In carrying out this part, the Director may provide awards in the form of grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, cash prizes, and other transactions.
Program directors may use diverse merit review models for selection of award recipients under section 19114 of this title, including internal review and different models that use peer review.
The Foundation may carry out a program of personnel management authority provided under subparagraph (B) in order to facilitate recruitment of eminent experts in science or engineering for research and development projects and to enhance the administration and management of the Foundation.
Except as provided in clause (ii), the service of an employee under an appointment under subparagraph (B)(i) may not exceed 4 years.
The Director may, in the case of a particular employee under the program under subparagraph (A), extend the period to which service is limited under clause (i) by up to 2 years if the Director determines that such action is necessary to promote the efficiency of the Foundation.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection or section 5307 of title 5, no additional payments may be paid to an employee under subparagraph (B)(iii) in any calendar year if, or to the extent that, the employee’s total annual compensation in such calendar year will exceed the maximum amount of total annual compensation payable at the salary set in accordance with section 104 of title 3.
The Foundation may carry out a program using the authority provided in subparagraph (B) in order to attract highly qualified experts in needed occupations, as determined by the Foundation. Individuals hired by the Director through such authority may include individuals with expertise in business creativity, innovation management, design thinking, entrepreneurship, venture capital, and related fields.
Except as provided in clause (ii), the service of an employee under an appointment made pursuant to this subsection may not exceed 5 years.
The Foundation may, in the case of a particular employee, extend the period to which service is limited under clause (i) by up to 1 additional year if the Foundation determines that such action is necessary to promote the Foundation’s national security missions.
The total amount of the additional payments paid to an employee under this subsection for any 12-month period may not exceed the maximum amount of total compensation payable at the salary set in accordance with section 104 of title.[1]
The number of highly qualified experts appointed and retained by the Foundation under sub [2] (B)(i) shall not exceed 70 at any time.
To the extent needed to carry out the duties under paragraph (1)(A), the Director is authorized to utilize hiring authorities under section 3372 of title 5 to staff the Foundation with employees from other Federal agencies, State and local governments, Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations, institutions of higher education, and other organizations, as described in that section, in the same manner and subject to the same conditions, that apply to such individuals utilized to accomplish other missions of the Foundation.
Upon completion of the study under subparagraph (A), the Foundation shall review the recommendations from the National Academy of Public Administration and provide a briefing to Congress on the plans of the Foundation to implement any such recommendations.