# 119-s-5187: PHD Talent Act of 2026

119-s-5187, PHD Talent Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] (D-VA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5187
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5187
- Congress: 119
- Title: PHD Talent Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-30
- Sponsor: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] (D-VA)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Energy
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Creates accelerated doctoral pathways to boost U.S. science and engineering talent.** This bill would direct the Department of Energy to run a five-year Strategic Scientific Workforce Pilot Program that funds accelerated doctoral programs and integrated baccalaureate-to-doctorate tracks in critical and emerging technology areas including artificial intelligence, advanced computing, biotechnology, clean energy, semiconductors, quantum information, and space technologies. - Students would gain access to accelerated doctoral and integrated baccalaureate-to-doctorate tracks that let graduate coursework count toward multiple degrees. Institutions must fund at least three years of the doctoral portion after a student's successful transition and must allow completion of a bachelor's or master's if a student leaves the doctoral track. - Participating institutions, National Laboratories, industry, nonprofits, and States could receive grants, cooperative agreements, and other awards to run programs, fellowships, mentorships, research rotations, and professional development. Institutions may not reduce other financial support for a student because the student receives a fellowship and pilot fellowships must not duplicate existing federal graduate programs. - The Secretary would set governance, eligibility, and application rules and may add "critical or emerging technology areas" based on federal workforce data and interagency consultation. The pilot would not make new awards after five years from the first award and may accept financial or in-kind contributions from nonfederal partners. *Would authorize $250 million to be appropriated for fiscal years 2028 through 2032 and made available until expended.*

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Young, Todd [R-IN] (R-IN), 2026-07-30T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Department of Energy $250M pilot: benefit, medium. If enacted, Congress would authorize $250,000,000 to carry out this DOE pilot. The authorization would apply for fiscal years 2028 through 2032. The money would remain available until spent. This funding would support grants, fellowships, and other program activities under the pilot.
- DOE five-year PhD pilot program: benefit, low. If enacted, the Department of Energy would set up a Strategic Scientific Workforce Pilot Program within one year of enactment. The pilot would run as a five‑year award window from the first award and give competitive grants to institutions. No new awards could be made after five years from the firs…
- PhD pathway funding and eligibility rules: mixed, medium. If enacted, the pilot would let participating schools run accelerated PhD and integrated bachelor‑to‑PhD pathways that count some graduate coursework toward both degrees. After a student finishes the baccalaureate part and is admitted to the doctoral portion, the program would have to provide fundi…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-789: Critical Minerals Security Act of 2025
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-4943: Outcomes-Based Financing (OBF) for Students Act
- 119-s-1686: Neighborhood Homes Investment Act
- 119-s-1639: American Innovation and Jobs Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5187 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5187)

## Related
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-789: Critical Minerals Security Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-789)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-4943: Outcomes-Based Financing (OBF) for Students Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4943)
- [119-s-1686: Neighborhood Homes Investment Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1686)
- [119-s-1639: American Innovation and Jobs Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1639)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5187 (as of 2026-09-10).