The Director shall establish a Green Chemistry Basic Research program to award competitive, merit-based grants to support research into green and sustainable chemistry which will lead to clean, safe, and economical alternatives to traditional chemical products and practices. The research program shall provide sustained support for green chemistry research, education, and technology transfer through-
(1) merit-reviewed competitive grants to individual investigators and teams of investigators, including, to the extent practicable, young investigators, for research;
(2) grants to fund collaborative research partnerships among universities, industry, and nonprofit organizations;
(3) symposia, forums, and conferences to increase outreach, collaboration, and dissemination of green chemistry advances and practices; and
(4) education, training, and retraining of undergraduate and graduate students and professional chemists and chemical engineers, including through partnerships with industry, in green chemistry science and engineering.
(
Section was enacted as part of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, also known as the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Reauthorization Act of 2010, and also as part of the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2010, and not as part of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 which comprises this chapter.
"(a)
"(1) the science of chemistry is vital to improving the quality of human life and plays an important role in addressing critical global challenges, including water quality, energy, health care, and agriculture;
"(2) sustainable chemistry can reduce risks to human health and the environment, reduce waste, improve pollution prevention, promote safe and efficient manufacturing, and promote efficient use of resources in developing new materials, processes, and technologies that support viable long-term solutions to a significant number of challenges;
"(3) sustainable chemistry can stimulate innovation, encourage new and creative approaches to problems, create jobs, and save money; and
"(4) a coordinated effort on sustainable chemistry will allow for a greater return on research investment in this area.
"(b)
For definitions of terms used in this section, see section 502 of