§2.Department of Agriculture and National Science Foundation research and development coordination
This section directs the Secretary of Agriculture and the Director of the National Science Foundation to carry out cross-cutting and collaborative research and development activities to advance their missions, coordinated through memoranda of understanding or interagency agreements that require competitive, merit-review processes and may involve federal agencies, institutions of higher education, nonprofit institutions, and other entities. In coordination, they may (1) conduct collaborative research on focus areas such as plant, animal, and microbial biology; food and nutrition security; rural economic revitalization; cyber-physical systems; advanced sensors; nano-biosensing; pathogen monitoring; emerging technologies including artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, and blockchain; precision agriculture tools; and workforce needs; (2) promote collaboration, open development, and data sharing among federal agencies, institutions of higher education, community colleges, area career and technical education schools, nonprofits, and other entities; (3) support research infrastructure including facilities, equipment, and broadband; (4) develop translational technologies for commercial use; (5) organize STEM education, training, and research initiatives including Cooperative Extension System activities, industrial partnerships, teacher workshops on agricultural literacy, K-12 curricula, and resource distribution; (6) award grants to institutions of higher education, community colleges, area career and technical education schools, or eligible nonprofits (or consortia) to establish centers for agricultural research, education, and workforce development; and (7) facilitate public-private relationships after any agreements end. The section further authorizes reimbursable agreements with other entities, collaboration with additional federal agencies, and a joint report to specified congressional committees not later than two years after enactment detailing interagency coordination, technical opportunities, achievements, future successes, and continued activities; all subject to research security requirements under the CHIPS and Science Act.