The Director of the Foundation shall award grants on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis, to eligible entities to increase the participation of underrepresented populations in STEM fields, including individuals identified in section 1885a or section 1885b of this title.
Grants awarded under this subsection may include grants for the establishment of a Center of Excellence to collect, maintain, and disseminate information to increase participation of underrepresented populations in STEM fields.
The purpose of a Center of Excellence under this subsection is to promote diversity in STEM fields by building on the success of the INCLUDES programs, providing technical assistance, maintaining best practices, and providing related training at federally funded academic institutions.
The Director of the Foundation shall make awards to institutions of higher education (or consortia thereof) for the development and assessment of innovative reform efforts designed to increase the recruitment, retention, and advancement of individuals from underrepresented minority groups in academic STEM careers, which may include implementing or expanding successful evidence-based practices.
Awards shall be made under this subsection on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis.
The Director of the Foundation shall ensure, to the extent practicable, that awards under this section are made to a variety of types of institutions of higher education.
The Director of the Foundation shall make awards to institutions of higher education (or a consortium of such institutions) to implement or expand research-based reforms in undergraduate STEM education for the purpose of recruiting and retaining students from minority groups who are underrepresented in STEM fields.
Awards shall be made under this subsection on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis.
The Director of the Foundation shall ensure, to the extent practicable, that awards under this subsection are made to a variety of types of institutions of higher education, including historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities, minority serving institutions, and 2-year institutions of higher education.
All awards made under this subsection shall include an education research component that will support the design and implementation of a system for data collection and evaluation of proposed reform efforts in order to build the knowledge base on promising models for increasing recruitment and retention of students from underrepresented minority groups in STEM education at the undergraduate level across a diverse set of institutions.
The Director of the Foundation shall coordinate with the Committee on STEM Education of the National Science and Technology Council in disseminating the results of the research under this paragraph to ensure that best practices in broadening participation in STEM education at the undergraduate level are made readily available to all institutions of higher education, other Federal agencies that support STEM programs, non-Federal funders of STEM education, and the general public.
Not later than 5 years after January 6, 2017, the Director of the Foundation shall evaluate the grants provided under this section.