Warner, Brown measure to expand defense research opportunities for historically black colleges and universities included in NDAA ConferenceE REPORT

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On December 16, 2021, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that the Senate-passed FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference report includes a version of their bipartisan Building Equitable Access to Contribute to Our National Security (BEACON) Act, legislation to expand Department of Defense (DoD) research funding opportunities for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). This includes Hampton University, Norfolk State University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, and the Virginia University of Lynchburg in Virginia, as well as Central State University and Wilberforce University in Ohio.

The Department funds basic research at institutions of higher education and Brown’s legislation would ensure HBCU students get the resources and research opportunities to succeed in STEM and other related careers. Brown and Warner filed a modified version of the BEACON Act as an amendment during Senate consideration of the NDAA. The House included a version of the BEACON Act in the NDAA and the FY22 NDAA Conference Report retained a similar provision. The House-Senate NDAA conference report now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

“This legislation will help tap into the enormous potential of Virginia’s five Historically Black Colleges and Universities, which for too long received a disproportionally small portion of our nation’s defense research funding,” said Warner. “I’m proud to have fought for this provision, which will strengthen the STEM pipeline at our HBCUs and help ensure that these institutions can access the resources they need to bolster critical defense research.”

“Historically Black Colleges and Universities, like Wilberforce and Central State in Ohio, are a critical part of our nation’s higher education system and provide important research opportunities for students traditionally underrepresented in STEM careers,” said Brown. “This funding will widen the talent pool and help elevate partnerships between the Department of Defense and these institutions for years to come.”

Defense research is a vital source of innovation and a financial resource for our nation’s universities, which received over $4.6 billion from the Department of Defense in science and engineering funding in 2018. Yet, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) received only $21 million – less than a half percent, of that funding. These disparities continue while Black individuals are underrepresented in the STEM labor force by 53% and despite the fact HBCUs are a proven pipeline for diverse STEM talent, graduating 20 percent of all African American college students and nearly 30 percent of all African American STEM professionals.

An interim report from NASEM found that “limited set aside dollars and no requirements or incentives to increase their participation in non-targeted programs, [congressional] encouragement has not translated into significant capacity-building or sustained support.” The report further found that “new funding streams may be necessary to expand opportunities to HBCU/MSIs” and “mutually beneficial partnerships may serve as a strategy for HBCU/MSIs to build and better utilize their current capacity to conduct DoD-funded research.”

Specifically, the amendment would:
• Require the Department of Defense to establish a plan to elevate a consortium of HBCUs/MSIs, assess their ability to participate and compete in engineering, research, and development activities, and report this plan to Congress.

• Give DoD the authority to establish a grant program to build out HBCU defense research capacity, including developing the workforce and research infrastructure and improving the capability to retain research faculty and staff.

• Increase partnerships between federally funded research development centers, University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), and HBCUs/MSIs.