From amounts made available for the Directorate, the Director shall make awards, on a competitive basis, for research and technology development within the key technology focus areas, including investments that advance solutions to the challenges under section 19107 of this title.
The purpose of the awards under this section shall be to accelerate technological advances and technology adoption in the key technology focus areas.
Recipients of funds under this section may include institutions of higher education, research institutions, non-profit organizations, private sector entities, consortia, or other entities as defined by the Director.
The Director shall also make awards, including through the SBIR and STTR programs (as defined in section 638(e) of title 15), to expedite short-term technology deployment within a period of no longer than 24 months.