Protecting American Research and Talent Act

Summary

Prohibits the use of Federal funds to award grants or contracts to institutions of higher education for the purpose of conducting fundamental research in collaboration with certain foreign-linked or foreign-controlled entities, unless an agency head grants a national-security waiver for eligible institutions. Eligible institutions must meet low international-enrollment thresholds; agencies must notify Congress of waivers within 30 days and provide annual reports listing applicants, waivers, and detailed information about approved collaborations.

• Bars federal funds for grants or contracts that support fundamental research at universities when that research is done in collaboration with specified foreign-linked or foreign-controlled entities.
• Allows agency heads to grant national-security waivers for institutions that meet low international-enrollment thresholds (under 15% overall; under 5% from any one country of concern, excluding persecuted groups).
• Requires agencies to notify Congress within 30 days of any waiver award and to include justification.
• Mandates annual agency reports to Congress listing institutions that applied for funding and waivers, enrollment statistics, and detailed descriptions of any approved collaborations (parties, technology, duration, IP terms).
• Defines key terms such as covered entity, collaboration, fundamental research (by reference to NSSD–189), and institution of higher education (by HEA reference).
• Covers branches and subunits of covered entities, making the covered-entity definition broad.
• Applies only when the federal award is for the purpose of conducting fundamental research in collaboration with a covered entity; other funding uses are not directly addressed.
• Excludes certain persecuted persons from the enrollment calculations to avoid penalizing institutions that enroll refugees or persecuted scholars.