EconDefense
ACQ-21 / Workforce and expertise

Build research capacity in eligible states through DEPSCoR

Competitively fund university research, instrumentation and graduate assistance, and facilitate laboratory collaboration in eligible states and territories.

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Authority / instrument · ACQ-21

University research & workforce

Workforce and expertise

Statute & instrument
Authority holder

Secretary of Defense acting through USD(R&E)

What this does not authorize / hard limit

Geographically targeted eligibility; not a universal state economic-development grant.

Recorded executor

DARPA Contracts Management Office or Service contracting/grants/agreements office; Performing laboratory or external research performer

Continue to actor →

Recorded executing role; this record-specific route is not an additional institutional office.

Legal basisSources linkedLegal sources and instrument limits are recorded.
RequirementsGates recordedRead the requirements for this instrument; applicability depends on the proposed action.
Public fundingRules recordedThe record states funding rules and conditions; no program amount is attributed to this action.
Assigned rolesRoles recordedPublic sources describe institutional authority. The instrument identifies approval and execution roles; a specific signature remains transaction-dependent.
EngagementRole recordedRecorded executing role: DARPA Contracts Management Office or Service contracting/grants/agreements office; Performing laboratory or external research performer. Use the responsible program’s process.

Public evidence describes the institution and instrument; it is not approval of an individual transaction.

At a glance

Possible toolACQ-21 · Other statutory tools
Legal basis10 U.S.C. §4010

Authority holder: Secretary of Defense acting through USD(R&E)

Other statutory tools

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

  • USD(R&E) designates eligible states using statutory funding and state-commitment criteria.
  • Awards support defense-responsive science/engineering and competitive research capacity.

Limits & exclusions

  • Geographically targeted eligibility; not a universal state economic-development grant.

Funding conditions

  • Available program appropriations; no entitlement from designation alone.

Read the funding and execution guide

Who contributes what

Need & planning

  • USD(R&E) and Service science-and-technology executives
    Office profile
  • DARPA or Service laboratory/program manager

Resources

  • Sponsoring component RDT&E budget owner; component comptroller
    Office profile

Approval

  • Secretary of Defense or military-department Secretary; valid delegate must be confirmed
    Office profile

Execution

  • DARPA Contracts Management Office or Service contracting/grants/agreements office
    Office profile
  • Performing laboratory or external research performer

Partners & review

  • Operational customer / acquiring program
  • Security, export-control, counsel and fiscal officials as applicable

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

Coordination pathway

USD(R&E) program → eligible-state/institution review → Service research/grants office → university/laboratory partnership.

Actor and execution-role sources

Legal basis

  • 10 U.S.C. §4010Primary statutory text; primary GovInfo baseline and amendment audit identified in research narrative.

What this research establishes

Legal basisSources linkedLegal sources and instrument limits are recorded.
RequirementsGates recordedRead the requirements for this instrument; applicability depends on the proposed action.
Public fundingRules recordedThe record states funding rules and conditions; no program amount is attributed to this action.
Assigned rolesRoles recordedPublic sources describe institutional authority. The instrument identifies approval and execution roles; a specific signature remains transaction-dependent.
EngagementRole recordedRecorded executing role: DARPA Contracts Management Office or Service contracting/grants/agreements office; Performing laboratory or external research performer. Use the responsible program’s process.

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.

Review scope: Original research target October 2, 2026; no record-specific last-review date supplied. Publication is not legal-currentness certification.

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