1. (a) Program Established.—

   1. (1) The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and the Secretary of each military department, shall carry out a program to provide assistance to covered educational institutions to assist the Department in defense-related research, development, testing, and evaluation activities.
   2. (2) The Secretary of Defense may not delegate or transfer to an individual outside the Office of the Secretary of Defense the authority regarding the programming or budgeting of the program established by this section that is carried out by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

2. (b) Program Objective.— The objective of the program established by subsection (a)(1) is to enhance defense-related research and education at covered educational institutions. Such objective shall be accomplished through initiatives designed to—

   1. (1) enhance the research and educational capabilities of such institutions in areas of importance to national defense, as determined by the Secretary;
   2. (2) encourage the participation of such institutions in the research, development, testing, and evaluation programs and activities of the Department of Defense;
   3. (3) increase the number of graduates from such institutions engaged in disciplines important to the national security functions of the Department of Defense, as determined by the Secretary; and
   4. (4) encourage research and educational collaborations between such institutions and other institutions of higher education, Government defense organizations, and the defense industry.

3. (c) Assistance Provided.— Under the program established by subsection (a)(1), the Secretary of Defense may provide covered educational institutions with funding or technical assistance, including any of the following:

   1. (1) Support for research, development, testing, evaluation, or educational enhancements in areas important to national defense through the competitive awarding of grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, scholarships, fellowships, or the acquisition of research equipment or instrumentation.
   2. (2) Support to assist in the attraction and retention of faculty in scientific disciplines important to the national security functions of the Department of Defense.
   3. (3) Establishing partnerships between such institutions and defense laboratories, Government defense organizations, the defense industry, and other institutions of higher education in research, development, testing, and evaluation in areas important to the national security functions of the Department of Defense.
   4. (4) Other such non-monetary assistance as the Secretary finds appropriate to enhance defense-related research, development, testing, and evaluation activities at such institutions.
4. (d) Criteria for Funding.— The Secretary of Defense may establish procedures under which the Secretary may limit funding under this section to institutions that have not otherwise received a significant amount of funding from the Department of Defense for research, development, testing, and evaluation programs supporting the national security functions of the Department.

5. (e) Definition of Covered Educational Institution.— In this section the term “covered educational institution” means—

   1. (1) an institution of higher education eligible for assistance under title III or V of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1051 et seq.); or
   2. (2) an accredited postsecondary minority institution.

(Added Pub. L. 111–84, div. A, title II, § 252(a), Oct. 28, 2009, 123 Stat. 2242; amended Pub. L. 111–383, div. A, title X, § 1075(b)(32), Jan. 7, 2011, 124 Stat. 4370; Pub. L. 112–81, div. A, title II, § 219, Dec. 31, 2011, 125 Stat. 1335; Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title X, § 1076(c)(2)(A)(i), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 1949; Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title II, § 245, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1700.)

References in Text

The Higher Education Act of 1965, referred to in subsec. (e)(1), is Pub. L. 89–329, Nov. 8, 1965, 79 Stat. 1219. Titles III and V of the Act are classified generally to subchapters III (§ 1051 et seq.) and V (§ 1101 et seq.), respectively, of chapter 28 of Title 20, Education. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 1001 of Title 20 and Tables.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 2362, added Pub. L. 99–145, title I, § 123(a)(1), Nov. 8, 1985, 99 Stat. 599; amended Pub. L. 99–433, title I, § 110(g)(4), Oct. 1, 1986, 100 Stat. 1004; Pub. L. 100–26, § 7(k)(2), Apr. 21, 1987, 101 Stat. 284, which related to testing requirements for wheeled or tracked armored vehicles, was repealed by Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title VIII, § 821(a)(3), Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1704.

Amendments

2018—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 115–232 substituted “Criteria” for “Priority” in heading and “limit” for “give priority in providing” in text.

2013—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub L. 112–239 substituted “Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering” for “Director of Defense Research and Engineering”.

2011—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 112–81, § 219(a), designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added par. (2).

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 112–81, § 219(b)(1), substituted “established by subsection (a)(1)” for “established under subsection (a)” in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 112–81, § 219(b)(2), substituted “subsection (a)(1)” for “subsection (a)” in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (e)(1). Pub. L. 111–383, § 1075(b)(32), substituted “title III or V” for “title III or IV”.

Strategies for Engagement With Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions of Higher Education

Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title II, § 233, Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 779, provided that:

1. “(a) Basic Research Entities.—

   1. “(1) Strategy.— The heads of each basic research entity shall each develop a strategy for how to engage with and support the development of scientific, technical, engineering, and mathematics capabilities of covered educational institutions in carrying out section 2362 of title 10, United States Code.

   2. “(2) Elements.— Each strategy under paragraph (1) shall include the following:

      1. “(A) Goals and vision for maintaining a credible and sustainable program relating to the engagement and support under the strategy.
      2. “(B) Metrics to enhance scientific, technical, engineering, and mathematics capabilities at covered educational institutions, including with respect to measuring progress toward increasing the success of such institutions to compete for broader research funding sources other than set-aside funds.
      3. “(C) Promotion of mentoring opportunities between covered educational institutions and other research institutions.
      4. “(D) Regular assessment of activities that are used to develop, maintain, and grow scientific, technical, engineering, and mathematics capabilities.
      5. “(E) Inclusion of faculty of covered educational institutions into program reviews, peer reviews, and other similar activities.
      6. “(F) Targeting of undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students at covered educational institutions for inclusion into research or internship opportunities within the military department.
2. “(b) Office of the Secretary.— The Secretary of Defense shall develop and implement a strategy for how to engage with and support the development of scientific, technical, engineering, and mathematics capabilities of covered educational institutions pursuant to the strategies developed under subsection (a).

3. “(c) Submission.—

   1. “(1) Basic research entities.— Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Nov. 25, 2015], the heads of each basic research entity shall each submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] the strategy developed by the head under subsection (a)(1).
   2. “(2) Office of the secretary.— Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees the strategy developed under subsection (b).

4. “(d) Covered Institution Defined.— In this section:

   1. “(1) The term ‘basic research entity’ means an entity of the Department of Defense that executes research, development, test, and evaluation budget activity 1 funding, as described in the Department of Defense Financial Management Regulation.
   2. “(2) The term ‘covered educational institution’ has the meaning given that term in section 2362(e) of title 10, United States Code.”