The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022: Key Overview for Research Universities

On June 30th, 2022, the House Appropriations Committee (HAC) approved the final two of 12 annual government funding bills for fiscal year 2023 (FY23). Six of those bills are expected to be considered in the House next week.

On August 9th, 2022, President Biden signed H.R.4346 (also known as “CHIPS Plus” or “CHIPS and Science”) into law. An important distinction in the bill for research universities is the difference between appropriated funding and authorized funding.

Division A of the bill appropriates $52.7 billion in funding for semiconductor research, development, and manufacturing over 5 years:

  • This funding was authorized in the FY21 NDAA and is now available to designated federal agencies.

Division B of the bill authorizes $169.9 billion in additional science and technology R&D funding across the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy (DOE), and the Department of Commerce (DOC) for fiscal years (FY) 2023-2027. 

  • This funding has not yet been appropriated, and whether these agencies ultimately receive funding at this level will be determined by future Congressional appropriation efforts.

NSF received a five-year authorization total of $81 billion, a $36 billion increase over baseline.

  • This includes $20 billion over five years for the new Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) Directorate launched by NSF in March 2022. The bill officially authorizes the new directorate and sets out program and focus areas for research.
  • The bill directs NSF to expand investment in MSIs and emerging research institutions and places EPSCoR jurisdictions on the path to receive 20% of funding in key accounts by FY29.

DOE received a five-year authorization total of $67.9 billion, with $50.3 billion for the Office of Science, a $30.5 billion increase over baseline. 

  • This also includes $11 billion across the department’s applied energy programs for research, development, and demonstration activities aligned with NSF’s authorized areas of focus for TIP.

DOC received a five-year authorization total of $21 billion, with $9.68 billion for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a $15 billion increase over baseline. 

  • The department is directed to create 20 “regional technology hubs” that will focus on technology development, jobs, and innovation capacity. 
  • Authorizations for NIST support the creation of new competitively awarded manufacturing research institutes with expanded capacity for education and workforce development.

If you are interested in learning more about these strategic intelligence analyses, or would like a full read-out of the new CHIPS Plus Legislative Analysis, please contact us here.