DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act

This bill lets the Department of Energy and NASA work more closely together on research. They can sign formal agreements, share data and tools, and give competitive awards to labs, colleges, and other groups to tackle shared problems. Example topics include space propulsion (including nuclear power for spacecraft), advanced computing and AI, the physics of the universe (like dark matter), Earth and environmental science, quantum computing and networks, radiation health, and sending solar energy collected in space down to Earth. The goal is to speed up breakthroughs by pooling expertise and facilities, with secure data sharing across agencies.

Projects must be chosen by quality, using a merit review process. The agencies can also work with other federal partners and make it easier to use large, voluntary space and aeronautics datasets on powerful computers. A joint report on results is due two years after the law takes effect, including future plans and possible clean energy applications, such as marine energy. All collaboration must follow federal research security rules.

• Who is affected: DOE, NASA, national labs, universities, nonprofits, and other federal agencies that may partner on projects.
• What changes: Allows formal partnerships, data sharing, use of DOE facilities by NASA, and competitive awards for joint research in key areas.
• When: Ongoing collaboration, with a joint progress report due two years after enactment; research security rules apply throughout.