DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act

The DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act would establish a formal partnership between the Department of Energy and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to conduct joint research and development. The bill would allow these two agencies to enter into a memorandum of understanding that enables them to work together on research areas of mutual interest, such as dark matter studies, and to share research infrastructure and data across agencies.

Under this bill, the two agencies would be able to develop systems for managing large voluntary datasets related to space and aeronautical information, and would promote data sharing between multiple government agencies. This coordination would allow NASA to access Department of Energy research facilities and expertise that might otherwise be unavailable, potentially accelerating scientific discoveries that benefit both space exploration and energy research missions.

The bill would require the Department of Energy and NASA to jointly report to Congress on the results and progress of their collaboration, ensuring legislative oversight of the partnership. Currently, the bill has passed the House and is under review by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. If enacted, this legislation would formalize what may currently occur informally, giving the agencies clear statutory authority to coordinate their research efforts and pool their scientific resources.