Title 20EducationRelease 119-73

§1126 Technological innovation and cooperation for foreign information access

Title 20 › Chapter CHAPTER 28— - HIGHER EDUCATION RESOURCES AND STUDENT ASSISTANCE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER VI— - INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS › Part Part A— - International and Foreign Language Studies › § 1126

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary may give grants to colleges and universities, public or nonprofit libraries, or partnerships of those groups and nonprofit educational organizations to build new electronic programs that collect, organize, preserve, and share information from foreign countries for use in international education and language research. Grants may pay to get or protect foreign print or digital materials; create fast full‑text delivery and shared access systems; support cataloging and indexing of overseas resources; make non‑Roman scripts usable; help teachers of less‑commonly taught languages get classroom materials; fund collaborative tech projects in foreign languages and area studies; link U.S. recipients with foreign institutions; and other activities that fit the grants’ purpose. Applicants must apply to the Secretary when and how the Secretary requires, with the needed information and assurances. The federal share cannot be more than 66⅔ percent; the rest can be cash or in‑kind, including private donations.

Full Legal Text

Title 20, §1126

Education — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)The Secretary is authorized to make grants to institutions of higher education, public or nonprofit private libraries, or partnerships between such institutions and other such institutions, libraries, or nonprofit educational organizations, to develop innovative techniques or programs using electronic technologies to collect, organize, preserve, and widely disseminate information from foreign sources on world regions and countries other than the United States that address our Nation’s teaching and research needs in international education and foreign languages.
(2)The Secretary may award grants under this section to carry out the activities authorized under this section to the following:
(A)An institution of higher education.
(B)A public or nonprofit private library.
(C)A partnership of an institution of higher education and one or more of the following:
(i)Another institution of higher education.
(ii)A library.
(iii)A nonprofit educational organization.
(b)Grants under this section may be used—
(1)to acquire, facilitate access to, or preserve foreign information resources in print or electronic forms;
(2)to develop new means of immediate, full-text document delivery for information and scholarship from abroad;
(3)to develop new means of or standards for shared electronic access to international data;
(4)to support collaborative projects of indexing, cataloging, and other means of bibliographic access for scholars to important research materials published or distributed outside the United States;
(5)to develop methods for the wide dissemination of resources written in non-Roman language alphabets;
(6)to assist teachers of less commonly taught languages in acquiring, via electronic and other means, materials suitable for classroom use;
(7)to promote collaborative technology based projects in foreign languages, area studies, and international studies among grant recipients under this subchapter;
(8)to establish linkages to facilitate carrying out the activities described in this subsection between—
(A)the institutions of higher education, libraries, and partnerships receiving grants under this section; and
(B)institutions of higher education, nonprofit educational organizations, and libraries overseas; and
(9)to carry out other activities that the Secretary determines are consistent with the purpose of the grants awarded under this section.
(c)Each institution of higher education, library, or partnership desiring a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information and assurances as the Secretary may reasonably require.
(d)The Federal share of the total cost of carrying out a program supported by a grant under this section shall not be more than 66⅔ percent. The non-Federal share of such cost may be provided either in-kind or in cash, and may include contributions from private sector corporations or foundations.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 1126, Pub. L. 89–329, title VI, § 609, formerly § 606, as added Pub. L. 96–374, title VI, § 601(a), Oct. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 1467; renumbered § 609, Pub. L. 99–498, title VI, § 605(1), Oct. 17, 1986, 100 Stat. 1517; amended Pub. L. 102–325, title VI, § 601, July 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 727, related to equitable distribution of grants, prior to the general amendment of this part by Pub. L. 105–244. Another prior section 1126, Pub. L. 89–329, title VI, § 606, Nov. 8, 1965, 79 Stat. 1265, related to reservation and payment of equipment grants to institutions of higher education, prior to the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 96–374. A prior section 606 of Pub. L. 89–329 was classified to section 1125 of this title, prior to the general amendment of this part by Pub. L. 105–244.

Amendments

2008—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 110–315, § 606(1)(D), (E), designated existing provisions as par. (1), inserted heading, and added par. (2). Pub. L. 110–315, § 606(1)(A)–(C), substituted “or partnerships between such institutions and other such institutions, libraries, or nonprofit educational organizations” for “or consortia of such institutions or libraries” and “electronic technologies” for “new electronic technologies” and inserted “from foreign sources” after “disseminate information”. Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 110–315, § 606(2)(A), substituted “to acquire, facilitate access to,” for “to facilitate access to”. Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 110–315, § 606(2)(B), inserted “or standards for” after “develop new means of”. Subsec. (b)(8), (9). Pub. L. 110–315, § 606(2)(C)–(E), added pars. (8) and (9). Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 110–315, § 606(3), substituted “institution of higher education, library, or partnership” for “institution or consortium”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

20 U.S.C. § 1126

Title 20Education

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73