competitive advantage if does not invest the necessary resources and have a national strategy. (8) A National Engineering Biology Initiative can serve to establish new research directions and technology goals, improve interagency coordination and planning processes, drive technology transfer to the private sector, and help ensure optimal returns on the Federal investment. 3. Definitions In this Act: (1) Biomanufacturing The term biomanufacturing means the utilization of biological systems to develop new and advance existing products, tools, and processes at commercial scale. (2) Engineering biology The term engineering biology means the application of engineering design principles and practices to biological systems, including molecular and cellular systems, to advance fundamental understanding of complex natural systems and to enable novel or optimize functions and capabilities. (3) Initiative The term Initiative means the National Engineering Biology Research and Development Initiative established under section 4. (4) Omics The term omics refers to the collective technologies used to explore the roles, relationships, and actions of the various types of molecules that make up the cells of an organism. 4. National Engineering Biology Research and Development Initiative (a) In general The President, acting through the Office of Science and Technology Policy, shall implement a National Engineering Biology Research and Development Initiative to advance societal well-being, national security, sustainability, and economic productivity and competitiveness through— (1) advancing areas of research at the intersection of the biological, physical, chemical, data, and computational sciences and engineering to accelerate scientific understanding and technological innovation in engineering biology