Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 94 Part 1.djvu/896

 94 STAT. 846

Laboratory assistance.

National Science Foundation and innovation centers. Report to SBA and Congress.

NASA and industrial application centers. Report to SBA and Congress.

Deputy Associate Administrator for Management Assistance. 5 USC 5101 ef seq., 5331. 44 FR 58671. Duties.

National Small Business Development Center Advisory Board, establishment.

PUBLIC LAW 96-302—JULY 2, 1980 described in this subsection to small businesses on behalf of such small business development center. "(d) Laboratories operated and funded by the Federal Government are authorized and directed to cooperate with the Administration in developing and establishing programs to support small business development centers by making facilities and equipment available; providing experiment station capabilities in adaptive engineering; providing library and technical information processing capabilities; and providing professional staff for consulting. The Administration is authorized to reimburse the laboratories for such services. "(e) The National Science Foundation and innovation centers supported by the National Science Foundation are authorized and directed to cooperate with small business development centers participating in this program. The National Science Foundation shall report annually on the performance of such innovation centers with recommendations to the Administration and the Congress on how such innovation centers can be strengthened and expanded. The National Science Foundation shall include in its report to Congress information on the ability of innovation centers to interact with the Nation's small business community and recommendations to the Administration on continued funding. "(f) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration and industrial application centers supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are authorized and directed to cooperate with small business development centers participating in this program. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall report annually on the performance of such industrial application centers with recommendations to the Administration and the Congress on how such industrial application centers can be strengthened and expanded. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall include in its report to Congress information on the ability of industrial application centers to interact with the Nation's small business community and recommendations to the Administration on continued funding. "(g)(1) The Administrator shall appoint a Deputy Associate Administrator for Management Assistance who shall report to the Associate Administrator for Management Assistance and who shall serve without regard to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing appointments in the competitive service, and without regard to chapter 51, and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates, but at a rate not less than the rate of GS-17 of the General Schedule. "(2) The sole responsibility of the Deputy Associate Administrator for Management Assistance shall be to administer the small business development center program. Duties of the position shall include, but are not limited to, recommending the annual program budget, reviewing the annual budgets submitted by each applicant, establishing appropriate funding levels therefore, selecting applicants to participate in this program, implementing the provisions of this section, maintaining a clearinghouse to provide for the dissemination and exchange of information between small business development centers and conducting audits of recipients of grants under this section. The Deputy Associate Administrator for Management Assistance shall confer with and seek the advice and counsel of the Board in carrying out the responsibilities described in this subsection. "(h)(1) There is established a National Small Business Development Center Advisory Board (herein referred to as 'Board') which

�