The HBCU Research Capacity Act would create a Federal Clearinghouse on Research Capacity and Grant Opportunities for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The clearinghouse would be housed in the Department of Education and run in coordination with Commerce, Energy, Defense, Agriculture, the National Science Foundation, EPA, and NASA. Its main job is to list Federal grant opportunities for which HBCUs (part B institutions) are eligible or exclusively eligible, and to share best practices and recommendations to help HBCUs build research capacity and access research funding. The clearinghouse would include personnel assigned by the Secretary of Education and may receive detailees from partner agencies. The bill exempts the clearinghouse from the Paperwork Reduction Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act for actions under this section. The Secretary must notify each part B institution and Congress when the clearinghouse is published, offer quarterly updates to institutions that request them, and send quarterly updates to those that opt in. Participating agencies must review their grant programs to identify programs that can implement clearinghouse recommendations, identify gaps where no suitable grant exists, and report gaps to congressional committees annually. The bill text includes congressional findings that describe HBCU contributions to STEM degrees and their underrepresentation in federal research funding.
No publicly available information on estimated costs or specific appropriations is included in the bill text. The bill authorizes assigning personnel and resources to run the clearinghouse but does not set dollar amounts or funding sources.
According to the bill's findings, supporters say HBCUs contribute disproportionately to Black STEM degrees but receive a small share of federal research funding. They argue a federal clearinghouse would reduce knowledge gaps, increase transparency, share best practices, improve agency coordination, identify gaps in grant programs, and help ensure more equitable access to federal research funding.
No publicly available information.