- § 4141. Award of grants and contracts to colleges and universities: requirement of competition
- § 4142. Extramural acquisition innovation and research activities
- § 4143. Research and development laboratories: contracts for services of university students
- § 4144. Research and educational programs and activities: historically black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions of higher education
- [§§ 4145 to 4147. Omitted]
§ 4141. Award of grants and contracts to colleges and universities: requirement of competition
(a) The Secretary of Defense may not make a grant or award a contract to a college or university for the performance of research and development, or for the construction of any research or other facility, unless—
(1) in the case of a grant, the grant is made using competitive procedures; and
(2) in the case of a contract, the contract is awarded in accordance with section 2304 1
1 See References in Text note below.
of this title (other than pursuant to subsection (c)(5) 1 of that section).(b)
(1) A provision of law may not be construed as modifying or superseding the provisions of subsection (a), or as requiring funds to be made available by the Secretary of Defense to a particular college or university by grant or contract, unless that provision of law—
(A) specifically refers to this section;
(B) specifically states that such provision of law modifies or supersedes the provisions of this section; and
(C) specifically identifies the particular college or university involved and states that the grant to be made or the contract to be awarded, as the case may be, pursuant to such provision of law is being made or awarded in contravention of subsection (a).
(2) A grant may not be made, or a contract awarded, pursuant to a provision of law that authorizes or requires the making of the grant, or the awarding of the contract, in a manner that is inconsistent with subsection (a) until—
(A) the Secretary of Defense submits to Congress a notice in writing of the intent to make the grant or award the contract; and
(B) a period of 180 days has elapsed after the date on which the notice is received by Congress.
(Added Pub. L. 100–456, div. A, title II, § 220(a), Sept. 29, 1988, 102 Stat. 1940, § 2361; amended Pub. L. 101–189, div. A, title II, § 252(a), (b)(1), (c)(1), Nov. 29, 1989, 103 Stat. 1404, 1405; Pub. L. 101–510, div. A, title XIII, § 1311(4), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1669; Pub. L. 103–35, title II, § 201(g)(5), May 31, 1993, 107 Stat. 100; Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title VIII, § 821(b), Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1704; Pub. L. 103–337, div. A, title VIII, § 813, Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 2816; Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title II, § 264, title XV, § 1502(a)(1), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 237, 502; Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title II, § 265, Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2466; renumbered § 4141, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1844(b), as added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, § 1701(u)(5)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2154; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, §§ 1841(c), 1883(b)(2), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4243, 4294; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, § 1701(u)(2)(D), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2151.)
§ 4142. Extramural acquisition innovation and research activities
(a)Establishment.—The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment and in coordination with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, shall establish and maintain extramural acquisition innovation and research activities as described in subsection (d), which shall include an acquisition research organization within a civilian college or university that is not owned or operated by the Federal Government that is established to provide and maintain essential research and development capabilities through a long-term strategic relationship with the Department of Defense.
(b)Goals.—The goal of any activity conducted pursuant to this section shall be to provide academic analyses and policy alternatives for innovation in defense acquisition policies and practices to policymakers in the Federal Government by using a variety of means intended to widely disseminate research findings from such an activity, in addition to executing demonstration and pilot programs of innovative acquisition policies and practices.
(c)Director.—
(1)Appointment.—Not later than June 1, 2020, the Secretary of Defense shall appoint an individual from civilian life to serve as the director for the extramural acquisition innovation and research activities required by this section (referred to in this section as the “Director”).
(2)Term.—The Director shall serve a term of five years.
(d)Activities.—The activities described in this subsection are as follows:
(1) Research on past and current defense acquisition policies and practices, commercial and international best practices, and the application of new technologies and analytical capabilities to improve acquisition policies and practices.
(2) Pilot programs to prototype and demonstrate new acquisition practices for potential transition to wider use in the Department of Defense.
(3) Establishment of data repositories and development of analytical capabilities, in coordination with the Chief Data Officer of the Department of Defense, to enable researchers and acquisition professionals to access and analyze historical data sets to support research and new policy and practice development.
(4) Executive education to—
(A) support acquisition workforce development, including for early career, mid-career, and senior leaders; and
(B) provide appropriate education on acquisition issues to non-acquisition professionals.
(5) On an ongoing basis, a review of the implementation of recommendations contained in relevant Department of Defense and private sector studies on acquisition policies and practices, including—
(A) for recommendations for the enactment of legislation, identify the extent to which the recommendations have been enacted into law by Congress;
(B) for recommendations for the issuance of regulations, identify the extent to which the recommendations have been adopted through the issuance or revision of regulations;
(C) for recommendations for revisions to policies and procedures in the executive branch, identify the extent to which the recommendations have been adopted through issuance of an appropriate implementing directive or other form of guidance; and
(D) for recommendations for the resources required to implement recommendations contained in relevant Department of Defense and private sector studies on acquisition policies and practices.
(6) Engagement with researchers and acquisition professionals in the Department of Defense, as appropriate.
(e)Funding.—Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary may use amounts available in the Defense Acquisition Workforce and Development Account to carry out the requirements of this section.
(f)Annual Report.—Not later than September 30, 2021, and annually thereafter, the Director shall submit to the Secretary of Defense and the congressional defense committees a report describing the activities conducted under this section during the previous year.
(Added Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title VIII, § 835(a)(1), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1494, § 2361a; renumbered § 4142, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1844(b), as added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, § 1701(u)(5)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2154; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1842(b), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4244; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, § 1701(q)(1), (u)(3)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2148, 2152.)
§ 4143. Research and development laboratories: contracts for services of university students
(a) Subject to the availability of appropriations for such purpose, the Secretary of Defense may procure by contract under the authority of this section the temporary or intermittent services of students at institutions of higher learning for the purpose of providing technical support at defense research and development laboratories. Such contracts may be made directly with such students or with nonprofit organizations employing such students.
(b) Students providing services pursuant to a contract made under subsection (a) shall be considered to be employees for the purposes of chapter 81 of title 5, relating to compensation for work injuries, and to be employees of the government for the purposes of chapter 171 of title 28, relating to tort claims. Such students who are not otherwise employed by the Federal Government shall not be considered to be Federal employees for any other purpose.
(c) The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations to carry out this section. Such regulations shall include definitions for the purposes of this section of the terms “student”, “institution of higher learning”, and “nonprofit organization”.
(Added Pub. L. 97–86, title VI, § 603(a), Dec. 1, 1981, 95 Stat. 1110, § 2360; renumbered § 4143, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1844(b), as added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, § 1701(u)(5)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2154; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1843(b)(2), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4245; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, § 1701(u)(4)(A), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2153.)
§ 4144. Research and educational programs and activities: historically black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions of higher education
(a)Program Established.—
(1) The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and the Secretary of each military department, shall carry out a program to provide assistance to covered educational institutions to assist the Department in defense-related research, development, testing, and evaluation activities.
(2) The Secretary of Defense may not delegate or transfer to an individual outside the Office of the Secretary of Defense the authority regarding the programming or budgeting of the program established by this section that is carried out by the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.
(b)Program Objective.—The objective of the program established by subsection (a)(1) is to enhance defense-related research and education at covered educational institutions. Such objective shall be accomplished through initiatives designed to—
(1) enhance the research and educational capabilities of such institutions in areas of importance to national defense, as determined by the Secretary;
(2) encourage the participation of such institutions in the research, development, testing, and evaluation programs and activities of the Department of Defense;
(3) increase the number of graduates from such institutions engaged in disciplines important to the national security functions of the Department of Defense, as determined by the Secretary; and
(4) encourage research and educational collaborations between such institutions and other institutions of higher education, Government defense organizations, and the defense industry.
(c)Assistance Provided.—Under the program established by subsection (a)(1), the Secretary of Defense may provide covered educational institutions with funding or technical assistance, including any of the following:
(1) Support for research, development, testing, evaluation, or educational enhancements in areas important to national defense through the competitive awarding of grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, scholarships, fellowships, or the acquisition of research equipment or instrumentation.
(2) Support to assist in the attraction and retention of faculty in scientific disciplines important to the national security functions of the Department of Defense.
(3) Establishing partnerships between such institutions and defense laboratories, Government defense organizations, the defense industry, and other institutions of higher education in research, development, testing, and evaluation in areas important to the national security functions of the Department of Defense.
(4) Other such non-monetary assistance as the Secretary finds appropriate to enhance defense-related research, development, testing, and evaluation activities at such institutions.
(d)Incentives.—
(1) The Secretary of Defense may develop incentives to encourage research and educational collaborations between covered educational institutions and other institutions of higher education.
(2) The Secretary of Defense shall establish goals and incentives to encourage federally funded research and development centers, science and technology reinvention laboratories, and University Affiliated Research Centers funded by the Department of Defense—
(A) to assess the capacity of covered educational institutions to address the research and development needs of the Department through partnerships and collaborations; and
(B) if appropriate, to enter into partnerships and collaborations with such institutions.
(e)Criteria for Funding.—The Secretary of Defense may establish procedures under which the Secretary may limit funding under this section to institutions that have not otherwise received a significant amount of funding from the Department of Defense for research, development, testing, and evaluation programs supporting the national security functions of the Department.
(f)Definition of Covered Educational Institution.—In this section the term “covered educational institution” means—
(1) an institution of higher education eligible for assistance under title III or V of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1051 et seq.); or
(2) an accredited postsecondary minority institution.
(Added Pub. L. 111–84, div. A, title II, § 252(a), Oct. 28, 2009, 123 Stat. 2242, § 2362; amended Pub. L. 111–383, div. A, title X, § 1075(b)(32), Jan. 7, 2011, 124 Stat. 4370; Pub. L. 112–81, div. A, title II, § 219, Dec. 31, 2011, 125 Stat. 1335; Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title X, § 1076(c)(2)(A)(i), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 1949; Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title II, § 245, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1700; Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title II, § 214, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1257; renumbered § 4144, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1844(b), as added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XVII, § 1701(u)(5)(B), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2154; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1838(b), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4242; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title II, § 220(c), title XVII, § 1701(v)(2)(A), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1599, 2154.)
[§§ 4145 to 4147. Omitted]