1. Short title This Act may be cited as the DOE and NSF Interagency Research Act . 2. Department of Energy and National Science Foundation research and development coordination (a) In general The Secretary of Energy (in this section referred to as the Secretary ) and the Director of the National Science Foundation (in this section referred to as the Director ) shall carry out cross-cutting and collaborative research and development activities focused on the joint advancement of Department of Energy and National Science Foundation mission requirements and priorities. (b) Memorandum of understanding The Secretary and the Director shall coordinate the activities under subsection (a) through the establishment of a memorandum of understanding, or other appropriate interagency agreement. Such memorandum or agreement, as the case may be, shall require the use of a competitive, merit-reviewed process, which considers applications from Federal agencies, National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, non-profit institutions, and other appropriate entities. (c) Coordination In carrying out the activities under subsection (a), the Secretary and the Director may— (1) conduct collaborative research in a variety of focus areas, such as— (A) basic plasma science and engineering, including applications in astrophysics, materials science, fusion science, and accelerator science; (B) fundamental biological and computational science and engineering, including computational neuroscience and neuromorphic computing, including in collaboration with the program authorized under section 306 of the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act ( 42 U.S.C. 18644 ); (C) modeling and simulation, machine learning, artificial intelligence, data assimilation, large-scale data analytics, predictive analysis, and advanced computational, storage, and networking capabilities in order to optimize algorithms for purposes related to energy and climate