The Director shall make awards on a competitive basis to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to⁠—

(1)  support research to significantly advance our understanding of the food-energy-water system through quantitative and computational modeling, including support for relevant cyberinfrastructure;

(2)  develop real-time, cyber-enabled interfaces that improve understanding of the behavior of food-energy-water systems and increase decision support capability;

(3)  support research that will lead to innovative solutions to critical food-energy-water system problems; and

(4)  grow the scientific workforce capable of studying and managing the food-energy-water system, through education and other professional development.