NSF Plant Biology Act

The National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

The Director may award grants on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis to institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, private sector entities, and Federal, State, local, or Tribal governments, or a consortia of such institutions, entities, or governments, to support plant and microbial biology research with potential relevance to agriculture, food, or biotechnology, including relating to the following:

(1) Fundamental research regarding plant biology.

(2) Tools, resources, and technology that further enable plant biology.

There is authorized to be appropriated to the Director $150,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2031 to carry out this section.

Section 4 of the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 is amended by—

(1) redesignating paragraphs (13) through (16) as paragraphs (14) through (17), respectively; and

(2) by inserting after paragraph (12) the following new paragraph:

The term nonprofit organization means an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under section 15 501(a) of such Code.