1. (a) Manufacturing research The Director shall carry out a program to award merit-reviewed, competitive grants to institutions of higher education to support fundamental research leading to transformative advances in manufacturing technologies, processes, and enterprises that will support United States manufacturing through improved performance, productivity, sustainability, and competitiveness. Research areas may include—

   1. (1) nanomanufacturing;
   2. (2) manufacturing and construction machines and equipment, including robotics, automation, and other intelligent systems;
   3. (3) manufacturing enterprise systems;
   4. (4) advanced sensing and control techniques;
   5. (5) materials processing;
   6. (6) information technologies for manufacturing, including predictive and real-time models and simulations, virtual manufacturing; ¹ and artificial intelligence and machine learning; and
   7. (7) additive manufacturing, including new material designs, complex materials, rapid printing techniques, and real-time process controls.
2. (b) Manufacturing education In order to help ensure a well-trained manufacturing workforce, the Director shall award grants to strengthen and expand scientific and technical education and training in advanced manufacturing, including through the Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education program.

(Pub. L. 111–358, title V, § 506, Jan. 4, 2011, 124 Stat. 4007; Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10358, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1563.)

Editorial Notes

Codification

Section was enacted as part of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, also known as the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Reauthorization Act of 2010, and also as part of the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2010, and not as part of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 which comprises this chapter.

Amendments

Subsec. (a)(6). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10358(2), substituted “simulations, virtual manufacturing; and artificial intelligence and machine learning; and” for “simulations, and virtual manufacturing.”

Subsec. (a)(7). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10358(1), (3), added par. (7).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Definitions

For definitions of terms used in this section, see section 502 of Pub. L. 111–358, set out as a note under section 1862p of this title.

¹ So in original. The semicolon probably should be a comma.