No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section states congressional findings regarding biotechnology's definition and potential to enhance U.S. military capabilities, food security, agricultural resilience, and disease treatment; the benefits of biopharmaceutical manufacturing; the value of reducing foreign supply chain dependency; and commercialization challenges for U.S. manufacturers. It expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should establish a biopharmaceutical manufacturing center of excellence to accelerate manufacturing innovation, support good manufacturing practices, facilitate collaboration among public, private, and nonprofit institutions, and provide worker training for biotechnology tools and equipment.
This section directs the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to award a grant or enter into an other transaction agreement, on a competitive basis and not later than 180 days after enactment, to an eligible non-federal entity—such as a public-private partnership, an institution of higher education, or a consortium thereof—to establish and operate the National Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Center of Excellence. The center must pursue objectives including advancing biopharmaceutical manufacturing science (especially for products important to U.S. national, health, or economic security); supporting good manufacturing practices and standardization; developing workforce training with educational partners; and engaging institutions of higher education, pharmaceutical manufacturers, government agencies, nonprofits, and others, with funding authorized for facility construction, collaborative research, workforce programs, and related development. Applicant selection requires demonstrations of prior relevant experience, and applications must detail plans for achieving these objectives.