The RESEARCHER Act directs the federal government to develop guidelines addressing financial hardship among graduate students and postdoctoral researchers at universities that receive federal funding. Within six months of enactment, the Office of Science and Technology Policy must create consistent policy guidelines for federal research agencies covering stipend increases, support for rural researchers, access to healthcare and housing, food security, and childcare assistance. Federal agencies then have six months to implement these guidelines and share them with grant recipients. The bill also requires data collection on researcher stipends and financial instability, with the National Science Foundation funding research institutions to gather and analyze this information disaggregated by demographics. Additionally, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will conduct a two-year study comparing researcher stipends to local living costs, and the Government Accountability Office will assess agency implementation within three years. The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy must report to Congress annually on progress, with updates every five years thereafter.
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