, 
     number of research-focused faculty, and other relevant 
     factors;
       (ii) how the institution of higher education will sustain 
     the increased level of research activity beyond the duration 
     of the award; and

[[Page S8381]]

       (iii) how the implementation of the proposed plan will be 
     evaluated and assessed.
       (4) Program components.--
       (A) Strategic areas of scientific research.--In 
     consultation with the Defense Science Board, the Secretary, 
     or the Secretary's designee, shall establish annually a list 
     of key areas of research for which applicants can seek 
     funding.
       (B) Use of funds.--An institution that receives a grant 
     under this section shall use the grant funds to support 
     research activities, including--
       (i) faculty professional development;
       (ii) stipends for undergraduate and graduate students and 
     post-doctoral scholars;
       (iii) laboratory equipment and instrumentation; and
       (iv) other activities necessary to build research capacity.
       (C) Research assessment.--
       (i) In general.--An institution that submits a proposal for 
     a grant under this section shall submit with their proposal a 
     plan that describes the institution's plan to achieve very 
     high research activity status, including making investments 
     with institutional and non-Federal funds, to achieve that 
     status within a decade of the grant award, to the extent 
     practicable.
       (ii) Updated plan.--An institution that receives a grant 
     under this section shall submit to the Secretary an updated 
     plan described in clause (i) not less than once every 3 
     years, which shall be based on a self-assessment of progress 
     in achieving very high research activity status.
       (D) Transition eligibility.--The Secretary may consider 
     creating pathways for new historically Black colleges or 
     universities to enter into the program under this section as 
     participating institutions achieve very high research 
     activity status.
                                 ______