From Citizen Science Listserv FCPCCS:
American Innovation and Competitiveness Act
On January 6th, the President signed into law the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act, which grants broad authority for conducting crowdsourcing and citizen science projects.
From Title IV, Section 402: It is the sense of Congress that "…(2) crowdsourcing and citizen science projects have a number of additional unique benefits, including accelerating scientific research, increasing cost effectiveness to maximize the return on taxpayer dollars, addressing societal needs, providing hands-on learning in STEM, and connecting members of the public directly to Federal science agency missions and to each other." Read the full legislation here.
Beyond providing the explicit authority to conduct crowdsourcing and citizen science projects, the new law grants agencies the ability to:
· accept volunteer services;
· partner broadly with the private sector and other government entities;
· use appropriated funds and solicit outside funds and in-kind services;
· and perform other functions to carry out these projects.
Agencies are also encouraged to designate citizen science coordinators and share best practices with other Federal agencies, including participation in the Federal Community of Practice for Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science.
In addition, the new legislation directs the General Services Administration (GSA) to play a key role in enhancing the ability of agencies to carry out these projects. The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is also mandated to provide a report every two years on the projects conducted under this authority, which will be an excellent tool in highlighting the value of citizen science and crowdsourcing.
