H.R. 7801

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7801 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7801

To require the Director of the National Science Foundation to carry out 
a cloud laboratory network program, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 4, 2026

Mr. Obernolte (for himself, Mr. Khanna, Mr. Auchincloss, and Mr. 
McCormick) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To require the Director of the National Science Foundation to carry out 
a cloud laboratory network program, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Cloud Labs to Advance Biotechnology 
Act of 2026'' or the ``Cloud LAB Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:
(1) Artificial intelligence.--The term ``artificial 
intelligence'' has the meaning given such term in section 5002 
of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (15 U.S.C. 9401).
(2) Authorized researcher.--The term ``authorized 
researcher'' means an individual who has been appropriately 
authorized to access data generated by the cloud laboratories 
through a process established by the Director in establishing 
the cloud laboratory network.
(3) Biological data.--The term ``biological data'' means 
the information, including associated descriptors, derived from 
the structure, function, or process of a biological system that 
is either measured, collected, or aggregated for analysis.
(4) Cloud laboratory.--The term ``cloud laboratory'' means 
a physical laboratory that is equipped with research 
instrumentation and advanced robots that can be programmed and 
controlled remotely by scientists in order to conduct 
continuous experiments and collect associated data.
(5) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
the National Science Foundation.
(6) Phase ii cloud laboratory.--The term ``phase II cloud 
laboratory'' means a cloud laboratory funded by a grant awarded 
under section 3(c).
(7) Phase iii cloud laboratory.--The term ``phase III cloud 
laboratory'' means a cloud laboratory funded by a grant awarded 
under section 3(d).
(8) Under secretary.--The term ``Under Secretary'' means 
the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology 
and Director of the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology.

SEC. 3. CLOUD LABORATORY NETWORK PILOT PROGRAM.

(a) Program Established.--
(1) Authorization.--The Director, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Energy, and the Under Secretary, shall carry out a 
pilot program in accordance with this section that establishes 
a cloud laboratory network that helps to coordinate the 
activities of cloud laboratories established by the Director 
and cloud laboratories independently operated by other entities 
(such as private industry, government laboratories, and 
academic institutions), to further the purposes described in 
paragraph (3).
(2) Consultation.--The Director shall consult, to the 
greatest extent practicable, with other departments and 
agencies involved with cloud laboratories, and any government 
entities responsible for interagency coordination of 
biotechnology, such as that in the Executive Office of the 
President, to deduplicate efforts from different programs, and 
to increase awareness and connectivity of the cloud laboratory 
network established under subsection (b)(1).
(3) Purpose of the cloud laboratory network.--The cloud 
laboratory network described in paragraph (1) shall--
(A) serve the purpose of tracking and cataloging 
the different biotechnology capabilities at each cloud 
laboratory;
(B) help researchers connect to the capabilities 
needed to pursue a line of research; and
(C) provide the opportunity for cloud laboratories 
to connect and collaborate on best practices, including 
data collection and data sharing, data standards, and 
needs.
(4) Cloud laboratory purposes.--Each cloud laboratory 
supported under this section shall accomplish the following 
purposes:
(A) Generate high-quality biological data through 
automated experimentation that will be collected for 
use and analysis by authorized researchers for the 
purposes of training artificial intelligence models or 
other types of biological data analysis models.
(B) Provide researchers access to high-quality 
experimental instrumentation and data collection for 
the purposes of advancing individual research projects.
(b) Phase I of Cloud Laboratory Network Pilot Program.--
(1) Establishment of the cloud laboratory network.--Not 
later than 360 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Director, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy and 
the Under Secretary, shall establish the cloud laboratory 
network as described in subsection (a)(1).
(2) Implementation plan.--Not later than 360 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Director, in consultation 
with the Secretary of Energy, the Under Secretary, and others 
as appropriate, shall prepare and submit an implementation plan 
to Congress that includes the following:
(A) An assessment of the state of public and 
private cloud laboratories in the United States, 
particularly cloud laboratories focused on 
biotechnology, as of the date of the report, including 
the number of cloud laboratories, the location of the 
cloud laboratories, and the financing or payment 
mechanism for each cloud laboratory.
(B) An implementation plan for a national cloud 
laboratory network and an associated grant program that 
includes a mechanism for deciding on the location of 
each cloud laboratory funded under the grant program in 
this section.
(C) A plan to coordinate the network of cloud 
laboratories that are already established, in addition 
to those funded under this section.
(D) A plan outlining how data generated through the 
cloud laboratories will be stored, published, and made 
available and accessible to authorized researchers as a 
public resource, including a plan to have the data made 
publicly available in a secure and accessible format.
(E) A scheme for access to data generated through 
the cloud laboratories funded under this section and 
the payment or subscription model that will be required 
to access the cloud laboratory infrastructure and such 
data, which--
(i) describes how users can apply and use 
the infrastructure for the cloud laboratories 
funded under this section;
(ii) allows users doing nonproprietary work 
to access such cloud laboratories at no or 
minimal cost; and
(iii) includes a request for information to 
industry to understand what companies would 
need in order to subscribe to such a data 
generation service.
(F) An outline of sample intellectual property 
agreements for the cloud laboratories funded under this 
section related to all data gathering and 
experimentation, which may include different agreements 
in order to further the different purposes described in 
subsection (a)(2).
(G) A plan for engagement with industry and 
academic institutions that manage cloud laboratories to 
include them in the cloud laboratory network.
(H) A plan for building in considerations related 
to cybersecurity, biosecurity, and research security 
from the beginning of development for each cloud 
laboratory.
(I) The estimated cost of carrying out the full 
pilot program establishing the cloud laboratory network 
broken down by year.
(3) Cloud laboratory advisory board.--
(A) Consultation.--In preparing the implementation 
plan under paragraph (2), the Director shall consult 
with the advisory board established under this 
paragraph.
(B) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall 
establish, and lead, a cloud laboratory advisory board 
(referred to in this paragraph as the ``advisory 
board'').
(C) Members.--
(i) Composition.--The advisory board shall 
consist of--
(I) employees of the National 
Science Foundation and employees of 
such other Federal agencies as the 
Director determines appropriate;
(II) academic researchers in all 
areas of biotechnology, including 
computational biology, synthetic 
biology, cell biology, structural 
biology, robotics, and analytical 
chemistry;
(III) researchers and practitioners 
in the fields of biosafety, 
biosecurity, ethics, and relevant 
social science disciplines; and
(IV) industry representatives from 
different sectors of biotechnology, 
including health, agriculture, chemical 
production, and platform technologies.
(ii) Selection.--The selection and number 
of people on the advisory board shall be at the 
discretion of the Director.
(D) Duties.--The advisory board shall--
(i) propose biological data collection 
priorities through consultation with the 
biotechnology research community, including 
academia and private companies;
(ii) advise in ways that the cloud 
laboratories funded under this section are 
developed and expanded in such a way that 
maximizes usability across the disciplines of 
biotechnology while minimizing duplication 
across the network of cloud laboratories funded 
under this section;
(iii) advise on the definition of 
authorized researcher to ensure research 
security, but also allow access to all tiers of 
research and teaching institutions;
(iv) produce an annual report outlining all 
recommendations and actions that were taken 
over the course of the year; and
(v) provide guidance and recommendations to 
the Director regarding--
(I) ensuring that appropriate 
safeguards are in place to prevent the 
misuse of cloud laboratories funded 
under this section; and
(II) ensuring the implementation of 
a rigorous cybersecurity scheme across 
the network of such cloud laboratories.
(E) Termination.--The advisory board shall 
terminate on the date that is 12 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act.
(c) Phase II Cloud Laboratory Awards.--
(1) Awards authorized.--Not later than 2 years after the 
date of enactment of this Act, and subject to the availability 
of appropriations, the Director, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Energy, the Under Secretary, and the relevant 
individual in the Executive Office of the President responsible 
for coordinating interagency efforts related to biotechnology, 
shall, using the process developed in subsection (b)(2)(B), 
make grant awards, on a competitive basis, for the development 
and operation of not fewer than 2 cloud laboratories.
(2) Operational deadline.--Each phase II cloud laboratory 
shall be fully operational by the date that is 3 years after 
the date of enactment of this Act.
(3) Duration.--An award under this subsection for a phase 
II cloud laboratory shall be for not less than an 8-year 
period.
(d) Phase III Cloud Laboratory Awards.--
(1) Awards authorized.--Not later than 4 years after the 
date of enactment of this Act, and subject to the availability 
of appropriations, the Director, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Energy and the Under Secretary, shall make grant 
awards, on a competitive basis, for the development and 
operation of not fewer than 3 cloud laboratories.
(2) Relationship to phase ii cloud laboratories.--The phase 
III cloud laboratories shall be separate, and in addition to, 
the phase II cloud laboratories.
(3) Duration.--An award under this subsection for a phase 
III cloud laboratory shall be for not less than a 6-year 
period.
(4) Award basis.--In making awards under this subsection, 
the Director shall utilize a similar competitive process as 
used for awards for phase II cloud laboratories, which may be 
adjusted based on lessons learned from the establishment of the 
phase II cloud laboratories.
(e) Cloud Laboratory Pilot Award Program Implementation Reports.--
Beginning 1 year after the date on which all awards are made for phase 
II cloud laboratories, and annually thereafter, the Director shall 
prepare and submit a report to Congress regarding the progress, 
including any successes, of all cloud laboratories supported under the 
pilot grant program under this section.
(f) Sunset.--This section shall cease to have effect on the date 
that is 12 years after the date of enactment of this Act.
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