The Department of Commerce has approved the duty-free entry of specific scientific instruments for Rice University and the University of Chicago, as announced in the Federal Register. Rice University plans to use a Signal Acquisition ASCI from LiMicro, China, to research neural connections in animals, as there are no equivalent instruments manufactured in the U.S. The University of Chicago will utilize a White Dwarf Optimal Parametric Amplifier System from Class 5 Photonics, Germany, for various experiments involving nanostructured materials and electronic transitions. No public comments were received regarding these applications.
Simple Explanation
The Department of Commerce has said yes to letting Rice University and the University of Chicago bring in very special science tools from other countries without paying extra taxes, so they can study brains and tiny materials better because they can't find the same tools in America.