42 U.S.C. § 18654 — Midscale instrumentation and research equipment program

(a) In general. The Director must set up a midscale instrumentation and research equipment program to develop, acquire, and commercialize research instruments and equipment that the Department needs, and that serve the broader scientific community as platform technologies. (b) Activities. Under this program, the Director must: (1) support development and purchase of new, state-of-the-art instruments that (A) cost between $1,000,000 and $20,000,000 each, and (B) would meaningfully speed up scientific breakthroughs at user facilities; and (2) strongly encourage partnerships among (A) National Laboratories, (B) user facilities, and (C) institutions that are either (i) in a State receiving funding under the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, (ii) historically Black colleges or universities, (iii) other minority-serving institutions of higher education, or (iv) colleges or universities located in a rural area. (c) Coordination with other programs. The Director must coordinate this program with all other programs run by the Office of Science. (d) Research equipment and technology development coordination. The Director must encourage coordination among the Office of Science, the National Laboratories, the Office of Technology Transitions, and relevant academic and private-sector groups to identify, share, and commercialize research instruments, equipment, and related technologies that support basic science discoveries tied to the Department's mission. (e) Authorization of appropriations. Out of Office of Science funds, $150,000,000 is authorized for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.