{
  "id": "ACQ-55",
  "category": "Technology transfer",
  "capability": "Retain licensing royalties and reinvest in inventors and laboratory missions",
  "summary": "Retain laboratory invention licensing receipts, reward inventors and eligible contributors, and reinvest statutory balances in technology transfer, workforce and mission research.",
  "legal_basis": [
    {
      "citation": "15 U.S.C. §3710c",
      "url": "https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title15-section3710c&num=0&edition=prelim",
      "kind": "statute",
      "note": "Primary statutory text; primary GovInfo baseline and amendment audit identified in research narrative."
    }
  ],
  "authority_holder": "Agency or laboratory head and designated distribution officials",
  "actor_chain": {
    "planner": [
      "Laboratory scientific lead and Office of Research and Technology Applications"
    ],
    "resource_owner": [
      "Laboratory director and sponsoring component budget owner"
    ],
    "approver": [
      "Laboratory director and agency approver as statute/delegation requires"
    ],
    "executor": [
      "Laboratory ORTA, counsel and authorized agreement official"
    ],
    "partners": [
      "Industry, universities, nonprofit and government collaborators within eligibility limits"
    ]
  },
  "actor_sources": [
    {
      "title": "Army Technology Transfer Program — agreement tools and laboratory roles",
      "url": "https://www.t2.army.mil/T2-Program/T2-Agreements/"
    },
    {
      "title": "Air Force Offices of Research and Technology Applications — coordination role",
      "url": "https://www.aft3.af.mil/Office-of-Research-and-Technology-Application-ORTA/"
    }
  ],
  "requirements": [
    "Receipts must arise from covered invention licensing/assignment; required inventor distribution and permitted-use rules."
  ],
  "limits": [
    "Not unrestricted profit retention: residual amounts, excess-receipt shares and expired balances go to Treasury.",
    "Individual annual reward ceiling and Presidential exception apply."
  ],
  "funding": [
    "Balance generally available in receipt year and two succeeding fiscal years; statutory inventor share and distribution rules precede reinvestment."
  ],
  "coordination_path": "ORTA/license administrator collects royalties → agency/lab fiscal officials distribute statutory shares → director funds eligible mission activities → return required balances.",
  "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": "Intellectual property and technology transfer",
  "mechanisms": [
    "Licensing & IP"
  ],
  "goal_ids": [
    "develop-technology"
  ],
  "office_links": []
}