DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act
DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act would authorize and structure joint research and development activities between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The core idea is to pursue cross-cutting, collaborative R&D that advances both agencies’ mission priorities. The bill requires a memorandum of understanding (or other interagency agreement) that uses a competitive, merit-reviewed process to select projects, with participation open to federal agencies, national laboratories, colleges, nonprofits, and other eligible entities. Key focus areas span energy, agriculture, data science, environmental science, and related technology—ranging from AI and data analytics for agricultural and energy systems to biomass, biofuels, grid security, wildfire risk management, rural technology, and more. The act also emphasizes data sharing, workforce and infrastructure development, and opportunities to co-develop and demonstrate technologies that improve agricultural efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A two-year reporting requirement to Congress would assess coordination, capabilities, achievements, and future opportunities, and the act foregrounds alignment with existing research security requirements.
Key Points
- 1Establishes DOE- and USDA–led cross-cutting R&D activities with a Memorandum of Understanding or interagency agreement that requires a competitive, merit-reviewed process for funding considerations from federal agencies, national labs, higher education, and nonprofits.
- 2Sets a broad menu of collaborative focus areas (A–L), including modeling/AI/data analytics for agriculture and energy; advanced crop science; energy–water–environment nexus; biomass and biofuels; diverse feedstocks; grid modernization and security; rural technology and manufacturing; wildfire risk and energy infrastructure resilience; and long-term high-risk transformative science.
- 3Encourages development of methods to handle large, voluntary, standardized data sets across agricultural, environmental, supply chain, and economic domains, plus data sharing across agencies and partners in a secure, compliant way.
- 4authorizes reimbursable agreements and collaboration with other federal entities to maximize R&D impact, and supports research infrastructure and workforce development as needed.
- 5Requires a report to Congress within two years detailing interagency coordination, opportunities to expand capabilities, collaborative achievements, future areas of mutual benefit, and continuation of DOE–USDA coordination; includes alignment with research security provisions.