The Director shall make awards on a competitive basis to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to—

(1) support research to significantly advance our understanding of the food-energy-water system through quantitative and computational modeling, including support for relevant cyberinfrastructure;

(2) develop real-time, cyber-enabled interfaces that improve understanding of the behavior of food-energy-water systems and increase decision support capability;

(3) support research that will lead to innovative solutions to critical food-energy-water system problems; and

(4) grow the scientific workforce capable of studying and managing the food-energy-water system, through education and other professional development.