Regional Innovation and Entrepreneurship Enhancement Act of 2014 - Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to: (1) expand the duties and reporting requirements of the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, including by requiring the development of a strategic plan to guide the activities of the Office; (2) authorize appropriations for such Office for FY2014-FY2018; and (3) modify the Regional Innovation Program established by such Act to eliminate provisions relating to science and research parks and require outreach to public and private sector entities in rural communities to encourage participation in Program activities.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3918 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 3918
To amend sections 25 and 27 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology
Innovation Act of 1980 to improve the Office of Innovation and
Entrepreneurship and regional innovation programs.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 16, 2014
Mr. Kilmer (for himself, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Peters
of California, Ms. Esty, and Mr. Bera of California) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space,
and Technology
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend sections 25 and 27 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology
Innovation Act of 1980 to improve the Office of Innovation and
Entrepreneurship and regional innovation programs.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Regional Innovation and
Entrepreneurship Enhancement Act of 2014''.
SEC. 2. OFFICE OF INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
Section 25 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of
1980 (15 U.S.C. 3720) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 25. OFFICE OF INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish an Office of
Innovation and Entrepreneurship with a Director and full-time staff to
foster innovation and the commercialization of new technologies,
products, processes, and services with the goal of promoting
productivity and economic growth in the United States.
``(b) Duties.--The Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship shall
be responsible for--
``(1) developing policies to accelerate innovation and
advance the commercialization of research and development,
including federally funded research and development;
``(2) identifying existing barriers to innovation and
commercialization, including access to capital and other
resources, and ways to overcome those barriers, particularly in
States participating in the Experimental Program to Stimulate
Competitive Research;
``(3) providing access to relevant data, research, and
technical assistance on innovation and commercialization,
including best practices for university-based incubators and
accelerators;
``(4) overseeing the implementation of the loan guarantee
programs and the Regional Innovation Program established under
sections 26 and 27, respectively;
``(5) developing, within 180 days after the date of
enactment of the Regional Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Enhancement Act of 2014, and updating at least every 5 years, a
strategic plan to guide the activities of the Office of
Innovation and Entrepreneurship that shall--
``(A) specify and prioritize near-term and long-
term goals, objectives, and policies to accelerate
innovation and advance the commercialization of
research and development, including federally funded
research and development, set forth the anticipated
time for achieving the objectives, and identify metrics
for use in assessing progress toward such objectives;
``(B) describe how the Department of Commerce is
working in conjunction with other Federal agencies to
foster innovation and commercialization across the
United States; and
``(C) provide a summary of the activities,
including the development of metrics to evaluate
regional innovation strategies undertaken through the
Regional Innovation Research and Information Program
established under section 27(c);
``(6) strengthening collaboration on and coordination of
policies relating to innovation and commercialization,
including those focused on the needs of small businesses and
rural communities, within the Department of Commerce, between
the Department of Commerce and other Federal agencies, and
between the Department of Commerce and appropriate State
government agencies and institutions, as appropriate; and
``(7) any other duties as determined by the Secretary.
``(c) Advisory Committee.--
``(1) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish or
designate an advisory committee, which shall meet at least
twice each fiscal year, to provide advice to the Secretary on
carrying out the duties and responsibilities of the Office of
Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
``(2) Report to congress.--The advisory committee shall
prepare a report, to be submitted to the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate every 3 years. The first report shall be submitted not
later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Regional
Innovation and Entrepreneurship Enhancement Act of 2014 and
shall include--
``(A) an assessment of the strategic plan developed
under subsection (b)(5) and the progress made in
implementing the plan and the duties of the Office of
Innovation and Entrepreneurship;
``(B) an assessment of how the Office of Innovation
and Entrepreneurship is working with other Federal
agencies to meet the goals and duties of the office;
and
``(C) any recommendations for how the Office of
Innovation and Entrepreneurship could be improved.
``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014
through 2018 to carry out this section.''.
SEC. 3. REGIONAL INNOVATION PROGRAM.
Section 27 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of
1980 (15 U.S.C. 3722) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 27. REGIONAL INNOVATION PROGRAM.
``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a regional
innovation program to encourage and support the development of regional
innovation strategies, including regional innovation clusters.
``(b) Cluster Grants.--
``(1) In general.--As part of the program established under
subsection (a), the Secretary may award grants on a competitive
basis to eligible recipients for activities relating to the
formation and development of regional innovation clusters.
``(2) Permissible activities.--Grants awarded under this
subsection may be used for activities determined appropriate by
the Secretary, including the following:
``(A) Feasibility studies.
``(B) Planning activities.
``(C) Technical assistance.
``(D) Developing or strengthening communication and
collaboration between and among participants of a
regional innovation cluster.
``(E) Attracting additional participants to a
regional innovation cluster.
``(F) Facilitating market development of products
and services developed by a regional innovation
cluster, including through demonstration, deployment,
technology transfer, and commercialization activities.
``(G) Developing relationships between a regional
innovation cluster and entities or clusters in other
regions.
``(H) Interacting with the public and State and
local governments to meet the goals of the cluster.
``(3) Eligible recipient defined.--In this subsection, the
term `eligible recipient' means--
``(A) a State;
``(B) an Indian tribe;
``(C) a city or other political subdivision of a
State;
``(D) an entity that--
``(i) is a nonprofit organization, an
institution of higher education, a public-
private partnership, a science or research
park, a Federal laboratory, or an economic
development organization or similar entity; and
``(ii) has an application that is supported
by a State or a political subdivision of a
State; or
``(E) a consortium of any of the entities described
in subparagraphs (A) through (D).
``(4) Application.--
``(A) In general.--An eligible recipient shall
submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in
such manner, and containing such information and
assurances as the Secretary may require.
``(B) Components.--The application shall include,
at a minimum, a description of the regional innovation
cluster supported by the proposed activity, including a
description of--
``(i) whether the regional innovation
cluster is supported by the private sector,
State and local governments, and other relevant
stakeholders;
``(ii) how the existing participants in the
regional innovation cluster will encourage and
solicit participation by all types of entities
that might benefit from participation,
including newly formed entities and those rival
existing participants;
``(iii) the extent to which the regional
innovation cluster is likely to stimulate
innovation and have a positive impact on
regional economic growth and development;
``(iv) whether the participants in the
regional innovation cluster have access to, or
contribute to, a well-trained workforce;
``(v) whether the participants in the
regional innovation cluster are capable of
attracting additional funds from non-Federal
sources; and
``(vi) the likelihood that the participants
in the regional innovation cluster will be able
to sustain activities once grant funds under
this subsection have been expended.
``(C) Special consideration.--The Secretary shall
give special consideration to applications from regions
that contain communities negatively impacted by trade.
``(5) Special consideration.--The Secretary shall give
special consideration to an eligible recipient who agrees to
collaborate with local workforce investment area boards.
``(6) Cost share.--The Secretary may not provide more than
50 percent of the total cost of any activity funded under this
subsection.
``(7) Outreach to rural communities.--The Secretary shall
conduct outreach to public and private sector entities in rural
communities to encourage those entities to participate in
regional innovation cluster activities under this subsection.
``(8) Funding.--The Secretary may accept funds from other
Federal agencies to support grants and activities under this
subsection.
``(c) Regional Innovation Research and Information Program.--
``(1) In general.--As part of the program established under
subsection (a), the Secretary shall establish a regional
innovation research and information program--
``(A) to gather, analyze, and disseminate
information on best practices for regional innovation
strategies (including regional innovation clusters),
including information relating to how innovation,
productivity, and economic development can be maximized
through such strategies;
``(B) to provide technical assistance, including
through the development of technical assistance guides,
for the development and implementation of regional
innovation strategies (including regional innovation
clusters);
``(C) to support the development of relevant
metrics and measurement standards to evaluate regional
innovation strategies (including regional innovation
clusters), including the extent to which such
strategies stimulate innovation, productivity, and
economic development; and
``(D) to collect and make available data on
regional innovation cluster activity in the United
States, including data on--
``(i) the size, specialization, and
competitiveness of regional innovation
clusters;
``(ii) the regional domestic product
contribution, total jobs and earnings by key
occupations, establishment size, nature of
specialization, patents, Federal research and
development spending, and other relevant
information for regional innovation clusters;
and
``(iii) supply chain product and service
flows within and between regional innovation
clusters.
``(2) Research grants.--The Secretary may award research
grants on a competitive basis to support and further the goals
of the program established under this subsection.
``(3) Dissemination of information.--Data and analysis
compiled by the Secretary under the program established in this
subsection shall be made available to other Federal agencies,
State and local governments, and nonprofit and for-profit
entities.
``(4) Regional innovation grant program.--The Secretary
shall incorporate data and analysis relating to any grant under
subsection (b) into the program established under this
subsection.
``(d) Interagency Coordination.--
``(1) In general.--To the maximum extent practicable, the
Secretary shall ensure that the activities carried out under
this section are coordinated with, and do not duplicate the
efforts of, other programs at the Department of Commerce or
other Federal agencies.
``(2) Collaboration.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall explore and
pursue collaboration with other Federal agencies,
including through multiagency funding opportunities, on
regional innovation strategies.
``(B) Small businesses.--The Secretary shall ensure
that such collaboration with Federal agencies
prioritizes the needs and challenges of small
businesses.
``(e) Evaluation.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 3 years after the date of
enactment of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010,
the Secretary shall enter into a contract with an independent
entity, such as the National Academy of Sciences, to conduct an
evaluation of the program established under subsection (a).
``(2) Requirements.--The evaluation shall include--
``(A) whether the program is achieving its goals;
``(B) any recommendations for how the program may
be improved; and
``(C) a recommendation as to whether the program
should be continued or terminated.
``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Regional innovation cluster.--The term `regional
innovation cluster' means a geographically bounded network of
similar, synergistic, or complementary entities that--
``(A) are engaged in or with a particular industry
sector;
``(B) have active channels for business
transactions and communication;
``(C) share specialized infrastructure, labor
markets, and services; and
``(D) leverage the region's unique competitive
strengths to stimulate innovation and create jobs.
``(2) State.--The term `State' means one of the several
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or any other
territory or possession of the United States.
``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018 to
carry out this section.''.
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Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Research and Technology.
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