Foundation for Enabling Biotechnology Innovation Act

This bill creates a new, independent nonprofit foundation connected to the National Science Foundation to speed up getting safe biotech products from the lab to the marketplace. It would help federal agencies work together and team up with universities, companies, and nonprofits. The foundation could fund studies and projects, run grants and competitions, and support public outreach so people understand how biotech is developed and used. It can also help U.S. biotech firms reach markets, including by working on international standards, but it would not write or enforce regulations. It is not a government agency.

The foundation could run education and fellowship programs (like short courses, shadowing federal agencies, and capstone projects) and offer stipends and travel support. It could accept private donations, but not from “foreign countries or entities of concern.” A board with voting members from many sectors and nonvoting members from key federal agencies would oversee it. The group must publish yearly reports, do annual audits, and create a plan within a year to become mostly self-sustaining within five years. Congress would fund NSF to transfer at least $4 million each year to the foundation starting in 2026.

• Who is affected: biotech startups, researchers and students, federal agencies, and the public learning about biotech.
• What changes: more funding and coordination to bring biotech products to market; education and fellowships; public engagement; help with market access; clear limits to avoid conflicts of interest and foreign influence.
• When: ongoing after enactment; board seats filled within about six months; plan due within one year of hiring the CEO; annual reports each year; federal funding starts in fiscal year 2026.