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S. 3468119th Congress
Official title: National Programmable Cloud Laboratories Network Act of 2025
Introduced:
Read the official bill on Congress.govS. 3468
The plain-language version leads. The official text is always the reference.
S 3468 would create up to six NSF-selected remote robotic research labs, with the program ending September 30, 2031 unless renewed.
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S 3468 would establish a national network of up to six "programmable cloud laboratories" featuring robotics, research instruments, and AI that scientists can operate remotely online. The NSF would run a competitive process to select universities, nonprofits, private companies, or partnerships to host these lab "nodes," which must show existing infrastructure, a plan toward financial self-sufficiency, and some non-federal funding already secured. Selected labs must coordinate on shared technical standards, cybersecurity, and data-sharing with help from NIST.
The bill affects universities, research institutions, national labs, and private companies involved in lab automation, as well as the NSF and NIST, which would manage the program. Students and workers training in automated science and robotics could be indirectly affected.
The network could reshape how federally funded research is conducted and commercialized in fields like materials science, biotechnology, and chemistry. It would also require ongoing congressional oversight, since the program and its funding automatically expire on September 30, 2031 unless extended.
AI-drafted summary. Verify it against the official text before you act on it. Read the official bill on Congress.gov
Right now: it's on the Senate floor calendar. If the House changes it, it goes back to the Senate before reaching the President.
Latest action: — Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 451.