SEC. 9008. <<NOTE: 15 USC 5544.>>  VETERANS' HEALTH INITIATIVE.

    (a) Purposes.--The purposes of this section are to advance 
Department of Energy expertise in artificial intelligence and high-
performance computing in order to improve health outcomes for veteran 
populations by--
            (1) supporting basic research through the application of 
        artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, modeling 
        and simulation, machine learning, and large-scale data analytics 
        to identify and solve outcome-defined challenges in the health 
        sciences;
            (2) maximizing the impact of the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs' health and genomics data housed at the National 
        Laboratories, as well as data from other sources, on science, 
        innovation, and health care outcomes through the use and 
        advancement of artificial intelligence and high-performance 
        computing capabilities of the Department;
            (3) promoting collaborative research through the 
        establishment of partnerships to improve data sharing between 
        Federal agencies, National Laboratories, institutions of higher 
        education, and nonprofit institutions;
            (4) establishing multiple scientific computing user 
        facilities to house and provision available data to foster 
        transformational outcomes; and
            (5) driving the development of technology to improve 
        artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and 
        networking relevant to mission applications of the Department, 
        including modeling, simulation, machine learning, and advanced 
        data analytics.
    (b) Veterans Health Research and Development.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Energy (in this section 
        referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall establish and carry out 
        a research program in artificial intelligence and high-
        performance computing, focused on the development of tools to 
        solve large-scale data analytics and management challenges 
        associated with veteran's healthcare, and to support the efforts 
        of the Department of Veterans Affairs to identify potential 
        health risks and challenges utilizing data on long-term 
        healthcare, health risks, and genomic data collected from 
        veteran populations. The Secretary shall carry out this program 
        through a competitive, merit-reviewed process, and consider 
        applications from National Laboratories, institutions of higher 
        education, multi-institutional collaborations, and other 
        appropriate entities.            (2) Program components.--In carrying out the program 
        established under paragraph (1), the Secretary may--
                    (A) conduct basic research in modeling and 
                simulation, machine learning, large-scale data 
                analytics, and predictive analysis in order to develop 
                novel or optimized algorithms for prediction of disease 
                treatment and recovery;
                    (B) develop methods to accommodate large data sets 
                with variable quality and scale, and to provide insight 
                and models for complex systems;
                    (C) develop new approaches and maximize the use of 
                algorithms developed through artificial intelligence, 
                machine learning, data analytics, natural language 
                processing, modeling and simulation, and develop new 
                algorithms suitable for high-performance computing 
                systems and large biomedical data sets;
                    (D) advance existing and construct new data enclaves 
                capable of securely storing data sets provided by the 
                Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, 
                and other sources; and
                    (E) promote collaboration and data sharing between 
                National Laboratories, research entities, and user 
                facilities of the Department by providing the necessary 
                access and secure data transfer capabilities.            (3) Coordination.--In carrying out the program established 
        under paragraph (1), the Secretary is authorized--
                    (A) <<NOTE: Memorandum.>>  to enter into memoranda 
                of understanding in order to carry out reimbursable 
                agreements with the Department of Veterans Affairs and 
                other entities in order to maximize the effectiveness of 
                Department research and development to improve veterans' 
                healthcare;
                    (B) <<NOTE: Consultation.>>  to consult with the 
                Department of Veterans Affairs and other Federal 
                agencies as appropriate; and
                    (C) to ensure that data storage meets all privacy 
                and security requirements established by the Department 
                of Veterans Affairs, and that access to data is provided in 
                accordance with relevant Department of Veterans Affairs 
                data access policies, including informed consent.            (4) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 
        Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Committee on 
        Veterans' Affairs of the Senate, and the Committee on Science, 
        Space, and Technology and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of 
        the House of Representatives, a report detailing the 
        effectiveness of--
                    (A) the interagency coordination between each 
                Federal agency involved in the research program carried 
                out under this subsection;
                    (B) collaborative research achievements of the 
                program; and
                    (C) potential opportunities to expand the technical 
                capabilities of the Department.            (5) Funding.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the 
        Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out this subsection 
        $27,000,000 for fiscal year 2021.
    (c) Interagency Collaboration.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to carry out 
        research, development, and demonstration activities to develop 
        tools to apply to big data that enable Federal agencies, 
        institutions of higher education, nonprofit research 
        organizations, and industry to better leverage the capabilities 
        of the Department to solve complex, big data challenges. The 
        Secretary shall carry out these activities through a 
        competitive, merit-reviewed process, and consider applications 
        from National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, 
        multi-institutional collaborations, and other appropriate 
        entities.            (2) Activities.--In carrying out the research, development, 
        and demonstration activities authorized under paragraph (1), the 
        Secretary may--
                    (A) utilize all available mechanisms to prevent 
                duplication and coordinate research efforts across the 
                Department;
                    (B) establish multiple user facilities to serve as 
                data enclaves capable of securely storing data sets 
                created by Federal agencies, institutions of higher 
                education, nonprofit organizations, or industry at 
                National Laboratories; and
                    (C) promote collaboration and data sharing between 
                National Laboratories, research entities, and user 
                facilities of the Department by providing the necessary 
                access and secure data transfer capabilities.            (3) <<NOTE: Evaluation.>>  Report.--Not later than 2 years 
        after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
        submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
        Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of 
        the House of Representatives a report evaluating the 
        effectiveness of the activities authorized under paragraph (1).            (4) Funding.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
        Secretary to carry out this subsection $15,000,000 for each of 
        fiscal years 2021 through 2025.
    (d) Definition.--In this section, the term ``National Laboratory'' 
has the meaning given such term in section 2(3) of the Energy Policy Act 
of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801(3)).