EconDefense
ACQ-11 / Intellectual property and technology transfer

Exchange laboratory resources and receive partner funding through CRADAs

Collaborate with nonfederal parties using laboratory staff, facilities, equipment and IP; accept and retain partner funds and negotiate invention rights.

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At a glance

Possible toolACQ-11 · Cooperation & exchanges

Authority holder: Federal agency authorizing laboratory directors; military-department Secretaries and Secretary of Defense/DARPA may permit FFRDC directors

Cooperation & exchanges

Mechanism tags describe the source text; they do not expand the authority.

Availability and verification

Express statutory pathway; award-specific appropriations, available balances, delegations, implementation and approvals not independently verified.

Requirements and limits

Eligibility & prerequisites

  • Specified joint R&D consistent with laboratory mission; agency approval/joint-work-statement rules for contractor-operated labs.
  • Small-business consideration, U.S.-manufacturing preference and foreign reciprocity factors.

Limits & exclusions

  • CRADA expressly does not permit providing federal funds to nonfederal collaborator. Use a separately justified grant, contract or OT if paying the partner.
  • Government retained licenses, confidentiality, conflict-of-interest and exceptional license-intervention provisions apply.

Funding conditions

  • Partner funds may be accepted, retained and used for collaboration; lab supplies authorized in-kind resources.

Read the funding and execution guide

Who contributes what

Need & planning

  • Laboratory scientific lead and Office of Research and Technology Applications

Resources

  • Laboratory director and sponsoring component budget owner

Approval

  • Laboratory director and agency approver as statute/delegation requires

Execution

  • Laboratory ORTA, counsel and authorized agreement official

Partners & review

  • Industry, universities, nonprofit and government collaborators within eligibility limits

Office links are editorial matches to the original role text, not verified delegations. Composite labels and unmatched actors are preserved.

Coordination pathway

Technical lead → ORTA/counsel → laboratory director/required agency approval → signed CRADA with contribution and IP schedule.

Actor and execution-role sources

Legal basis

  • 15 U.S.C. §3710aPrimary statutory text; primary GovInfo baseline and amendment audit identified in research narrative.
  • 10 U.S.C. §4026Primary statutory text; primary GovInfo baseline and amendment audit identified in research narrative.

What this research establishes

Legal powerSource and conditions recorded
EligibilityProject-specific check needed
Available fundsBalances not verified
DelegationValid signature authority must be checked
ExecutionOffice capacity and approvals must be checked

Confidence: High on express authority and cited conditions; execution assignment is illustrative unless statute expressly names it.

Currentness: GovInfo 2024 Code (includes FY2025 NDAA, P.L. 118-159) read in full for cited provision; targeted FY2026 NDAA P.L. 119-60 amendment/repeal sweep. No claim of complete legislative currency through 2026-10-02; remaining 2026 delta needs counsel validation.

Research target: October 2, 2026. A record-specific last-review date is not supplied. Publication date is not legal-currentness certification.

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