Letter to Charles Schumer, Senate Majority Leader; and Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House - Sen. Ossoff, Rep. Adams Lead Bicameral Push to Invest in Research & Development at HBCUs

Letter

Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer,

As Congress is poised to make historic investments in scientific research, we must ensure that this funding will benefit all of America's future scientists and engineers. In H.R 4521, the America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strength Act of 2022 (America COMPETES), the House of Representatives passed a historic, $1.2 billion program to build research capacity in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), including Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs), and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). The bill also included language to establish separate grant competitions for similarly designated institutions. Further, On May 4, 2022, the Senate voted to instruct conferees to uphold robust funding for HBCUs and MSIs in any final competition legislation. We urge you to maintain the House-passed funding level and grant program, as currently structured, in any final competition legislation.

To innovate and seize the jobs of the future, we must invest in HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs, who have long punched above their weight when it comes to supporting our country's innovation and scientific workforce. However, these institutions face unique challenges to accessing Research and Development (R&D) funding. A recent report from the National Science Foundation found that just 30 institutions account for 42% of all R&D spending by colleges and universities across America. None of these 30 institutions were HBCUs, TCUs, or MSIs. In fact, despite the myriad of groundbreaking research being done on HBCU and TCU campuses, of the 146 institutions designated as "R1" or Very High Research Activity universities by the Carnegie Classification of Higher Education, none are HBCUs or TCUs.

We were glad to see that both the America COMPETES Act and the Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act included funding to assist HBCUs, TCUs, and many MSIs in building their educational and research capacities. These important provisions would enable HBCUs and MSIs to hire new administrative staff, train faculty on the grant process, educate students, and increase their ability to move products to the market, either on their own or through collaboration with small business or other industry partners.

We ask that this program be included at House-passed $1.2 billion funding level in any final legislation. Moreover, to ensure all institutions have a fair opportunity to successfully compete for and access these critical funds, we ask that final legislation also include separate grant competitions for similarly designated institutions. Finally, we know that HBCUs, TCUs, and many MSIs struggle to access infrastructure funding. We ask that flexibility be given to institutions in allowing R&D funds to be used for relevant infrastructure projects such as laboratory or library maintenance and updates or bolstering on- campus broadband infrastructure. For America to reach its highest potential it is critical that we engage and invest in all segments of our nation's diverse population. Establishing this important, capacity-building program will further unlock HBCUs', TCUs', and MSIs' potential and allow these institutions to compete on equal footing for federal grants and contracts for decades into the future. Furthermore, by expanding the research capacity at HBCUs and MSIs, including HSIs, PBIs, and AANAPISIs we are expanding America's cumulative research capacity and solidifying our position as the global leader of science and innovation for generations to come. Thank you for your previous leadership on this issue. We look forward to working closely with you to ensure inclusion of the aforementioned provisions in final competition legislation.