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.
Other statutory tools
ACQ-26 / Workforce and expertise
Recruit eminent experts with special appointment and pay flexibility
Specified labs and agencies can appoint eminent scientific/engineering experts and, at OSC, finance/investment experts using tailored appointment, compensation and term rules.
At a glance
Mission goalDevelop a technology
Possible toolACQ-26 · People & expertise
Legal basis10 U.S.C. §4092
Responsible rolesPlanning · funds · approval · execution
Authority holder: Named officials: Secretary of Defense for designated labs; DARPA, DOT&E, SCO, DIU, NGA, SDA, USCYBERCOM, USD(R&E), OSC leaders
People & expertise
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
- Only listed organizations/fields, position counts and compensation rules.
- Normal term 4 years; specified extension up to 2 years when statutory conditions met.
Limits & exclusions
- Not a general DoD exception for hiring any consultant.
- SDA provision sunsets 2030-12-31; joint-AI paragraph(a)(6) shows expired 2024-12-31 in audited baseline and is not represented as current.
Funding conditions
- Organization budget must cover compensation; elevated statutory pay ceiling is not salary authorization for every position.
Who contributes what
Need & planning
- Named organization’s director and technical leadership
Resources
- Organization personnel budget
Approval
- Named statutory program official
Execution
- Organization HR and appointment authority
Partners & review
- Specialist candidates; Service/component personnel and ethics offices
Office links are editorial matches to the original role text, not verified delegations. Composite labels and unmatched actors are preserved.
Coordination pathway
Eligible director identifies expert role → HR validates statutory slots/term/pay → fiscal and ethics checks → appointment.
Actor and execution-role sources
Legal basis
- 10 U.S.C. §4092Primary 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.
EngagementProgram-specificRecorded executing role: Organization HR and appointment authority. 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. FY26 amendment search found no extension of the expired joint-AI subauthority; verify before any reliance.
Review scope: Original research target October 2, 2026; no record-specific last-review date supplied. Publication is not legal-currentness certification.