Sponsors (6)
The bill expands and targets federal support to build equitable secondary biotech education and workforce pathways, but does so with modest additional federal costs and risks around program sustainability, local maintenance burdens, and potential industry influence on curriculum.
Students in secondary schools—especially in underserved or rural areas—gain expanded access to biotechnology courses and stackable credentials, improving STEM career pathways and reducing geographic/socioeconomic disparities.
Secondary school teachers receive funded professional development in lab instruction, curriculum design, and pedagogy, which raises classroom quality and supports sustainable program delivery.
Schools and educational programs can obtain grants for lab equipment and curricula, lowering local capital barriers to offering biotech courses and enabling more schools to start programs.
The program is established as a temporary (5-year) consortium, so supports and coordination could lapse after sunset, risking the sustainability of new courses and partnerships.
Schools may face ongoing maintenance, supply, and personnel costs for new lab programs that one-time grants may not fully cover, creating local budget pressures after awards end.
Establishing and administering the expanded federal program at NSF will increase federal spending and create modest additional costs for taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes NSF grants to create or expand biotechnology education for secondary students, funding teacher training, curricula, labs, partnerships, and stackable credentials.
Official title: To support biotechnology education for secondary school students, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 14, 2026 by Sarah McBride · Last progress April 14, 2026
Authorizes the National Science Foundation to competitively award grants to create or expand biotechnology education for secondary (high school) students, including in informal settings. Grants may fund teacher professional development, curricula, lab equipment, partnerships with higher education and industry, and development of stackable biotechnology credentials; the NSF Director may prioritize applicants with demonstrated need and coordinate federal, state, and local efforts. Requires the NSF Director to establish a National Biotechnology Education Consortium (at least six members from federal agencies, eligible education entities, and biotechnology stakeholders) within 180 days; the Consortium will sunset five years after creation. Definitions reference existing education and NSF program terms and the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act’s table of contents is amended to add this new authority.