Title 42The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73not60

§18901 Definitions

Title 42 › Chapter 163— RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, COMPETITION, AND INNOVATION › § 18901

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

The division defines many words so everyone uses them the same way. "Artificial intelligence" and "quantum information science" use meanings given in other federal laws. "Awardee" is the legal entity that gets federal help and is responsible for the money. "Recipient" is an entity that gets a federal research award directly, not subawardees or individual beneficiaries. "Award personnel" are people paid by a grant or contract, like principal investigators, faculty, postdocs, and other staff. A "research and development award" is support from a federal research agency for R&D (grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, or similar), and it does not include purchases of goods or services for an agency’s own administrative needs. "Federal research agency" means any federal agency with annual extramural research spending of over $100,000,000 in fiscal year 2022 constant dollars. "Foundation" means the National Science Foundation. "Federal laboratory," "EPSCoR," "EPSCoR institution," "manufacturing extension center," "Manufacturing USA institute," "STEM education," "technical standard," "Tribal College or University," and several other terms point to definitions in other laws. "Biomanufacturing" means using biological systems to make or improve products at commercial scale. "Engineering biology" means applying engineering ideas to biological systems. An "emerging research institution" is a college or university with under $50,000,000 in federal research spending. "Minority-serving institution" lists several types of institutions defined in education law. "Historically Black college and university," "institution of higher education," and "Interagency working group on inclusion in STEM" are defined elsewhere. A "labor organization" means a labor union as defined in law, and also includes groups of unions and certain other employee groups that might otherwise be excluded. A "low-income individual" is someone from a family whose taxable income last year did not exceed 150 percent of the federal poverty level as set by the Census Bureau. "Non-profit organization" means a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt group. "PreK–12" means pre-kindergarten through grade 12. "National Academies" means the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. "Skilled technical work" is a technical job that needs high skill but does not require a bachelor’s degree. "STEM" means science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including computer science.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §18901

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

In this division:
(1)The term “artificial intelligence” or “AI” has the meaning given such term in section 9401 of title 15.
(2)The term “awardee” means the legal entity to which Federal assistance is awarded and that is accountable to the Federal Government for the use of the funds provided.
(3)The term “award personnel” means principal investigators and co-principal investigators, faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and other employees supported by a grant, cooperative agreement, or contract under Federal law.
(4)The term “biomanufacturing” means the utilization of biological systems to develop new and advance existing products, tools, and processes at commercial scale.
(5)The term “emerging research institution” means an institution of higher education with an established undergraduate or graduate program that has less than $50,000,000 in Federal research expenditures.
(6)The term “engineering biology” means the application of engineering design principles and practices to biological systems, including molecular and cellular systems, to advance fundamental understanding of complex natural systems and to enable novel or optimize functions and capabilities.
(7)The term “EPSCoR” has the meaning given the term in section 502 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 1862p note).
(8)The term “EPSCoR institution” means an institution of higher education, nonprofit organization, or other institution located in a jurisdiction eligible to participate in the program under section 1862g of this title.
(9)The term “Federal laboratory” has the meaning given such term in section 3703 of title 15.
(10)The term “Federal research agency” means any Federal agency with an annual extramural research expenditure of over $100,000,000 in fiscal year 2022 constant dollars.
(11)The term “Foundation” means the National Science Foundation.
(12)The term “historically Black college and university” has the meaning given the term “part B institution” in section 1061 of title 20.
(13)The term “institution of higher education” has the meaning given the term in section 1001(a) of title 20.
(14)The term “interagency working group on inclusion in STEM” means the interagency working group established by section 6626 of this title.
(15)The term “labor organization” has the meaning given the term in section 152(5) of title 29, except that such term shall also include—
(A)any organization composed of labor organizations, such as a labor union federation or a State or municipal labor body; and
(B)any organization which would be included in the definition for such term under such section 152(5) of title 29 but for the fact that the organization represents—
(i)individuals employed by the United States, any wholly owned Government corporation, any Federal Reserve Bank, or any State or political subdivision thereof;
(ii)individuals employed by persons subject to the Railway Labor Act (45 U.S.C. 151 et seq.); or
(iii)individuals employed as agricultural laborers.
(16)The term “low-income individual” means an individual from a family whose taxable income for the preceding year did not exceed 150 percent of an amount equal to the poverty level determined by using criteria of poverty established by the Bureau of the Census.
(17)The term “manufacturing extension center” has the meaning given the term “Center” in section 278k(a) of title 15.
(18)The term “Manufacturing USA institute” means a Manufacturing USA institute described in section 278s(d) of title 15.
(19)The term “minority-serving institution” means a Hispanic-serving institution as defined in section 1101a(a) of title 20; an Alaska Native-serving institution or Native Hawaiian-serving institution as defined in section 1059d(b) of title 20; or a Predominantly Black institution, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution, or Native American-serving nontribal institution as defined in section 1067q(c) of title 20.
(20)The term “National Academies” means the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
(21)The term “non-profit organization” means an organization which is described in section 501(c)(3) of title 26 and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such title.
(22)The term “PreK–12” means pre-kindergarten through grade 12.
(23)The term “quantum information science” has the meaning given such term in section 8801 of title 15.
(24)The term “recipient” means an entity, usually a non-Federal entity, that receives a Federal award directly from a Federal research agency. The term “recipient” does not include entities that receive subawards or individuals that are the beneficiaries of the award.
(25)The term “research and development award” means support provided to an individual or entity by a Federal research agency to carry out research and development activities, which may include support in the form of a grant, contract, cooperative agreement, or other such transaction. The term does not include a grant, contract, agreement or other transaction for the procurement of goods or services to meet the administrative needs of a Federal research agency.
(26)The term “skilled technical work” means an occupation that requires a high level of knowledge in a technical domain and does not require a bachelor’s degree for entry.
(27)The term “STEM” means science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including computer science.
(28)The term “STEM education” has the meaning given the term in section 2 of the STEM Education Act of 2015 (42 U.S.C. 6621 note).
(29)The term “technical standard” has the meaning given such term in section 12(d)(5) of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note).
(30)The term “Tribal College or University” has the meaning given such term in section 1059c of title 20.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This division, referred to in introductory provisions, is div. B of Pub. L. 117–167, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1399, which enacted this chapter and enacted, amended, and repealed numerous other sections and notes in the Code. For complete classification of div. B to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out below and Tables. section 502 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, referred to in par. (7), is section 502 of Pub. L. 111–358, which is set out as a note under section 1862p of this title. The Railway Labor Act, referred to in par. (15)(B)(ii), is act May 20, 1926, ch. 347, 44 Stat. 577, which is classified principally to chapter 8 (§ 151 et seq.) of Title 45, Railroads. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 151 of Title 45 and Tables. section 2 of the STEM Education Act of 2015, referred to in par. (28), is section 2 of Pub. L. 114–59, which is set out as a note under section 6621 of this title. section 12(d)(5) of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995, referred to in par. (29), is section 12(d)(5) of Pub. L. 104–113, which defines “technical standards” and is set out as a note under section 272 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, § 10001, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1405, provided that: “This division [div. B (§§ 10001–10862) of Pub. L. 117–167, see Tables for classification] may be cited as the ‘Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act’.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 18901

Title 42The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60