[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3295-S3299]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 6088. Mr. FETTERMAN (for himself and Mr. Budd) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 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 end of title G, add the following:
Subtitle H--National Programmable Cloud Laboratories Network
SEC. ___1. SHORT TITLE.
This subtitle may be cited as the ``National Programmable
Cloud Laboratories Network Act of 2025''.
SEC. ___2. DEFINITIONS.
(a) Definitions.--In this subtitle:
(1) Artificial intelligence.--The term ``artificial
intelligence'' has the meaning given such term in section
5002 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (15 U.S.C. 9401).
(2) Biological data.--The term ``biological data'' means
the information, including associated descriptors, derived
from the structure, function, or process of a biological
system that is either measured, collected, or aggregated for
analysis.
(3) Director.--Unless otherwise provided, the term
``Director'' means the Director of the National Science
Foundation.
(4) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the
term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001).
(5) Network.--The term ``Network'' means the National
Programmable Cloud Laboratories Network.
(6) Node.--The term ``node'' means a programmable cloud
laboratory designated as part of the Network.
(7) Non-designated laboratory.--The term ``non-designated
laboratory'' means any Federal, academic, nonprofit, or
private industry programmable cloud laboratory not selected
as a node under section ___4.
(8) Programmable cloud laboratory.--The term ``programmable
cloud laboratory''
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means a physical laboratory that is equipped with research
instrumentation and advanced manufacturing capabilities,
including robotics and artificial intelligence, that can be
securely and remotely programmed and controlled in order to
conduct experiments and collect associated data.
SEC. ___3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated to carry out the activities under this
subtitle--
(1) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2026;
(2) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2027;
(3) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2028;
(4) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2029; and
(5) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2030.
(b) Derivation of Funds.--Amounts made available to carry
out this subtitle shall be derived from amounts appropriated
or otherwise made available to the National Science
Foundation.
SEC. ___4. NATIONAL PROGRAMMABLE CLOUD LABORATORIES NETWORK.
(a) Purposes.--The purposes of the Network established
under this subtitle are--
(1) to maintain leadership by the United States in advanced
experimentation, biotechnology, laboratory automation, and
artificial intelligence for scientific research, advanced
manufacturing, long-term economic competitiveness, and
national security;
(2) to reduce the cost of federally funded research through
automation and reproducibility;
(3) to accelerate national competitiveness by transferring
government-funded research to private-sector commercial
applications;
(4) to improve collaboration among federally funded
national laboratories, institutions of higher education, and
private industry;
(5) to ensure that investment in programmable cloud
laboratories results in measurable cost savings,
efficiencies, and long-term fiscal sustainability;
(6) to incentivize private-sector cost-sharing in research
infrastructure and equipment;
(7) to support workforce development aligned with the
technical needs of industry in the United States;
(8) to provide funding for nodes;
(9) to advance the development of a domestic industrial
base for scientific automation tools, biotechnology,
artificial intelligence systems for experimentation, and
robotics platforms for use in laboratory settings; and
(10) to further programmable cloud laboratory research in
areas such as materials science, biotechnology, chemistry,
and other scientific or engineering disciplines where
automation and cloud-enabled experimentation can deliver
transformative results, including advanced materials
synthesis and characterization, scalable biotechnology
experimentation, and high-throughput chemical catalyst
development.
(b) Establishment; Awards.--
(1) In general.--
(A) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this subtitle, the Director, in consultation
with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology, shall designate and oversee a National
Programmable Cloud Laboratories Network of not more than 6
nodes to support secure, standards-based, and cost-effective
remote experimentation and automated research.
(B) Awards.--The Director shall award a grant to each node,
in an amount not greater than $5,000,000 per fiscal year for
a period of not more than 5 years, to support the National
Programmable Cloud Laboratories Network.
(2) Assessment sequencing.--The assessment required under
section ___6 shall be conducted only after the final
designation of nodes under paragraph (1).
(3) Nodes.--The Network shall consist of nodes that--
(A) enable programmable workflows and automated science;
(B) provide access to advanced scientific and manufacturing
instruments, including artificial intelligence-enabled tools;
(C) collaborate to establish and adopt common standards,
protocols, and best practices; and
(D) support interoperability across and between nodes.
(c) Application and Selection.--
(1) In general.--The Director shall issue a public
solicitation for eligible entities to apply for node
designation.
(2) Eligible entities.--Eligible entities that may apply
for designation as a node include--
(A) institutions of higher education;
(B) nonprofit research organizations;
(C) private sector research entities; and
(D) consortia or collaborations of the entities described
in subparagraphs (A) through (C).
(d) Applications for Designation.--An eligible entity that
desires to apply for designation as a node in the Network
shall submit an application to the Director at such time and
in such manner as the Director may require. The application
shall include--
(1) a technical and programmatic plan for laboratory
operations, automation capabilities, and data integration;
(2) a plan to achieve long-term self-sustainability,
including metrics, interim milestones, and a timeline for
reducing reliance on Federal funding; and
(3) evidence of non-Federal cost share, private capital, or
other third-party contributions demonstrating self-
sustainability potential.
(e) Evaluation of Applicants.--The Director shall ensure
that the process for selecting eligible entities for
designation in the Network is competitive, merit-based, and
transparent, through the evaluation of, with respect to each
entity--
(1) pre-existing laboratory infrastructure and suitability
for automated science;
(2) capacity to support distributed, cloud-enabled
programmable workflows for multiple users;
(3) likelihood of achieving long-term sustainability
without continued Federal funding;
(4) demonstrated ability to collaborate with other nodes,
academic partners, industry partners, or other Federal
research agencies (as defined in section 10002 of the
Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (42
U.S.C. 18901));
(5) protocols for research security, cybersecurity, and
responsible access; and
(6) demonstration of user interest and research needs.
(f) Designation.--In designating nodes, the Director
shall--
(1) give preference to applicants demonstrating meaningful
third-party cost share and pre-existing infrastructure; and
(2) to the extent practicable, ensure that at least 1 node
demonstrates the capability to support cloud-enabled
biotechnology research, including automated experimentation
or quality control workflows.
(g) Responsibilities.--Each node selected by the Director
shall--
(1) support the purposes described in subsection (a)(9);
(2) facilitate collaboration among Network members to
expand and integrate automated science capabilities and best
practices;
(3) actively participate with the Director of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology in developing network-
wide interoperability, data-sharing, cybersecurity, and
artificial intelligence-assisted experimentation standards;
(4) support secure sharing of experimental data, including
biological data, models, and results across institutions of
higher education participating in the Network, if applicable;
(5) provide a secure digital infrastructure to enable
remote experimentation, artificial intelligence-assisted
analysis, and reproducible science;
(6) engage in public-private partnerships to streamline the
transfer of technology developed using Network
infrastructure;
(7) develop and maintain a financial sustainability plan to
reduce long-term reliance on Federal funds, including through
user fees, licensing, consortia membership, or other revenue-
generating models;
(8) establish performance metrics, including scientific
output, cost-effectiveness, academic engagement, private-
sector engagement, user satisfaction, and reproducibility of
results; and
(9) where practicable, leverage commercially available
hardware and software solutions to minimize cost and
accelerate deployment of automated science capabilities.
SEC. ___5. INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION.
Not later than 180 days after all nodes of the Network are
designated, the Director of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology, in cooperation with the Director
and participating eligible entities (including institutions
of higher education), shall--
(1) develop and promulgate standards to ensure
interoperability across Network nodes, including laboratory
instrumentation, data infrastructure, communication
protocols, and experiment execution systems;
(2) establish protocols for secure, seamless, and
standardized data-sharing among all members of the Network,
including sharing of biological data, aligned with node-level
cybersecurity and research security protocols;
(3) define minimum technical requirements and operating
procedures to support remote experimentation, experiment
reproducibility, and artificial intelligence-assisted
workflows; and
(4) periodically update such standards in consultation with
private sector partners and nodes of the Network to reflect
advancements in hardware, software, and automation
technology.
SEC. ___6. ASSESSMENT OF NON-DESIGNATED LABORATORIES.
(a) Assessment Requirement.--Not later than 180 days after
the Director designates the final node of the Network under
section ___4, the Director, in consultation with the
Secretary of Energy and the Director of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology, shall conduct and
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress, a
comprehensive assessment of non-designated laboratories.
(b) Scope.--The assessment shall identify, to the extent
practicable--
(1) Federal laboratories, institutions of higher education,
nonprofit organizations, and private-sector laboratories that
possess or are developing programmable, automated, or
remotely accessible research infrastructure;
(2) the instrumentation, automation, and data capabilities
of such laboratories;
(3) cybersecurity and research security measures relevant
to interoperability;
(4) existing or potential pathways for such laboratories to
coordinate with Network nodes in areas such as data-sharing,
standards adoption, or pilot interoperability projects; and
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(5) legal, contractual, or intellectual property
considerations that may affect participation in the Network.
(c) Confidentiality and Security.--Proprietary information
shall be protected from public disclosure consistent with
applicable law. The Director shall publish a nonproprietary
public summary of the assessment and may submit a proprietary
annex to the congressional committees of jurisdiction.
SEC. ___7. REPORTING AND OVERSIGHT.
(a) Annual Briefings.--Not later than 1 year after the date
of enactment of this subtitle, and annually thereafter, the
Director shall brief the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives on the
status of the Network.
(b) Contents.--Each briefing required under subsection (a)
shall include an assessment of--
(1) the alignment of supported research with national
scientific and economic priorities;
(2) the progress each node of the Network has made toward
achieving self-sustainability as described in section
___4(d)(2); and
(3) the performance metrics established in section
___4(g)(8).
SEC. ___8. SUNSET.
The National Programmable Cloud Laboratories Network,
including all authorities, programs, and funding provided
under this subtitle, shall terminate on September 30, 2031.
______