Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-110

§19081 Facility Operation and Maintenance

Title 42 › CHAPTER 163 — RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, COMPETITION, AND INNOVATION › SUBCHAPTER III — NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE › Part F — Research Infrastructure › § 19081

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Director must run the Facility Operation Transition pilot for five years. The program will pay 10% to 50% of operations and maintenance costs for major research facilities during their first five years. The exact share depends on the facility’s O&M costs and how much the managing directorate or division can absorb. After year five, the Director must send Congress a report with research-community feedback on how well the pilot balanced grants and facility costs, encouraged new world-class facilities, supported interagency and international partnerships, funded core parts of multi-disciplinary facilities, and handled divestment costs. If the pilot worked, the report must include a plan to make it permanent.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §19081

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

(a)In general

The Director shall continue the Facility Operation Transition pilot program for a total of 5 years.

(b)Cost sharing

The Facility Operation Transition program shall provide funding for 10 to 50 percent of the operations and maintenance costs for major research facilities that are within the first five years of operation, where the share is determined based on—

(1)the operations and maintenance costs of the major research facility; and

(2)the capacity of the managing directorate or division to absorb such costs.

(c)Report

After the fifth year of the pilot program, the Director shall transmit a report to Congress that includes—

(1)an assessment, that includes feedback from the research community, of the effectiveness of the pilot program for—

(A)supporting research directorates and divisions in balancing investments in research grants and funding for the initial operation and maintenance of major facilities;

(B)incentivizing the development of new world-class facilities;

(C)facilitating interagency and international partnerships;

(D)funding core elements of multi-disciplinary facilities; and

(E)supporting facility divestment costs; and

(2)if deemed effective, a plan for permanent implementation of the pilot program.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 19081

Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110