National Hurricane Research Initiative Act of 2011

National Hurricane Research Initiative Act of 2011 - Requires the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA]) to establish a National Hurricane Research Initiative to: (1) conduct research to enable improvement of the understanding and prediction of hurricanes and other tropical storms, development of infrastructure that is resilient to the forces associated with such storms, mitigation of the impacts of hurricanes on coastal populations, the coastal built environment, and natural resources, and improvement of communication with the public about hurricane forecasts and risks associated with hurricanes to reduce the harmful impacts of hurricanes and improve society's response to destructive storms; and (2) provide training for the next generation of hurricane researchers and forecasters.

Directs the Under Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), to: (1) develop a five-year implementation plan for the Initiative, to be revised at least every five years; (2) establish objectives for hurricane research; and (3) facilitate the establishment of a public website for the Initiative.

Allows the Under Secretary to carry out a series of national workshops and conferences to address hurricane-related research questions.

Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, in conjunction with the Under Secretary, the NSF Director, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), beginning with the first fiscal year after the Under Secretary completes the implementation plan, to submit every two years with documents submitted in support of the President's budget for the next fiscal year: (1) a coordinated biennial report for the Initiative for the last two fiscal years, and (2) a cross-cut budget for the Initiative for the next fiscal year.

Requires: (1) the NSF Director, in coordination with the Under Secretary, to establish a program to award grants for hurricane research; (2) the Under Secretary to carry out related research; and (3) each entity carrying out research under this Act to collaborate with existing federal and federally funded research centers operating in related fields, for-profit organizations, and governments to gather and share experiential information and to advance scientific and engineering knowledge, technology transfer, and technology commercialization in the course of conducting research and its application to mitigating the impacts of hurricanes and other tropical storms on society.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov