(a) In general

The Director, acting through the Directorate, shall fund undergraduate scholarships (including at community colleges), graduate fellowships and traineeships, and postdoctoral awards in the key technology focus areas.

(b) Implementation

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The Director may carry out subsection (a) by making awards—

(1) directly to students; and

(2) to institutions of higher education or consortia of institutions of higher education, including those institutions or consortia involved in operating Regional Innovation Engines established under section 19108 of this title.

(c) Broadening participation

In carrying out this section, the Director shall take steps to increase the participation of populations that are underrepresented in STEM, which may include—

(1) establishing or augmenting programs targeted at populations that are underrepresented in STEM;

(2) supporting traineeships or other relevant programs at historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities, and minority-serving institutions;

(3) enabling low-income populations to pursue associate, undergraduate, or graduate level degrees in STEM;

(4) addressing current and expected gaps in the availability or skills of the STEM workforce, or addressing needs of the STEM workforce, including by increasing educational capacity at institutions and by prioritizing awards to United States citizens, permanent residents, and individuals that will grow the domestic workforce; and

(5) addressing geographic diversity in the STEM workforce.

(d) Encouraging innovation

In carrying out this section, the Director shall encourage innovation in graduate education, including through encouraging institutions of higher education to offer graduate students opportunities to gain experience in industry or Government as part of their graduate training, and through support for students in professional master’s programs related to the key technology focus areas or to the societal, national, and geostrategic challenges.

(e) Areas of funding support

Subject to the availability of funds to carry out this section, the Director shall—

(1) issue—

(A) postdoctoral awards,

(B) graduate fellowships and traineeships, inclusive of the NSF Research Traineeships and fellowships awarded under the Graduate Research Fellowship Program; and

(C) scholarships, including undergraduate scholarships, research experiences, and internships, including—

(i) scholarships to attend community colleges; and

(ii) research experiences and internships under sections 1862p-5, 1862p-6, and 1862p-7 of this title;

(2) ensure that not less than 10 percent of the funds made available to carry out this section are used to support additional awards that focus on community college training, education, and teaching programs that increase the participation of populations that are historically underrepresented in STEM, including technical programs through programs such as the Advanced Technological Education program; and

(3) if funds remain after carrying out paragraphs (1) and (2) make awards to institutions of higher education to enable the institutions to fund the development and establishment of new or specialized programs of study for graduate, undergraduate, or technical college students and the evaluation of the effectiveness of those programs of study.

(f) Low-income scholarship program

(1) In general

The Director shall award scholarships to low-income individuals to enable such individuals to pursue associate, undergraduate, or graduate level degrees in STEM fields.

(2) Eligibility

(A) In general

To be eligible to receive a scholarship under this subsection, an individual—

(i) must be a citizen of the United States, a national of the United States (as defined in section 1101(a) of title 8), an alien admitted as a refugee under section 1157 of title 8, or an alien lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence;

(ii) shall prepare and submit to the Director an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director may require; and

(iii) shall certify to the Director that the individual intends to use amounts received under the scholarship to enroll or continue enrollment at an institution of higher education (as defined in section 1001(a) of title 20) in order to pursue an associate, undergraduate, or graduate level degree in STEM fields designated by the Director.

(B) Ability

Awards of scholarships under this subsection shall be made by the Director solely on the basis of the ability of the applicant, except that in any case in which 2 or more applicants for scholarships are deemed by the Director to be possessed of substantially equal ability, and there are not sufficient scholarships available to award one to each of such applicants, the available scholarship or scholarships shall be awarded to the applicants in a manner that will tend to result in a geographically wide distribution throughout the United States recipients’ places of permanent residence.

(3) Omitted

(4) Authorization

Of amounts authorized for the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships, $100,000,000 shall be authorized to carry out this subsection.

(g) Existing programs

The Director may use or augment existing STEM education programs of the Foundation and leverage education or entrepreneurial partners to carry out this section.