Summary

Authorizes the Department of Energy (DOE) and NASA to work together on joint and cross-cutting research and development, share facilities and data, and make competitive awards to support their mission priorities. It also creates a limited mechanism for other federal departments or agencies to transfer funds to NASA for space-related research or education, requires merit-based review of awards, and mandates reports to Congress on coordination, funding transfers, and outcomes.

• Authorizes DOE and NASA to coordinate and conduct joint, cross-cutting R&D and to make competitive awards to support missions.
• Requires data-sharing methods and HPC accommodations for very large space and aeronautical datasets.
• Allows federal departments/agencies to transfer research/education funds to NASA for space-related grants or cooperative agreements, with approval and merged appropriations.
• Competitive awards must use merit-review and can include Federal agencies, National Labs, universities, nonprofits, and other entities.
• NASA must report in budget materials on transferred funds (starting within 2 years) and submit a 3-year report on the value and challenges of the transfer authority.
• A joint DOE–NASA report to Congress is required within 2 years describing coordination activities, outcomes, and future priorities.
• Lists a broad set of potential R&D focus areas including propulsion, quantum, Earth and Arctic science, wildfire mitigation, space weather, and STEM workforce development.
• Does not appropriate funding directly; it authorizes activities and fund-transfer authority but implementation depends on appropriations and agency actions.