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SEC. 9008. <<NOTE: 15 USC 5544.>> VETERANS' HEALTH INITIATIVE.
(a) Purposes.--The purposes of this section are to advance
Department of Energy expertise in artificial intelligence and high-
performance computing in order to improve health outcomes for veteran
populations by--
(1) supporting basic research through the application of
artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, modeling
and simulation, machine learning, and large-scale data analytics
to identify and solve outcome-defined challenges in the health
sciences;
(2) maximizing the impact of the Department of Veterans
Affairs' health and genomics data housed at the National
Laboratories, as well as data from other sources, on science,
innovation, and health care outcomes through the use and
advancement of artificial intelligence and high-performance
computing capabilities of the Department;
(3) promoting collaborative research through the
establishment of partnerships to improve data sharing between
Federal agencies, National Laboratories, institutions of higher
education, and nonprofit institutions;
(4) establishing multiple scientific computing user
facilities to house and provision available data to foster
transformational outcomes; and
(5) driving the development of technology to improve
artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and
networking relevant to mission applications of the Department,
including modeling, simulation, machine learning, and advanced
data analytics.
(b) Veterans Health Research and Development.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Energy (in this section
referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall establish and carry out
a research program in artificial intelligence and high-
performance computing, focused on the development of tools to
solve large-scale data analytics and management challenges
associated with veteran's healthcare, and to support the efforts
of the Department of Veterans Affairs to identify potential
health risks and challenges utilizing data on long-term
healthcare, health risks, and genomic data collected from
veteran populations. The Secretary shall carry out this program
through a competitive, merit-reviewed process, and consider
applications from National Laboratories, institutions of higher
education, multi-institutional collaborations, and other
appropriate entities.
(2) Program components.--In carrying out the program
established under paragraph (1), the Secretary may--
(A) conduct basic research in modeling and
simulation, machine learning, large-scale data
analytics, and predictive analysis in order to develop
novel or optimized algorithms for prediction of disease
treatment and recovery;
(B) develop methods to accommodate large data sets
with variable quality and scale, and to provide insight
and models for complex systems;
(C) develop new approaches and maximize the use of
algorithms developed through artificial intelligence,
machine learning, data analytics, natural language
processing, modeling and simulation, and develop new
algorithms suitable for high-performance computing
systems and large biomedical data sets;
(D) advance existing and construct new data enclaves
capable of securely storing data sets provided by the
Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense,
and other sources; and
(E) promote collaboration and data sharing between
National Laboratories, research entities, and user
facilities of the Department by providing the necessary
access and secure data transfer capabilities.
(3) Coordination.--In carrying out the program established
under paragraph (1), the Secretary is authorized--
(A) <<NOTE: Memorandum.>> to enter into memoranda
of understanding in order to carry out reimbursable
agreements with the Department of Veterans Affairs and
other entities in order to maximize the effectiveness of
Department research and development to improve veterans'
healthcare;
(B) <<NOTE: Consultation.>> to consult with the
Department of Veterans Affairs and other Federal
agencies as appropriate; and
(C) to ensure that data storage meets all privacy
and security requirements established by the Department
of Veterans Affairs, and that access to data is provided in
accordance with relevant Department of Veterans Affairs
data access policies, including informed consent.
(4) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs of the Senate, and the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of
the House of Representatives, a report detailing the
effectiveness of--
(A) the interagency coordination between each
Federal agency involved in the research program carried
out under this subsection;
(B) collaborative research achievements of the
program; and
(C) potential opportunities to expand the technical
capabilities of the Department.
(5) Funding.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out this subsection
$27,000,000 for fiscal year 2021.
(c) Interagency Collaboration.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to carry out
research, development, and demonstration activities to develop
tools to apply to big data that enable Federal agencies,
institutions of higher education, nonprofit research
organizations, and industry to better leverage the capabilities
of the Department to solve complex, big data challenges. The
Secretary shall carry out these activities through a
competitive, merit-reviewed process, and consider applications
from National Laboratories, institutions of higher education,
multi-institutional collaborations, and other appropriate
entities.
(2) Activities.--In carrying out the research, development,
and demonstration activities authorized under paragraph (1), the
Secretary may--
(A) utilize all available mechanisms to prevent
duplication and coordinate research efforts across the
Department;
(B) establish multiple user facilities to serve as
data enclaves capable of securely storing data sets
created by Federal agencies, institutions of higher
education, nonprofit organizations, or industry at
National Laboratories; and
(C) promote collaboration and data sharing between
National Laboratories, research entities, and user
facilities of the Department by providing the necessary
access and secure data transfer capabilities.
(3) <<NOTE: Evaluation.>> Report.--Not later than 2 years
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall
submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the
Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of
the House of Representatives a report evaluating the
effectiveness of the activities authorized under paragraph (1).
(4) Funding.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the
Secretary to carry out this subsection $15,000,000 for each of
fiscal years 2021 through 2025.
(d) Definition.--In this section, the term ``National Laboratory''
has the meaning given such term in section 2(3) of the Energy Policy Act
of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801(3)).