Dear Campus Community,
You are likely aware of the uptick in federal legislation activity. We would like to share information with you about the CHIPS and Science Act and current activities on campus that you may be interested in being involved in. Please do reach out to the contacts below for further information.
CHIPS and Science Act in a nutshell:
Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act: There are two major divisions, including Division A, which has been appropriated for $54+B in funding in FY23+ with a focus on Semiconductor Manufacturing and Telecommunications Supply Chain. The second major division is Division B that has been authorized for funding, with appropriations to come at a later date (e.g. FY24 and beyond). Division B has additional funding for many federal agencies which we currently do research with — including NSF, DOE, NIST, and NASA. At the end of this update, we have provided further references and summarized some of the Division B funding authorizations.
Note that facility construction projects and major research instrumentation are components of the CHIPS and Science Act, primarily in DOE and NSF.
Preparations on campus:
Working Groups: Since late spring 2022, a number of working groups have met to identify synergies in the following topics. Please reach out to the group lead noted below if you have interests in participating in any of these areas which fit within the CHIPS and Science Act. Division of Research and Economic Development Contact: Chad Watson
- Natural and Anthropogenic Disaster Prevention or Mitigation, Nick Hudyma
- Cybersecurity, Data Storage, and Data Management Technologies, Liljana Babinkostova
- Quantum Computing and Information Systems, Paul Simmonds
- AI, Machine Learning, and Other Software Advances, Tim Andersen
- HPC, Semiconductors, and Advanced Computer Hardware, Cathie Olschanowsky
- Advanced Energy, Batteries, and Industrial Efficiency, Claire Xiong
- Biotechnology, Genomics, Synthetic Biology, and Medical Technology, Eric Hayden
- Advanced Materials Science, Engineering, and Exploration, Elton Graugnard
NSF ENGINES: There are also a number of efforts on campus towards the NSF ENGINES programs. Please reach out to the Boise State contacts noted below if you have interests in participating in any of these areas, which also generally fit within the CHIPS and Science Act. Division of Research and Economic Development Contacts: Roger Brown, Chad Watson
- Biotechnology, led by Boise State University, Eric Hayden, Cheryl Jorcyk, Juliette Tinker
- ARCTIC Energy Transitions Innovation Engine, led by University of Alaska, Kathy Araujo
- PNW Semiconductors, led by Oregon State University, Dave Estrada
- Quantum, led by Montana State University, Lan Li
- Energy storage/batteries, led by South Dakota School of Mines, Elton Graugnard
- Batteries/critical materials, led by University of Nevada Reno, Jim Browning, Claire Xiong
- Autonomous vehicles, led by University of North Dakota, Jen Forbey, Nancy Glenn
Semiconductors, research and workforce development: With $54+B appropriated to advance U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and workforce development through the CHIPS and Science Act, an array of new semiconductor initiatives are being implemented through the Department of Commerce. In preparation, Academic Affairs, Advancement, and the Division of Research and Economic Development are supporting the coordination of semiconductor efforts on campus and with industry. If you would like to contribute or learn more, the point of contact is Jillana Finnegan, project manager.
Data management: With the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act, applicants will soon be required to include a machine-actionable data management plan (maDMP) with each grant application. Albertsons Library has made great strides toward maDMPs, Boise State’s ORCID memberships and associated APIs, and is working on mechanisms to write bibliographic data directly to a researcher’s ORCID profile. ScholarWorks provides free and open access to scholarship created by Boise State researchers, including those works funded by research grants. To further enable Boise State researchers to create machine-actionable data management plans, the Research Data Management Group (RDMG) is investigating use of the DMPTool for all grant applications. Please reach out to datamanagement@boisestate.edu with any questions about data management, the DMPTool, or creation of an ORCID profile.
Regional technology hub and other: In addition, we are in the process of establishing a partnership with a 5-state consortium (WY, MT, ND, SD, ID), preliminarily titled The Mountains and Plains University Innovation Alliance. The focus is to coordinate and advance initiatives leveraging university research and educational resources to develop new innovation ecosystems and economic growth opportunities in the region. The focus of the consortium began around a rural regional technology hub (pending funding availability in Division B), and has expanded to collaborations on NSF ENGINES, NSF I-Corps, NSF EPSCoR Workshop, EDA opportunities, amongst others. More information will be shared as it becomes formalized. Division of Research and Economic Development Contacts: Nancy Glenn, Roger Brown, Chad Watson.
Inflation Reduction Act: Finally, are you interested in learning more about the Inflation Reduction Act and specifically how energy is positioned in it? If so, Dr. Kathy Araujo (Energy Policy Institute) and Jeff Genzer (National Association of State Energy Officials) will host a virtual Power Talk on October 21, and here is more information.
Please reach out with any questions or thoughts.
Best,
Division of Research and Economic Development
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Further reading on CHIPS and Science Act
CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 Section-by-Section
CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 Summary
NSF, NIST, DOC, NASA Division B summary
American Institute of Physics, Research Infrastructure Initiatives in the CHIPS and Science Act
McKinsey & Company The CHIPS and Science Act: Here’s what’s in it
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CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 – Division B Summary Highlights for NSF, DOE, DOC, NIST and NASA.
Division of Research and Economic Development Contact: Larry Grossman, Roger Brown
Total Authorization $102 billion, a $52 billion increase over existing baseline.
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Five-Year Authorization total $81 billion ($36 billion Increase), includes:
- $20 billion for NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP). New program designed to accelerate domestic development of national and economic-security critical technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, advanced manufacturing, 6G communications, energy, and material science.
- $61 billion for NSF Core Activities, a $16 billion increase.
Authorizes to increase STEM education funding, including scholarships, fellowships, and traineeships to create workers in critical fields, including artificial intelligence, microelectronics education, and cybersecurity workforce development programs.
Grows basic research with an emphasis on food-energy-water systems, sustainable chemistry, risk and resilience, clean water systems, technology and behavioral health, critical minerals, precision agriculture, and the impact of satellite constellations on NSF-funded science.
Expansion of the amount of money the NSF must set-aside for EPSCoR. Set-asides for EPSCoR start at 15% of NSF funding and increasing to 20% over seven years. Emphasis is placed on minority serving and emerging research institutions as well as rural STEM education.
Department of Energy (DOE)
Five-Year Authorization total $67.9 billion, a $30.5 billion increase over baseline, includes:
- $50.3 billion for the Office of Science, an increase of $12.9 billion.
- $11 billion across DOE’s applied energy programs for research, development, and demonstration activities aligned with NSF’s authorized areas of focus within TIP.
Department of Commerce (DOC)
Five-Year Authorization total $11 billion, includes:
- $10 billion for a new DOC program to create 20 Regional Technology Hubs to focus on technology development, job creation, and expanding innovation capacity.
- $1 billion to establish RECOMPETE Pilot program to support persistently distressed communities with economic development activities
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Five-Year Authorization total $10 billion ($5 billion increase), includes:
- $6.9 billion for NIST Research, a $2.8 billion increase. To advance research and standards development for industries including quantum information science, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced communications technologies, and semiconductors.
- $829 million for Manufacturing USA, a $744 million increase. Creates new competitively-awarded manufacturing research institutes with expanded capacity for education and workforce development.
- $2.3 billion for Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a $1.5 billion increase. Supports small- and medium-sized manufacturers with cybersecurity, workforce training, and supply chain resiliency.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
The CHIPS Act includes the first NASA Authorization in five years but does not include specific funding levels. NASA requested $25.97 billion for FY 2023 (FY 2022 appropriation is $24.04 billion).
Authorizes NASA Science Priorities.
Includes support for a balanced science portfolio, Earth science observations and the search for life beyond Earth, and continued development of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Requires NASA to continue research efforts in aeronautics, including with the use of experimental aircraft, to advance supersonic flight, aircraft efficiency, and advanced materials manufacturing.
Directs NASA to invest in testing infrastructure and capabilities, supports space nuclear power and propulsion research and technology maturation activities (with an in-space demonstration of a nuclear propulsion systems) and requires a study and planning on the industrial base and NASA workforce. Codifies the Office of STEM Engagement to promote STEM literacy and workforce development.