Collapse to view only § 4831. Defense dual-use critical technology program
- § 4831. Defense dual-use critical technology program
- § 4832. Encouragement of technology transfer
- § 4833. Federal Defense Laboratory Diversification Program
- § 4834. Overseas foreign critical technology monitoring and assessment financial assistance program
§ 4831. Defense dual-use critical technology program
(a)Establishment of Program.—The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a program to further the national security objectives set forth in section 4811(a) of this title by encouraging and providing for research, development, and application of dual-use critical technologies. The Secretary may make grants, enter into contracts, or enter into cooperative agreements and other transactions pursuant to section 4021 of this title in furtherance of the program. The Secretary shall identify projects to be conducted as part of the program.
(b)Assistance Authorized.—The Secretary of Defense may provide technical and other assistance to facilitate the achievement of the purposes of projects conducted under the program. In providing such assistance, the Secretary shall make available, as appropriate for the work to be performed, equipment and facilities of Department of Defense laboratories (including the scientists and engineers at those laboratories) for purposes of projects selected by the Secretary.
(c)Financial Commitment of Non-Federal Government Participants.—
(1) The total amount of funds provided by the Federal Government for a project conducted under the program may not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of the project. However, the Secretary of Defense may agree to a project in which the total amount of funds provided by the Federal Government exceeds 50 percent if the Secretary determines the project is particularly meritorious, but the project would not otherwise have sufficient non-Federal funding or in-kind contributions.
(2) The Secretary may prescribe regulations to provide for consideration of in-kind contributions by non-Federal Government participants in a project conducted under the program for the purpose of calculating the share of the project costs that has been or is being undertaken by such participants. In such regulations, the Secretary may authorize a participant that is a small business concern to use funds received under the Small Business Innovation Research Program or the Small Business Technology Transfer Program to help pay the costs of project activities. Any such funds so used may be considered in calculating the amount of the financial commitment undertaken by the non-Federal Government participants unless the Secretary determines that the small business concern has not made a significant equity percentage contribution in the project from non-Federal sources.
(3) The Secretary shall consider a project proposal submitted by a small business concern without regard to the ability of the small business concern to immediately meet its share of the anticipated project costs. Upon the selection of a project proposal submitted by a small business concern, the small business concern shall have a period of not less than 120 days in which to arrange to meet its financial commitment requirements under the project from sources other than a person of a foreign country. If the Secretary determines upon the expiration of that period that the small business concern will be unable to meet its share of the anticipated project costs, the Secretary shall revoke the selection of the project proposal submitted by the small business concern.
(d)Selection Process.—Competitive procedures shall be used in the conduct of the program.
(e)Selection Criteria.—The criteria for the selection of projects under the program shall include the following:
(1) The extent to which the proposed project advances and enhances the national security objectives set forth in section 4811(a) of this title.
(2) The technical excellence of the proposed project.
(3) The qualifications of the personnel proposed to participate in the research activities of the proposed project.
(4) An assessment of timely private sector investment in activities to achieve the goals and objectives of the proposed project other than through the project.
(5) The potential effectiveness of the project in the further development and application of each technology proposed to be developed by the project for the national technology and industrial base.
(6) The extent of the financial commitment of eligible firms to the proposed project.
(7) The extent to which the project does not unnecessarily duplicate projects undertaken by other agencies.
(f)Regulations.—The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations for the purposes of this section.
(Added Pub. L. 102–484, div. D, title XLII, § 4221(a), Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2677, § 2511; amended Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title XIII, §§ 1315(a), 1317(c), Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1787, 1789; Pub. L. 103–337, div. A, title XI, § 1115(a), Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 2868; Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title X, § 1081(c), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 452; renumbered § 4831 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1868(b), (c)(1), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4282, 4283; Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title X, § 1081(a)(6), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2797.)
§ 4832. Encouragement of technology transfer
(a)Encouragement of Transfer Required.—The Secretary of Defense shall encourage, to the extent consistent with national security objectives, the transfer of technology between laboratories and research centers of the Department of Defense and other Federal agencies, State and local governments, colleges and universities, and private persons in cases that are likely to result in accomplishing the objectives set forth in section 4811(a) of this title.
(b)Examination and Implementation of Methods To Encourage Transfer.—The Secretary shall examine and implement methods, in addition to the encouragement referred to in subsection (a) and the program described in subsection (c), that are consistent with national security objectives and will enable Department of Defense personnel to promote technology transfer.
(c)Program To Encourage Diversification of Defense Laboratories.—
(1) The Secretary of Defense shall establish and implement a program to be known as the Federal Defense Laboratory Diversification Program (hereinafter in this subsection referred to as the “Program”). The purpose of the Program shall be to encourage greater cooperation in research and production activities carried out by defense laboratories and by private industry of the United States in order to enhance and improve the products of such research and production activities.
(2) Under the Program, the defense laboratories, in coordination with the Office of Technology Transfer in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, shall carry out cooperative activities with private industry in order to promote (by the use or exchange of patents, licenses, cooperative research and development agreements and other cooperative agreements, and the use of symposia, meetings, and other similar mechanisms) the transfer of defense or dual-use technologies from the defense laboratories to private industry, and the development and application of such technologies by the defense laboratories and private industry, for the purpose of the commercial utilization of such technologies by private industry.
(3) The Secretary of Defense shall develop and annually update a plan for each defense laboratory that participates in the Program under which plan the laboratory shall carry out cooperative activities with private industry to promote the transfers described in subsection (b).
(4) In this subsection, the term “defense laboratory” means any laboratory owned or operated by the Department of Defense that carries out research in fiscal year 1993 in an amount in excess of $50,000,000.
(Added Pub. L. 102–484, div. D, title XLII, § 4224(a), Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2682, § 2514; amended Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title VIII, § 829(f), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2614; renumbered § 4832 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1868(b), (c)(2), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4282, 4283.)
§ 4833. Federal Defense Laboratory Diversification Program
(a)Establishment of Program.—The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a program in accordance with this section for the purpose of promoting cooperation between Department of Defense laboratories and industry on research and development of dual-use technologies in order to further the national security objectives set forth in section 4811(a) of this title.
(b)Partnerships.—
(1) The Secretary shall provide for the establishment under the program of cooperative arrangements (hereinafter in this section referred to as “partnerships”) between a Department of Defense laboratory and eligible firms and nonprofit research corporations. A partnership may also include one or more additional Federal laboratories, institutions of higher education, agencies of State and local governments, and other entities, as determined appropriate by the Secretary.
(2) For purposes of this section, a federally funded research and development center shall be considered a Department of Defense laboratory if the center is sponsored by the Department of Defense.
(c)Assistance Authorized.—
(1) The Secretary may make grants, enter into contracts, enter into cooperative agreements and other transactions pursuant to section 4021 of this title, and enter into cooperative research and development agreements under section 12 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a) in order to establish partnerships.
(2) Subject to subsection (d), the Secretary may provide a partnership with technical and other assistance in order to facilitate the achievement of the purpose of this section.
(d)Financial Commitment of Non-Federal Government Participants.—
(1) The Secretary shall ensure that the non-Federal Government participants in a partnership make a substantial contribution to the total cost of partnership activities. The amount of the contribution shall be commensurate with the risk undertaken by such participants and the potential benefits of the activities for such participants.
(2) The regulations prescribed pursuant to section 4831(c)(2) of this title shall apply to in-kind contributions made by non-Federal Government participants in a partnership.
(e)Selection Process.—Competitive procedures shall be used in the establishment of partnerships.
(f)Selection Criteria.—The criteria for the selection of a proposed partnership for establishment under this section shall include the criteria set forth in section 4831(e) of this title.
(g)Regulations.—The Secretary shall prescribe regulations for the purposes of this section.
(Added Pub. L. 103–337, div. A, title XI, § 1113(a), Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 2864, § 2519; amended Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title X, § 1081(d), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 454; renumbered § 4833 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1868(b), (c)(3), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4282, 4283; Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title X, § 1081(a)(7), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2797.)
§ 4834. Overseas foreign critical technology monitoring and assessment financial assistance program
(a)Establishment and Purpose of Program.—The Secretary of Defense may establish a foreign critical technology monitoring and assessment program. Under the program, the Secretary may enter into cooperative arrangements with one or more eligible not-for-profit organizations in order to provide financial assistance for the establishment of foreign critical technology monitoring and assessment offices in Europe, Pacific Rim countries, and such other countries as the Secretary considers appropriate.
(b)Eligible Organizations.—Any not-for-profit industrial or professional organization that has economic and scientific interests in research, development, and applications of dual-use critical technologies is eligible to enter into a cooperative arrangement referred to in subsection (a).
(Added Pub. L. 102–190, div. A, title VIII, § 821(a), Dec. 5, 1991, 105 Stat. 1431, § 2526; renumbered § 2518, Pub. L. 102–484, div. D, title XLII, § 4228, Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2685; renumbered § 4834, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1868(b), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4282.)