1. U.S. Code
  2. title 10
  3. subtitle A
  4. part V
  5. subpart E
  6. chapter 301
  7. subchapter I
  8. § 4001

Collapse to view only § 4001. Research and development projects

§ 4001. Research and development projects
(a)Authority.—The Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of a military department may engage in basic research, applied research, advanced research, and development projects that—
(1) are necessary to the responsibilities of such Secretary’s department in the field of research and development; and
(2) either—
(A) relate to weapon systems and other military needs; or
(B) are of potential interest to the Department of Defense.
(b)Authorized Means.—The Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of a military department may perform research and development projects—
(1) by contract, cooperative agreement, or grant, in accordance with chapter 63 of title 31;
(2) through one or more military departments;
(3) by using employees and consultants of the Department of Defense;
(4) by mutual agreement with the head of any other department or agency of the Federal Government;
(5) by transactions (other than contracts, cooperative agreements, and grants) entered into pursuant to section 4021 or 4022 of this title; or
(6) by purchases through procurement for experimental purposes pursuant to section 4023 of this title.
(c)Requirement of Potential Department of Defense Interest.—Funds appropriated to the Department of Defense or to a military department may not be used to finance any research project or study unless the project or study is, in the opinion of the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of that military department, respectively, of potential interest to the Department of Defense or to such military department, respectively.
(d)Additional Provisions Applicable to Cooperative Agreements.—Additional authorities, conditions, and requirements relating to certain cooperative agreements authorized by this section are provided in sections 4021 and 4026 of this title.
(Added Pub. L. 87–651, title II, § 208(a), Sept. 7, 1962, 76 Stat. 523, § 2358; amended Pub. L. 97–86, title IX, § 910, Dec. 1, 1981, 95 Stat. 1120; Pub. L. 100–370, § 1(g)(3), July 19, 1988, 102 Stat. 846; Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title VIII, § 827(a), Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1712; Pub. L. 103–355, title I, § 1301(a), Oct. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 3284; Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title II, § 267(c)(2), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2468; Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title VIII, § 862, Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1494; renumbered § 4001 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1841(b)(1), (2)(A), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4243; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, § 1701(u)(2)(B), (C), (F)(i)(I), (II), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2151.)

CITE AS: 10 USC 4001

[§§ 4002, 4003. Omitted]

CITE AS: 10 USC 4002, 4003

§ 4004. Contract authority for development and demonstration of initial or additional prototype units
(a)Authority.—A contract initially awarded from the competitive selection of a proposal resulting from a general solicitation referred to in section 3012(2) of this title may contain a contract line item or contract option for—
(1) the development and demonstration or initial production of technology developed under the contract; or
(2) the delivery of initial or additional items if the item or a prototype thereof is created as the result of work performed under the contract.
(b)Limitations.—
(1)Minimal amount.—A contract line item or contract option described in subsection (a)(2) shall require the delivery of the minimal amount of initial or additional items to allow for the timely competitive solicitation and award of a follow-on development or production contract for those items.
(2)Term.—A contract line item or contract option described in subsection (a) shall be for a term of not more than 2 years.
(3)Dollar value of work.—The dollar value of the work to be performed pursuant to a contract line item or contract option described in subsection (a) may not exceed $100,000,000, in fiscal year 2017 constant dollars.
(4)Applicability.—The authority provided in subsection (a) applies only to the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Navy, and the Secretary of the Air Force.
(c)Procedures.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish procedures to collect and analyze information on the use and benefits of the authority under this section and related impacts on performance, affordability, and capability delivery.
(Added Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title VIII, § 861(a)(1), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1493, § 2302e; renumbered § 4004 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title VIII, § 831(a), title XVIII, §§ 1818(c), 1841(b)(1), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3753, 4243; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1841(b)(2)(D), as added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, § 1701(u)(2)(F)(i)(V), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2152; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, § 1701(u)(2)(B), (v)(1)(A), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2151, 2154.)

CITE AS: 10 USC 4004

§ 4007. Science and technology programs to be conducted so as to foster the transition of science and technology to higher levels of research, development, test, and evaluation
(a)Policy.—Each official specified in subsection (b) shall ensure that the management and conduct of the science and technology programs under the authority of that official are carried out in a manner that will foster the transition of science and technology to higher levels of research, development, test, and evaluation.
(b)Covered Officials.—Subsection (a) applies to the following officials of the Department of Defense:
(1) The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.
(2) The Secretary of each military department.
(3) The Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
(4) The directors and heads of other offices and agencies of the Department of Defense with assigned research, development, test, and evaluation responsibilities.
(Added Pub. L. 106–398, § 1 [[div. A], title IX, § 904(a)(1)], Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1654, 1654A–225, § 2359; amended Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title IX, § 902(55), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1549; renumbered § 4007, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1841(b)(1), (c), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4243; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, § 1701(u)(2)(B), (D), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2151.)

CITE AS: 10 USC 4007

[§§ 4008, 4009. Omitted]

CITE AS: 10 USC 4008, 4009

§ 4010. Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research
(a)Program Required.—The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, shall carry out a Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) as part of the university research programs of the Department of Defense.
(b)Program Objectives.—The objectives of the program are as follows:
(1) To increase the number of university researchers in eligible States capable of performing science and engineering research responsive to the needs of the Department of Defense.
(2) To enhance the capabilities of institutions of higher education in eligible States to develop, plan, and execute science and engineering research that is relevant to the mission of the Department of Defense and competitive under the peer-review systems used for awarding Federal research assistance.
(3) To increase the probability of long-term growth in the competitively awarded financial assistance that institutions of higher education in eligible States receive from the Federal Government for science and engineering research.
(c)Program Activities.—In order to achieve the program objectives, the following activities are authorized under the program:
(1) Competitive award of grants for research and instrumentation to support such research.
(2) Competitive award of financial assistance for graduate students.
(3) To provide assistance to science and engineering researchers at institutions of higher education in eligible States through collaboration between Department of Defense laboratories and such researchers.
(4) Any other activities that are determined necessary to further the achievement of the objectives of the program.
(d)Eligible States.—
(1) The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering shall designate which States are eligible States for the purposes of this section.
(2) The Under Secretary shall designate a State as an eligible State if, as determined by the Under Secretary—
(A) the average annual amount of all Department of Defense obligations for science and engineering research and development that were in effect with institutions of higher education in the State for the three fiscal years preceding the fiscal year for which the designation is effective or for the last three fiscal years for which statistics are available is less than the amount determined by multiplying 60 percent times the amount equal to 1/50 of the total average annual amount of all Department of Defense obligations for science and engineering research and development that were in effect with institutions of higher education in the United States for such three preceding or last fiscal years, as the case may be; and
(B) the State has demonstrated a commitment to developing research bases in the State and to improving science and engineering research and education programs in areas relevant to the mission of the Department of Defense at institutions of higher education in the State.
(3) The Under Secretary shall not remove a designation of a State under paragraph (2) because the State exceeds the funding levels specified under subparagraph (A) of such paragraph unless the State has exceeded such funding levels for at least two consecutive years.
(e)Coordination With Similar Federal Programs.—
(1) The Secretary may consult with the Director of the National Science Foundation and the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the planning, development, and execution of the program and may coordinate the program with the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research conducted by the National Science Foundation and with similar programs sponsored by other departments and agencies of the Federal Government.
(2) All solicitations under the Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research may be made to, and all awards may be made through, the State committees established for purposes of the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research conducted by the National Science Foundation.
(3) A State committee referred to in paragraph (2) shall ensure that activities carried out in the State of that committee under the Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research are relevant to the mission of the Department of Defense and coordinated with the activities carried out in the State under other similar initiatives of the Federal Government to stimulate competitive research.
(f)State Defined.—In this section, the term “State” means a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
(Added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, § 214(a), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1589.)

CITE AS: 10 USC 4010

§ 4014. Coordination and communication of defense research activities and technology domain awareness
(a)Coordination of Department of Defense Research, Development, and Technological Data.—The Secretary of Defense shall promote, monitor, and evaluate programs for the communication and exchange of research, development, and technological data—
(1) among the Defense research facilities, combatant commands, and other organizations that are involved in developing for the Department of Defense the technological requirements for new items for use by combat forces;
(2) among Defense research facilities and other offices, agencies, and bureaus in the Department that are engaged in related technological matters;
(3) among other research facilities and other departments or agencies of the Federal Government that are engaged in research, development, and technological matters;
(4) among private commercial, research institution, and university entities engaged in research, development, and technological matters potentially relevant to defense on a voluntary basis;
(5) to the extent practicable, to achieve full awareness of scientific and technological advancement and innovation wherever it may occur, whether funded by the Department of Defense, another element of the Federal Government, or other entities; and
(6) through development and distribution of clear technical communications to the public, military operators, acquisition organizations, and civilian and military decision-makers that convey successes of research and engineering activities supported by the Department and the contributions of such activities to support national needs.
(b)Defense Research Facility Defined.—In this section, the term “Defense research facility” has the meaning given that term by section 4125(b) of this title.
(Added and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1841(d), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4243; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, § 1701(u)(2)(E), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2151; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XVIII, § 1801(a)(30), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 685.)

CITE AS: 10 USC 4014

[§ 4015. Omitted]

CITE AS: 10 USC 4015