Sponsors (2)
The bill centralizes and funds a national biological data infrastructure to speed research and improve data security and interoperability, but it requires substantial federal spending and concentrates sensitive data and decision‑making in ways that raise biosecurity, transparency, and conflict‑of‑interest risks.
Researchers and students gain a single, centralized entry point for federally funded biological datasets, simplifying discovery and accelerating research workflows.
Federal investment in biological data science, AI-enabled tools, and improved data curation/interoperability boosts R&D capacity and supports tech and research jobs.
The initiative builds tiered access controls and requires independent, biannual cybersecurity assessments to reduce misuse and protect sensitive datasets.
Centralizing access to sensitive biological data increases biosecurity and dual‑use risks for the public and health systems if safeguards fail or are misconfigured.
Taxpayers face new federal spending obligations (hundreds of millions initially), increasing the fiscal cost of supporting this national data infrastructure.
Cost‑sharing with industry and philanthropy could create conflicts over dataset access, control, or research priorities, affecting researchers' independence.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Directs DOE to fund a National Laboratory to build a centralized Web of Biological Data with metadata, cybersecurity, partnerships, and deadlines for a plan and Phase I test.
Creates a federally funded, centralized “Web of Biological Data” run by a Department of Energy-funded National Laboratory and sets up an R&D program on biological data science. The selected lab director must deliver a one-year implementation plan and a tested Phase I Web within two years, and may enter into data‑sharing, cost‑sharing, and partnership agreements; the Web must provide a single point of entry to federal biological data, include metadata/quality metrics, and use tiered cybersecurity and access controls.
Official title: To require the Secretary of Energy to establish a centralized resource for access to data to facilitate biological research through enabling advanced computational methods such as artificial intelligence, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 11, 2026 by Matt Van Epps · Last progress June 11, 2026