Appendix A

Statement of Task

An ad hoc committee under the oversight of the Board on Higher Education and Workforce (BHEW), will undertake a study to examine the status of Department of Defense research at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and other minority institutions (MIs), and the methods and means necessary to advance research capacity at covered institutions to comprehensively address the national security and defense needs of the United States. The study shall include an examination of each of the following:

1. The degree to which covered institutions are successful in competing for and executing Department of Defense contracts and grants for defense research.
   1. The facilities and infrastructure for defense-related research at covered institutions as compared to the facilities and infrastructure at institutions classified as RI status on the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
   2. The ability of covered institutions to develop, protect, and commercialize intellectual property created through defense-related research.
   3. The total amount of defense research funding awarded to all institutions of higher education, including covered institutions, through contracts and grants for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2019 and, with respect to each such institution:

1. whether the institution established a distinct legal entity to enter into contracts or receive grants from the Department and, if so, the type of legal entity that was established;
2. the total value of contracts and grants awarded to the institution of higher education for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2019;
3. the overhead rate of the institution of higher education for fiscal year 2019;
4. the institution’s classification on the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education; and
5. whether the institution qualifies as a covered institution.

2. Best practices for advancing the capacity of covered institutions to compete for and conduct research programs related to national security and defense.
   1. Incentives to attract, recruit, and retain leading research faculty to covered institutions.
   2. Best practices of institutions classified as RI status on the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, including best practices with respect to the establishment of a distinct legal entity to:
      1. enter into contracts or receive grants from the Department;
      2. lay the groundwork for future research opportunities;
      3. develop research proposals;
      4. engage with defense research funding organizations;
      5. execute the administration of grants; and
      6. determining the type of legal entity, if any, to establish for the purposes described above.
3. Recommendations for strengthening and enhancing the programs executed under Section 2362 of Title 10, United States Code. Recommendations may include modifications to relevant legislation or regulations, as well as budgetary changes needed to advance research capacity at covered institutions.

1. Recommendations to enhance the capacity of covered institutions to transition research products into defense acquisition programs or commercialization.
2. Recommendations for the development of incentives to encourage research and educational collaborations between covered institutions and other institutions of higher education.
3. Recommendations for the advancements and investments necessary to elevate covered institutions to R2 status or RI status on the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, consistent with the criteria of the classification system.

4. The effectiveness of the Department in attracting and retaining students specializing in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields from covered institutions for the Department’s programs on emerging capabilities and technologies.
   1. Previous executive or legislative actions by the Federal Government to address imbalances in Federal research funding, including such programs as the Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (commonly known as “DEPSCOR”).
5. A list identifying each covered institution examined as part of the study. The list shall be made available on a publicly accessible website.

The study will result in (1) an initial report that will update the sponsor on the status of the study and plans for completion of the report; (2) an interim report that will describe preliminary research findings and areas of ongoing investigation (due in late August 2021); and (3) a final report that will include the findings of the study and recommendations for action by the executive branch and Congress to improve the participation of covered institutions in Department of Defense research and any actions that may be carried out to expand the research capacity of such institutions.

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