Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Ross (NC-02) introduced bipartisan legislation to support and advance technology research at institutions of higher education. Specifically, the bill would create a National Science Foundation grant program to fund technology research activities including conducting fundamental and experimental research, commercializing innovative technology, creating computational models, and establishing traineeship programs for graduate students.

“Furthering our national innovation enterprise and ensuring our technology workforce has the requisite skill set to work on cutting edge research are the keys to success in the 21^st century world.” said Congresswoman Ross. “Nearly every sector relies on technology. There is enormous industry demand for human capital, and we need a highly trained workforce to match. The grant program created by this bill would enable academic institutions to provide their students with critical research experience to build the robust technology workforce our country urgently needs.”

In 2020, the National Science Foundation awarded over $197 million to North Carolina-based companies, organizations, and academic institutions to support fundamental research, STEM education and workforce development, and more. Nearly $53 million was awarded to NC State, a leading research institution in the Congresswoman’s district.

Congresswoman Ross continued: “I am especially excited to be leading this piece of legislation as the representative of much of the Research Triangle Park area, home to several major research universities. The importance of academic institutions in creating robust innovation economies cannot be understated. It is no coincidence that, with universities and colleges in my district full of students and researchers pursuing STEM careers, Raleigh ranks #2 in the nation in technology job growth. I am confident established and emerging research institutions across the country would benefit from NSF technology research grants.”

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