104 STAT. 1388-376 PUBLIC LAW 101-508—NOV. 5, 1990 (3) the term "foreign firm" means a business entity not described in paragraph (2). SEC. 9208. CATASTROPHIC FAILURE PREVENTION RESEARCH PROGRAM. (a) GENERAL AUTHORITY.— Section 312(b) of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (49 U.S.C. App. 1353(b)) is amended by inserting after "inflight aircraft fires," the following; ^ "to develop technologies and methods to assess the risk of and prevent defects, failures, and malfunctions of products, parts, processes, and articles manufactured for use in aircraft, aircraft engines, propellers, and appliances which could result in a catastrophic failure of an aircraft,". (b) GRANT PROGRAM. —Section 312 of such Act is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: "(h) CATASTROPHIC FAILURE PREVENTION RESEARCH GRANT PROGRAM. — "(1) GENERAL AUTHORITY. — The Administrator may make grants to colleges, universities, and nonprofit research organizations (A) to conduct aviation research relating to development of technologies and methods to assess the risk and prevent defects, failures, and malfunctions of products, parts, processes, and articles manufactured for use in aircraft, aircraft engines, propellers, and appliances which could result in a catastrophic failure of an aircraft, and (B) to establish centers of excellence for continuing such research. "(2) SELECTION AND EVALUATION PROCESSES. —The Administrator shall establish a solicitation, application, review, and evaluation process that ensures (A) the funding under this subsection of proposals having adequate merit and relevancy to the research described in paragraph (1). ". (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.— That portion of the table of contents contained in the first section of such Act which appears under the heading: "Sec. 312. Development planning." is amended by adding at the end the following: " (h) Catastrophic failure prevention research grant program.". SEC. 9209. AVIATION RESEARCH AND CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE. (a) IN GENERAL.— Section 312 of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (49 App. U.S.C. 1353) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: "(i) AVIATION RESEARCH AND CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE.— "(1) GENERAL AUTHORITY. — The Administrator may make grants to one or more colleges or universities to establish and operate several regional centers of air transportation excellence, whose locations shall be geographically equitable. "(2) RESPONSIBILITIES. —The responsibilities of each regional center of air transportation excellence established under this subsection shall include, but not be limited to, the conduct of research concerning airspace and airport planning and design, airport capacity enhancement techniques, human performance in the air transportation environment, aviation safety and security, the supply of trained air transportation personnel including pilots and mechanics, and other aviation issues pertinent to developing and maintaining a safe and efficient air transportation system, and the interpretation, publication, and dissemination of the results of such research. In conducting such ^' So in original. Probably should be "following:".
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