Klobuchar Legislation to Promote Innovation and Competitiveness at Universities Passes Senate

Press Release

Klobuchar's bipartisan legislation included in the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act

Provision would support research and development programs at U.S. universities

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, chair of the Commerce Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation, and Export Promotion, announced today that her legislation to promote innovation and drive competitiveness in universities across the United States has passed the Senate as part of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010. Klobuchar's bipartisan provision directs the National Science Foundation to encourage higher education institutions to implement programs and strategies focused on research and the commercialization of products.

"Our universities are the epicenter for innovative ideas that lead to new technologies, new products, and new jobs," Klobuchar said. "The National Science Foundation is instrumental in supporting research and devolvement of new technologies in our academic institutions. This bill will help make innovation a focal point in our schools and help increase our country's economic competitiveness."

The reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act would focus on three primary areas to increase American innovation and competitiveness: (1) increasing science and research investments, (2) strengthening science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, and (3) developing an innovation infrastructure.

Klobuchar's provision would help implement various measures that support innovation through the National Science Foundation, which funds research for more than 2,000 colleges, universities, K-12 school systems, businesses, informal science organizations, and other research organizations throughout the United States. The National Science Foundation accounts for almost one-fourth of all federal support given to academic institutions for basic research and receives almost 40,000 proposals each year. Specifically, the legislation would:

* Require higher education institutions that receive National Science Foundation grants to submit annual reports describing the institution's strategy for commercializing innovations. The reports would be posted on the National Science Foundation's website and include an implementation plan and summary of resulting commercialization efforts.

* Allow universities to use up to five percent of grant amounts toward patent applications for inventions generated by the research.

* Expand PhD fellowships by allowing the National Science Foundation to match industry donations for fellowship programs.

* Direct the National Academy of Sciences to study the best ways to measure the potential impact of federally funded research on society, such as the commercialization applications, the quality of research publications, and the ability to secure outside funding.

The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 will now be sent to the House of Representatives for further consideration.

Source