National Science Foundation for the Future Act

National Science Foundation for the Future Act

This bill reauthorizes the National Science Foundation (NSF) through FY2026 and authorizes programs and activities at the NSF.

The bill establishes requirements for the NSF, including to

• enter into a contract with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine to assess the status and opportunities for Pre-K through 12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including computer science, (STEM) education research;
• award grants to establish no fewer than three multidisciplinary Centers for Transformative Education Research and Translation to support research and development of STEM education innovations;
• provide grants for research on programming that engages students in grades Pre-K through 8, including underrepresented and rural students, in STEM in order to prepare such students to pursue degrees or careers in STEM;
• award grants to support research and development activities to encourage greater collaboration and coordination between institutions of higher education and industry to enhance education, foster hands-on learning experiences, and improve alignment with workforce needs;
• award grants to establish a network of centers for science and technical education;
• award grants to advance research on the nature of learning and teaching at community colleges;
• award grants to establish traineeship programs for graduate students who pursue artificial intelligence-related research leading to a masters or doctorate degree;
• award grants to carry out research on the cyber workforce;
• establish a cybersecurity workforce data initiative;
• carry out a national initiative to facilitate the development of networks and partnerships to broaden participation in STEM studies and careers of groups historically underrepresented in such studies and careers;
• maintain a Research Security and Policy office to coordinate all research security policy issues across the NSF;
• award grants to support research to improve our understanding of the climate system and related human and environmental systems;
• support research to significantly advance our understanding of the food-energy-water system;
• award grants to advance knowledge of risk assessment and predictability to improve our ability to predict extreme events and natural hazards, including pandemics; and
• award grants to support basic research that will accelerate innovation to advance critical minerals mining strategies and technologies.

The bill also establishes within the NSF a Directorate for Science and Engineering Solutions to advance research and development solutions to address societal and national challenges.