85R12613 CLG-D
By: Button H.B. No. 3260
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to use of the governor's university research initiative
fund to support the commercialization of property derived from
research at or through public institutions of higher education.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 62.161, Education Code, as added by
Chapters 323 (S.B. 632) and 915 (H.B. 26), Acts of the 84th
Legislature, Regular Session, 2015, is amended by adding
Subdivision (8) to read as follows:
(8) "Public institution of higher education" means an
institution of higher education as defined by Section 61.003.
SECTION 2. Section 62.164(a), Education Code, as added by
Chapters 323 (S.B. 632) and 915 (H.B. 26), Acts of the 84th
Legislature, Regular Session, 2015, is amended to read as follows:
(a) In awarding grants under Section 62.163, the office
shall give priority to grant proposals that involve the recruitment
of distinguished researchers in the fields of science, technology,
engineering, mathematics, and medicine. With respect to proposals
involving those fields, the office shall give priority to proposals
that demonstrate a reasonable likelihood of contributing
substantially to this state's national and global economic
competitiveness.
SECTION 3. Subchapter H, Chapter 62, Education Code, as
added by Chapters 323 (S.B. 632) and 915 (H.B. 26), Acts of the 84th
Legislature, Regular Session, 2015, is amended by adding Section
62.1645 to read as follows:
Sec. 62.1645. GRANT FOR PUBLIC UNIVERSITY RESEARCH
DEVELOPMENT WITH PRIVATE SPONSORSHIP. (a) The office may provide
grants to public institutions of higher education from the fund to
supplement other funding for projects involving the
commercialization of intellectual property or other property
derived from research developed at or through a public institution
of higher education. To be eligible for a grant under this section,
a project must be supported by funding provided by one or more
private entities participating in the project, in addition to any
funding provided by the public institution of higher education.
(b) The amount of a grant awarded under this section may not
exceed 50 percent of the total amount of investment in the project
provided by the applicable public institution of higher education
and the participating private entity or entities.
SECTION 4. Section 62.168, Education Code, as added by
Chapters 323 (S.B. 632) and 915 (H.B. 26), Acts of the 84th
Legislature, Regular Session, 2015, is amended to read as follows:
Sec. 62.168. REPORTING REQUIREMENT. (a) Before the
beginning of each regular session of the legislature the governor
shall submit to the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
representatives, and the standing committees of each house of the
legislature with primary jurisdiction over economic development
and higher education matters and post on the office of the
governor's Internet website a report on grants made from the fund.
(b) For matching grants made to eligible institutions from
the fund under Section 62.163, the report must state [from the fund
that states]:
(1) the total amount of matching funds granted by the
office;
(2) the total amount of matching funds granted to each
recipient institution;
(3) a brief description of each distinguished
researcher recruited by each recipient institution, including any
amount of external research funding that followed the distinguished
researcher to the institution;
(4) a brief description of the expenditures made from
the matching grant funds for each distinguished researcher; and
(5) when available, a brief description of each
distinguished researcher's contribution to the state's economic
competitiveness, including:
(A) any patents issued to the distinguished
researcher after accepting employment by the recipient
institution; and
(B) any external research funding, public or
private, obtained by the distinguished researcher after accepting
employment by the recipient institution.
(c) For grants made to public institutions of higher
education from the fund under Section 62.1645, the report must
include only the amount and purpose of each grant.
(d) [(a-1)] The report may not include information that is
made confidential by law.
(e) [(b)] The governor may require an eligible institution
that receives a matching grant under this subchapter to submit, on a
form the governor provides, information required to complete the
report.
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.