42 U.S.C. § 18951 — International standards development

(a) Sense of Congress. Congress states that: (1) the principles of openness, transparency, due process, balance of interests, appeals, and consensus in developing international standards are critical; (2) voluntary consensus standards, developed through an industry-led process, are the cornerstone of the U.S. standardization system and the basis of a sound national economy, and are key to global market access; (3) strengthening the U.S.'s unique public-private partnership approach to standards development is critical to U.S. economic competitiveness; and (4) the U.S. government should ensure cooperation and coordination across federal agencies to partner with and support private sector stakeholders shaping international dialogues on standards for emerging technologies.

(b) International standards engagement.
(1) The Director^* must lead information exchange and coordination among federal agencies, and communication from federal agencies to the U.S. private sector, to ensure effective federal engagement in developing and using international technical standards.
(2) To support private sector-led engagement and ensure effective federal engagement, the Director must consider: (A) the federal government's role and needs regarding international technical standards; (B) which organizations develop international technical standards of interest to the U.S., U.S. representation and influence in them, and key technical and leadership contributors; (C) support for people with domain subject matter expertise, especially from small U.S. businesses, to gain leadership positions and engage in working groups and meetings; (D) partnership opportunities across the federal government, federally funded research centers, university-affiliated research centers, colleges, industry, industry associations, nonprofits, and other key contributors; (E) support for encouraging international standards organizations to adopt technical standards developed in the U.S.; and (F) other activities the Director determines necessary to support U.S. participation in international standards development, economic competitiveness, and national security.

(c) Capacity building guidance. The Director must support education and workforce development efforts that promote U.S. participation in international standards organizations. The Director must: (1) identify and create, as appropriate, technical standards education and training resources for interested businesses, industry associations, academia, nonprofits, federal agencies, and other standards contributors, including integrating standards content into undergraduate and graduate curricula in science, engineering, business, public policy, and law; (2) conduct outreach, including to private sector leaders, to support engagement by more U.S. stakeholders in international technical standards development; and (3) carry out other activities the Director determines necessary to support increased U.S. engagement, influence, and leadership in international standards development.

(d) Capacity building pilot program.
(1) The Director, coordinating with the Director of the National Science Foundation and other relevant agency heads, must establish or enter cooperative agreements with appropriate nongovernmental organizations to run a 5-year pilot program awarding merit-reviewed, competitive grants to U.S.-based private sector entities, colleges, or nonprofits, to support increased participation and leadership by small businesses and academic interests in international standards organizations.
(2) Grants may be used to cover reasonable costs, up to a ceiling the Director sets, for activities supporting increased engagement and leadership in international standards organizations, which may include travel, education and training, dues or fees related to standards development participation, and other costs the Director determines reasonably support that participation.
(3) The Director must ensure award decisions consider how much the applicant: (A) employs full-time individuals with deep technical standards expertise; (B) employs full-time individuals who know the processes of the specific standards development organization; (C) proposes a feasible set of standard deliverables over the grant period; (D) explains how it will fund additional standards-related activities if grant funds fall short; (E) commits personnel with appropriate expertise to regularly engage in the relevant international standards organization^*; and (F) identifies a clearly defined market need or gap the proposal would address.
(4) Eligible applicants are a small business concern (as defined in section 632 of title 15) based in the U.S., a college or university, or a nonprofit institution (as defined in section 3703 of title 15).
(5) The Director must develop and periodically update guidance on eligibility, applicant disclosure requirements, grant amount and duration, the merit review process, priority areas, and other requirements for how grants are awarded.
(6) The Director must ensure grants are awarded through a competitive, merit review process, including merit review panels that may include government, private sector, academic, nonprofit, or other experts.
(7) The Director must consult with other federal agencies, private sector organizations, colleges, and nonprofits to help inform the pilot program, including the guidance under paragraph (5).
(8) After the pilot's second year and each year after, the Director must brief Congress with: (A) an assessment of the pilot's effectiveness at improving participation of U.S. small businesses, colleges, or other nonprofit research institutions in international standards organizations, including the type of activities supported (including leadership roles), the international standards organizations involved, and the technical areas covered; and (B) if determined effective, a plan for permanent implementation.