S. 3468

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3468 Reported in Senate (RS)]

<DOC>

Calendar No. 451
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3468

[Report No. 119-129]

To establish a national programmable cloud laboratories network to 
enhance research efficiency, innovation, and collaboration, and for 
other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

December 11, 2025

Mr. Fetterman (for himself and Mr. Budd) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation

July 13, 2026

Reported by Mr. Cruz, with amendments
[Omit the parts struck through and insert the parts printed in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To establish a national programmable cloud laboratories network to 
enhance research efficiency, innovation, and collaboration, 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 ``National Programmable Cloud 
Laboratories Network Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

(a) 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) 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.
(23) Director.--Unless otherwise provided, the term 
``Director'' means the Director of the National Science 
Foundation.
(34) Institution of higher education.--The term 
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the 
term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1001).
(45) Network.--The term ``Network'' means the National 
Programmable Cloud Laboratories Network.
(56) Node.--The term ``node'' means a programmable cloud 
laboratory designated as part of the Network.
(67) Non-designated laboratory.--The term ``non-designated 
laboratory'' means any Federal, academic, nonprofit, or private 
industry programmable cloud laboratory not selected as a node 
under section 3.
(78) Programmable cloud laboratory.--The term 
``programmable cloud laboratory'' means a physical laboratory 
that is equipped with research instrumentation and advanced 
manufacturing capabilities, including robotics and artificial 
intelligence, that can be securely and remotely programmed and 
controlled in order to conduct experiments and collect 
associated data.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL PROGRAMMABLE CLOUD LABORATORIES NETWORK.

(a) Purposes.--The purposes of the Network established under this 
Act are--
(1) to maintain leadership by the United States in advanced 
experimentation, biotechnology, laboratory automation, and 
artificial intelligence for scientific research, advanced 
manufacturing, long-term economic competitiveness, and national 
security;
(2) to reduce the cost of federally funded research through 
automation and reproducibility;
(3) to accelerate national competitiveness by transferring 
government-funded research to private-sector commercial 
applications;
(4) to improve collaboration among federally funded 
national laboratories, institutions of higher education, and 
private industry;
(5) to ensure that investment in programmable cloud 
laboratories results in measurable cost savings, efficiencies, 
and long-term fiscal sustainability;
(6) to incentivize private-sector cost-sharing in research 
infrastructure and equipment;
(7) to support workforce development aligned with the 
technical needs of industry in the United States;
(8) to provide funding for nodes;
(89) to advance the development of a domestic industrial 
base for scientific automation tools, biotechnology, artificial 
intelligence systems for experimentation, and robotics 
platforms for use in laboratory settings; and
(910) to further programmable cloud laboratory research in 
areas such as materials science, biotechnology, chemistry, and 
other scientific or engineering disciplines where automation 
and cloud-enabled experimentation can deliver transformative 
results, including advanced materials synthesis and 
characterization, scalable biotechnology experimentation, and 
high-throughput chemical catalyst development.
<DELETED> (b) Establishment.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) In general.--Not later</DELETED>
(b) Establishment; Awards.--
(1) In general.--
(A) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Director, in 
consultation with the Director of the National 
Institute of Standards and Technology, shall designate 
and oversee a National Programmable Cloud Laboratories 
Network of not more than 6 nodes to support secure, 
standards-based, and cost-effective remote 
experimentation and automated research.
(B) Awards.--The Director shall award a grant to 
each node, in an amount not greater than $5,000,000 per 
fiscal year for a period of not more than 5 years, to 
support the National Programmable Cloud Laboratories 
Network.
(2) Assessment sequencing.--The assessment required under 
section 5 shall be conducted only after the final designation 
of nodes under paragraph (1).
(3) Nodes.--The Network shall consist of nodes that--
(A) enable programmable workflows and automated 
science;
(B) provide access to advanced scientific and 
manufacturing instruments, including artificial 
intelligence-enabled tools;
(C) collaborate to establish and adopt common 
standards, protocols, and best practices; and
(D) support interoperability across and between 
nodes.
(c) Application and Selection.--
(1) In general.--The Director shall issue a public 
solicitation for eligible entities to apply for node 
designation.
(2) Eligible entities.--Eligible entities that may apply 
for designation as a node include--
(A) institutions of higher education;
(B) nonprofit research organizations;
(C) private - sector research entities; and
(D) consortia or collaborations of the entities 
described in subparagraphs (A) through (C).
(d) Applications for Designation.--An eligible entity that desires 
to apply for designation as a node in the Network shall submit an 
application to the Director at such time and in such manner as the 
Director may require. The application shall include--
(1) a technical and programmatic plan for laboratory 
operations, automation capabilities, and data integration;
(2) a plan to achieve long-term self-sustainability, 
including metrics, interim milestones, and a timeline for 
reducing reliance on Federal funding; and
(3) evidence of non-Federal cost share, private capital, or 
other third-party contributions demonstrating self-
sustainability potential.
(e) Evaluation of Applicants.--The Director shall ensure that the 
process for selecting eligible entities for designation in the Network 
is competitive, merit-based, and transparent, through the evaluation 
of, with respect to each entity-- shall be competitive, merit-reviewed, 
and transparent, evaluating--
(1) pre-existing laboratory infrastructure and suitability 
for automated science;
(2) capacity to support distributed, cloud-enabled 
programmable workflows for multiple users;
(3) likelihood of achieving long-term sustainability 
without continued Federal funding;
(4) demonstrated ability to collaborate with other nodes, 
academic partners, industry partners, or other Federal research 
agencies (as defined in section 10002 of the Research and 
Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 
18901));
(5) protocols for research security, cybersecurity, and 
responsible access; and
(6) demonstration of user interest and research needs.
<DELETED> (f) Designation.--In designating nodes, the Director shall 
provide preference for applications demonstrating meaningful third-
party cost share and pre-existing infrastructure.</DELETED>
(f) Designation.--In designating nodes, the Director shall--
(1) give preference to applicants demonstrating meaningful 
third-party cost share and pre-existing infrastructure; and
(2) to the extent practicable, ensure that at least 1 node 
demonstrates the capability to support cloud-enabled 
biotechnology research, including automated experimentation or 
quality control workflows.
(g) Responsibilities.--Each node selected by the Director shall--
(1) support the purposes described in subsection (a)(9);
(2) facilitate collaboration among Network members to 
expand and integrate automated science capabilities and best 
practices;
(3) actively participate with the Director of the National 
Institute of Standards and Technology in developing network-
wide interoperability, data-sharing, cybersecurity, and 
artificial intelligence-assisted experimentation standards;
(4) support secure sharing of experimental data, including 
biological data, models, and results across institutions of 
higher education participating in the Network, if applicable;
(5) provide a secure digital infrastructure to enable 
remote experimentation, artificial intelligence-assisted 
analysis, and reproducible science;
(6) engage in public-private partnerships to streamline the 
transfer of technology developed using Network infrastructure;
(7) develop and maintain a financial sustainability plan to 
reduce long-term reliance on Federal funds, including through 
user fees, licensing, consortia membership, or other revenue-
generating models;
(8) establish performance metrics, including scientific 
output, cost-effectiveness, academic engagement, private-sector 
engagement, user satisfaction, and reproducibility of results; 
and
(9) where practicable, leverage commercially available 
hardware and software solutions to minimize cost and accelerate 
deployment of automated science capabilities.

SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION.

Not later than 180 days after all nodes of the Network are 
designated, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology, in cooperation with the Director and participating eligible 
entities (including institutions of higher education), shall--
(1) develop and promulgate standards to ensure 
interoperability across Network nodes, including laboratory 
instrumentation, data infrastructure, communication protocols, 
and experiment execution systems;
(2) establish protocols for secure, seamless, and 
standardized data-sharing among all members of the Network, 
including sharing of biological data, aligned with node-level 
cybersecurity and research security protocols;
(3) define minimum technical requirements and operating 
procedures to support remote experimentation, experiment 
reproducibility, and artificial intelligence-assisted 
workflows; and
(4) periodically update such standards in consultation with 
private - sector partners and nodes of the Network to reflect 
advancements in hardware, software, and automation technology.

SEC. 5. ASSESSMENT OF NON-DESIGNATED LABORATORIES.

(a) Assessment Requirement.--Not later than 180 days after the 
Director designates the final node of the Network under section 3, the 
Director, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy and the Director 
of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, shall conduct 
and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress, a comprehensive 
assessment of non-designated laboratories.
(b) Scope.--The assessment shall identify, to the extent 
practicable--
(1) Federal laboratories, institutions of higher education, 
nonprofit organizations, and private-sector laboratories that 
possess or are developing programmable, automated, or remotely 
accessible research infrastructure;
(2) the instrumentation, automation, and data capabilities 
of such laboratories;
(3) cybersecurity and research security measures relevant 
to interoperability;
(4) existing or potential pathways for such laboratories to 
coordinate with Network nodes in areas such as data-sharing, 
standards adoption, or pilot interoperability projects; and
(5) legal, contractual, or intellectual property 
considerations that may affect participation in the Network.
(c) Confidentiality and Security.--Proprietary information shall be 
protected from public disclosure consistent with applicable law. The 
Director shall publish a nonproprietary public summary of the 
assessment and may submit a proprietary annex to the congressional 
committees of jurisdiction.

SEC. 6. REPORTING AND OVERSIGHT.

(a) Annual Briefings.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Director shall 
brief the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 
of Representatives on the status of the Network.
(b) Contents.--Each briefing required under subsection (a) shall 
include an assessment of--
(1) the alignment of supported research with national 
scientific and economic priorities;
(2) the progress each node of the Network has made toward 
achieving self-sustainability as described in section 3(d)(2); 
and
(3) the performance metrics established in section 3(g)(8).

SEC. 7. FUNDING.

From amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to the 
National Science Foundation, the Director shall allocate $30,000,000 
for each of the fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to carry out this Act, 
subject to the availability of appropriations.

SEC. 78. SUNSET.

The National Programmable Cloud Laboratories Network, including all 
authorities, programs, and funding provided under this Act, shall 
terminate on September 30, 2031.
Calendar No. 451

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. 3468

[Report No. 119-129]

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To establish a national programmable cloud laboratories network to 
enhance research efficiency, innovation, and collaboration, and for 
other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

July 13, 2026

Reported with amendments