{
  "id": "ACQ-12",
  "category": "Research institutions",
  "capability": "Sponsor research through FFRDCs within approved missions",
  "summary": "Use research contracts and long-term sponsored research institutions; work placed with FFRDCs must remain within sponsoring agreement purpose, mission and scope unless statutory exception applies.",
  "legal_basis": [
    {
      "citation": "10 U.S.C. §4001",
      "url": "https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title10-section4001&num=0&edition=prelim",
      "kind": "statute",
      "note": "Primary statutory text; primary GovInfo baseline and amendment audit identified in research narrative."
    },
    {
      "citation": "10 U.S.C. §4126",
      "url": "https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title10-section4126&num=0&edition=prelim",
      "kind": "statute",
      "note": "Primary statutory text; primary GovInfo baseline and amendment audit identified in research narrative."
    }
  ],
  "authority_holder": "Secretary of Defense or military-department Secretary for research; head of agency for new-center restriction",
  "actor_chain": {
    "planner": [
      "USD(R&E) and Service science-and-technology executives",
      "DARPA or Service laboratory/program manager"
    ],
    "resource_owner": [
      "Sponsoring component RDT&E budget owner; component comptroller"
    ],
    "approver": [
      "Secretary of Defense or military-department Secretary; valid delegate must be confirmed"
    ],
    "executor": [
      "DARPA Contracts Management Office or Service contracting/grants/agreements office",
      "Performing laboratory or external research performer"
    ],
    "partners": [
      "Operational customer / acquiring program",
      "Security, export-control, counsel and fiscal officials as applicable"
    ]
  },
  "actor_sources": [
    {
      "title": "DARPA Contracts Management Office — award and administration roles",
      "url": "https://www.darpa.mil/about/offices/contracts-management"
    },
    {
      "title": "10 U.S.C. 4126 — sponsoring and congressional controls",
      "url": "https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title10-section4126&num=0&edition=prelim"
    }
  ],
  "requirements": [
    "Research purpose and defense relevance; suitable sponsoring agreement.",
    "New FFRDC operation requires congressional report and 60-day wait under §4126(c)."
  ],
  "limits": [
    "Not a means to obtain any arbitrary work from a favored center; applied scientific laboratory research has an express scope exception.",
    "University affiliation does not alone confer federal laboratory/FFRDC powers."
  ],
  "funding": [
    "Appropriated research/sponsoring funds; individual sponsored work must fit their purpose."
  ],
  "coordination_path": "Research sponsor → mission/scope review with FFRDC sponsor → contracting office → center; new-center proposal requires congressional steps.",
  "availability": "Express statutory pathway; award-specific appropriations, available balances, delegations, implementation and approvals not independently verified.",
  "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.",
  "family": "Research, innovation and experimentation",
  "mechanisms": [
    "Other statutory tools"
  ],
  "goal_ids": [
    "develop-technology"
  ],
  "office_links": [
    {
      "office_id": "usd-research-engineering",
      "role": "planner",
      "label": "USD(R&E) and Service science-and-technology executives"
    },
    {
      "office_id": "comptrollers",
      "role": "resource_owner",
      "label": "Sponsoring component RDT&E budget owner; component comptroller"
    },
    {
      "office_id": "secretary-deputy-secretary",
      "role": "approver",
      "label": "Secretary of Defense or military-department Secretary; valid delegate must be confirmed"
    },
    {
      "office_id": "counsel-award-officials",
      "role": "executor",
      "label": "DARPA Contracts Management Office or Service contracting/grants/agreements office"
    }
  ]
}