42 U.S.C. § 18653 — Office of Science Biological Threat Preparedness Research Initiative

(a) In general. The Secretary must set up, within the Office of Science, a cross-cutting "Biological Threat Preparedness Research Initiative" that uses the Department's analytical tools, user facilities, and advanced computing and networking capabilities to support efforts to prevent, prepare for, predict, and respond to biological threats to national security, including infectious diseases. (b) Competitive, merit-reviewed process. The Secretary must run the initiative through a competitive, merit-reviewed process, considering applications from National Laboratories, universities, multi-institution collaborations, industry partners, and other appropriate entities. (c) Activities. The Secretary must: (1) set a comprehensive set of technical milestones for the initiative's research; (2) prioritize the goals of (A) fundamental research in advanced analytics, experiments, materials synthesis, and high-performance computing needed to quickly and effectively characterize, model, simulate, and predict complex natural phenomena and biological materials tied to emerging threats; (B) developing tools that inform epidemiological modeling, and applying artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other computing tools to speed that up; (C) research and capabilities that improve understanding and modeling of how pathogens move through indoor and outdoor air and water; (D) finding priority research opportunities for designing and modeling molecules for medical countermeasures; (E) making sure new experimental and computational tools are accessible to relevant researchers, including private industry and other federal research bodies; and (F) supporting projects that combine computer modeling and simulation with real experimental research; (3) make use of the Department's research infrastructure, including scientific computing user facilities, x-ray light sources, neutron scattering facilities, nanoscale science research centers, and sequencing and biocharacterization facilities; (4) build on existing Department-sponsored modeling and simulation work, and promote collaboration and data sharing among National Laboratories, research entities, and user facilities, with the necessary secure access and data-transfer capabilities; and (5) make sure new experimental and computational tools are accessible to relevant research communities, including private industry, working on emerging biological threats. (d) Coordination. The Secretary must coordinate this initiative with: (1) other relevant Department offices; (2) the National Nuclear Security Administration; (3) the National Laboratories; (4) the Director of the National Science Foundation; (5) the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; (6) the Director of the National Institutes of Health; (7) the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response; (8) heads of other relevant federal agencies; (9) universities; and (10) the private sector. (e) Infectious Diseases High Performance Computing Research Consortium. (1) In general: the Secretary, working with the National Science Foundation and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, must set up and run an "Emerging Infectious Diseases High Performance Computing Research Consortium" as a central hub for multidisciplinary, collaborative research on emerging infectious disease and biosecurity, using high-performance computing and advanced data analytics alongside real experimental research facilities. (2) Membership: members may include federal agencies, National Laboratories, private industry, and universities, each able to contribute compute time, capabilities, or other resources. (3) Activities: the Consortium must (A) match applicants with available federal and private computing resources; (B) consider supplemental, competitively awarded funding for computing partnerships with member entities; (C) encourage collaboration and communication among members and awardees; (D) give access to Department and National Laboratory high-performance computing capabilities, expertise, and user facilities; and (E) send the Secretary an annual report describing each Consortium project, detailing spending, and evaluating progress toward the technical milestones from subsection (a). (4) Coordination: the Secretary must coordinate the Consortium's work with, and avoid unnecessary duplication with, other Department research entities, other federal research bodies, universities, and the private sector. (f) Report. Within 2 years of August 9, 2022, the Secretary must report to named House and Senate committees on: (1) how well federal agencies coordinated on this initiative; (2) the initiative's collaborative research achievements, including progress on its technical milestones; and (3) opportunities to expand the Department's technical capabilities. (g) Funding. Out of Office of Science funds, $50,000,000 is authorized for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.