§19081 Facility Operation and Maintenance

Summary

The Director must run the Facility Operation Transition pilot program for 5 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 cover. After year five, the Director must send a report to Congress with research community feedback and an assessment of whether the pilot helped: balance grant funding with early facility costs, encourage new top-level facilities, support interagency and international partnerships, fund key parts of multidisciplinary facilities, and cover divestment costs. If it worked, the report should include a plan to make the program permanent.