15 USC 3724 - Crowdsourcing and citizen science

U.S Code last checked for updates: May 03, 2024

§ 3724.

Crowdsourcing and citizen science

(a)

Short title

(b)

Sense of Congress

It is the sense of Congress that—

(1)

the authority granted to Federal agencies under the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–358; 124 Stat. 3982) to pursue the use of incentive prizes and challenges has yielded numerous benefits;

(2)

crowdsourcing and citizen science projects have a number of additional unique benefits, including accelerating scientific research, increasing cost effectiveness to maximize the return on taxpayer dollars, addressing societal needs, providing hands-on learning in STEM, and connecting members of the public directly to Federal science agency missions and to each other; and

(3)

granting Federal science agencies the direct, explicit authority to use crowdsourcing and citizen science will encourage its appropriate use to advance Federal science agency missions and stimulate and facilitate broader public participation in the innovation process, yielding numerous benefits to the Federal Government and citizens who participate in such projects.

(c)

Definitions

In this section:

(1)

Citizen science

The term “citizen science” means a form of open collaboration in which individuals or organizations participate voluntarily in the scientific process in various ways, including—

(A)

enabling the formulation of research questions;

(B)

creating and refining project design;

(C)

conducting scientific experiments;

(D)

collecting and analyzing data;

(E)

interpreting the results of data;

(F)

developing technologies and applications;

(G)

making discoveries; and

(H)

solving problems.

(2)

Crowdsourcing

(3)

Participant

(d)

Crowdsourcing and citizen science

(1)

In general

(2)

Voluntary services

Notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, the head of a Federal science agency may accept, subject to regulations issued by the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, services from participants under this section if such services—

(A)

are performed voluntarily as a part of a crowdsourcing or citizen science project authorized under paragraph (1);

(B)

are not financially compensated for their time; and

(C)

will not be used to displace any employee of the Federal Government.

(3)

Outreach

(4)

Consent, registration, and terms of use

(A)

In general

(B)

Disclosures

(C)

Mode of consent

(5)

Protections for human subjects

(6)

Data

(A)

In general

(B)

Notice

As part of the consent process, the Federal science agency shall notify all participants—

(i)

of the expected uses of the data compiled through the project;

(ii)

if the Federal science agency will retain ownership of such data;

(iii)

if and how the data and results from the project would be made available for public or third party use; and

(iv)

if participants are authorized to publish such data.

(7)

Technologies and applications

(8)

Liability

Each participant in a crowdsourcing or citizen science project under this section shall agree—

(A)

to assume any and all risks associated with such participation; and

(B)

to waive all claims against the Federal Government and its related entities, except for claims based on willful misconduct, for any injury, death, damage, or loss of property, revenue, or profits (whether direct, indirect, or consequential) arising from participation in the project.

(9)

Research misconduct

(10)

Multi-sector partnerships

The head of each Federal science agency engaged in crowdsourcing or citizen science under this section, or the heads of multiple Federal science agencies working cooperatively, may enter into a contract or other agreement to share administrative duties for such projects with—

(A)

a for profit or nonprofit private sector entity, including a private institution of higher education;

(B)

a State, tribal, local, or foreign government agency, including a public institution of higher education; or

(C)

a public-private partnership.

(11)

Funding

In carrying out crowdsourcing and citizen science projects under this section, the head of a Federal science agency, or the heads of multiple Federal science agencies working cooperatively—

(A)

may use funds appropriated by Congress;

(B)

may publicize projects and solicit and accept funds or in-kind support for such projects, to be available to the extent provided by appropriations Acts, from—

(i)

other Federal agencies;

(ii)

for profit or nonprofit private sector entities, including private institutions of higher education; or

(iii)

State, tribal, local, or foreign government agencies, including public institutions of higher education; and

(C)

may not give any special consideration to any entity described in subparagraph (B) in return for such funds or in-kind support.

(12)

Facilitation

(A)

General Services Administration assistance

(B)

Additional guidance

The head of each Federal science agency engaged in crowdsourcing or citizen science under this section may—

(i)

consult any guidance provided by the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, including the Federal Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science Toolkit;

(ii)

designate a coordinator for that Federal science agency’s crowdsourcing and citizen science projects; and

(iii)

share best practices with other Federal agencies, including participation of staff in the Federal Community of Practice for Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science.

(e)

Report

(1)

In general

(2)

Information included

The report required under paragraph (1) shall include—

(A)

a summary of each crowdsourcing and citizen science project conducted by a Federal science agency during the most recently completed 2 fiscal years, including a description of the proposed goals of each crowdsourcing and citizen science project;

(B)

an analysis of why the utilization of a crowdsourcing or citizen science project summarized in subparagraph (A) was the preferable method of achieving the goals described in subparagraph (A) as opposed to other authorities available to the Federal science agency, such as contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, and prize competitions;

(C)

the participation rates, submission levels, number of consents, and any other statistic that might be considered relevant in each crowdsourcing and citizen science project;

(D)

a detailed description of—

(i)

the resources, including personnel and funding, that were used in the execution of each crowdsourcing and citizen science project;

(ii)

the project activities for which such resources were used; and

(iii)

how the obligations and expenditures relating to the project’s execution were allocated among the accounts of the Federal science agency, including a description of the amount and source of all funds, private, public, and in-kind, contributed to each crowdsourcing and citizen science project;

(E)

a summary of the use of crowdsourcing and citizen science by all Federal science agencies, including interagency and multi-sector partnerships;

(F)

a description of how each crowdsourcing and citizen science project advanced the mission of each participating Federal science agency;

(G)

an identification of each crowdsourcing or citizen science project where data collected through such project was not made available to the public, including the reasons for such action; and

(H)

any other information that the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy considers relevant.

(f)

Savings provision

Nothing in this section may be construed—

(1)

to affect the authority to conduct crowdsourcing and citizen science authorized by any other provision of law; or

(2)

to displace Federal Government resources allocated to the Federal science agencies that use crowdsourcing or citizen science authorized under this section to carry out a project.

(Pub. L. 114–329, title IV, § 402, Jan. 6, 2017, 130 Stat. 3019.)

cite as: 15 USC 3724