1. Short title This Act may be cited as the BASIC Research Act . 2. Review panels (a) Inclusion on review panels Notwithstanding any other provision of law, each review panel for a specific Federal research grant shall include— (1) at least one individual who is not professionally affiliated with any academic or research institution, has not been professionally affiliated in the 10 years preceding the date of inclusion on the panel, and is an expert in a field unrelated to the field of research under which the grant proposal was submitted; and (2) at least one individual who shall serve primarily as a taxpayer advocate (defined as someone whose main focus is on the value proposed research delivers to the taxpayer). (b) Prohibition on receiving recommendations from grant applicants on review panel Notwithstanding any other provision of law, each agency that awards a Federal research grant shall not accept recommendations from an applicant for such grant as to who should or should not be on the grant review panel for such applicant. (c) Nondisclosure of members of grant review panel Notwithstanding any other provision of law, each agency that awards a Federal research grant shall not disclose, either publicly or privately, to an applicant for such grant the identity of any member of the grant review panel for such applicant. 3. Special Inspector General and Taxpayer Advocate for Research (a) Establishment (1) In general There is established an Office of the Special Inspector General and Taxpayer Advocate for Research. (2) Head of Office There shall be at the head of the Office described in paragraph (1) the Special Inspector General and Taxpayer Advocate for Research, who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. (b) Transfer of functions and savings (1) Definitions In this subsection, unless otherwise provided or indicated by the context— (A) the term Federal agency has the meaning given to the term agency by section 551(1) of title 5, United States Code