CHIPS and Science Act of 2022

On August 9, 2022, President Joe Biden signed into law the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (pdf) (CHIPS Act). This legislation invests roughly $280 billion over a 10-yr period in American semiconductor manufacturing and in domestic scientific research and development. Additionally, the CHIPS Act contains several important research security provisions for federally sponsored research, which will impact the institution and researchers themselves. Highlights include but are not limited to:

• The directive for the National Science Foundation to establish an online risk assessment tool - the SECURE Center - for universities and researchers to identify and assess research security risks within international engagements (Sec. 10632)
• The directive for each Federal research agency to establish specific research security training requirements for all covered personnel (Sec. 10634) and the inclusion of research security training as part of the Responsible & Ethical Conduct of Research training required for applicants to NSF awards (Sec. 10337)
• The requirement for recipient research institutions to disclose annually to NSF gifts and contracts valued at $50,000 or more which the research institution received from a foreign source that is associated with a foreign country of concern (the People’s Republic of China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and any other country deemed to to be a country of concern by the U.S. Secretary of State) (Sec. 10339B)
• The requirement for all federal research agencies to establish and implement policies by August 2024 to prohibit participation in “malign foreign government talent recruitment programs” (Sec. 10632)