10 U.S.C. § 4141: Award of grants and contracts to colleges and universities: requirement of competition

in the case of a grant, the grant is made using competitive procedures; and in the case of a contract, the contract is awarded in accordance with section 3204 of this title (other than pursuant to subsection (a)(5) of that section). specifically refers to this section; specifically states that such provision of law modifies or supersedes the provisions of this section; and specifically identifies the particular college or university involved and states that the grant to be made or the contract to be awarded, as the case may be, pursuant to such provision of law is being made or awarded in contravention of subsection (a). the Secretary of Defense submits to Congress a notice in writing of the intent to make the grant or award the contract; and a period of 180 days has elapsed after the date on which the notice is received by Congress. The Secretary of Defense may establish one or more National Security and Defense Artificial Intelligence Institutes (referred to in this section as ‘Institutes’) at eligible host institutions. is focused on a cross-cutting challenge or foundational science for artificial intelligence systems in the national security and defense sector; establishes partnerships among public and private organizations, including, as appropriate, Federal agencies, institutions of higher education, including community colleges, nonprofit research organizations, Federal laboratories, State, local, and Tribal governments, and industry, including the Defense Industrial Base and startup companies; has the potential to create an innovation ecosystem, or enhance existing ecosystems, to translate Institute research into applications and products used to enhance national security and defense capabilities; supports interdisciplinary research and development across multiple institutions of higher education and organizations; and supports workforce development in artificial intelligence related disciplines in the United States. The Secretary of Defense may award financial assistance to an eligible host institution, or consortia thereof, to establish and support one or more Institutes. managing and making available to researchers accessible, curated, standardized, secure, and privacy protected data sets from the public and private sectors for the purposes of training and testing artificial intelligence systems and for research using artificial intelligence systems with regard to national security and defense; developing and managing testbeds for artificial intelligence systems, including sector-specific test beds, designed to enable users to evaluate artificial intelligence systems prior to deployment; conducting research and education activities involving artificial intelligence systems to solve challenges with national security implications; providing or brokering access to computing resources, networking, and data facilities for artificial intelligence research and development relevant to the Institute’s research goals; providing technical assistance to users, including software engineering support, for artificial intelligence research and development relevant to the Institute’s research goals; engaging in outreach and engagement to broaden participation in artificial intelligence research and the artificial intelligence workforce; and such other activities as may determined by the Secretary of Defense. Financial assistance under paragraph (1) shall be awarded for a five-year period, and may be renewed for not more than one additional five-year period. An eligible host institution or consortia thereof seeking financial assistance under paragraph (1) shall submit to the Secretary of Defense an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. In awarding financial assistance under paragraph (1), the Secretary of Defense shall use a competitive, merit-based review process. In awarding financial assistance under paragraph (1), the Secretary of Defense may collaborate with other departments and agencies of the Federal Government with missions that relate to or have the potential to be affected by the national security implications of artificial intelligence systems. No financial assistance authorized in this section shall be awarded to an entity outside of the United States. All recipients of financial assistance under this section, including subgrantees, shall be based in the United States and shall meet such other eligibility criteria as may be established by the Secretary of Defense. an institution of higher education (as defined in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1002 )) in the United States that conducts research sponsored by the Department of Defense; or a senior military college (as defined in section 2111a(f) of title 10 , United States Code).”