Please click on the boxes below for more about each term or concept.
COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT
A CRADA is a written agreement between one or more federal laboratories and one or more non-federal parties to work together on research and/or development. Under a CRADA, the parties agree to provide the personnel, facilities, equipment or other resources to conduct specific research and/or development efforts that are consistent with the agency’s mission. CRADAs protect each party’s intellectual property. Each party retains all intellectual property it has developed while jointly developing new intellectual property. It should be noted that while federal laboratories may receive funds from the non-federal partner(s) in a CRADA, they are not allowed to provide funds to non-federal partners.
EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS
EPAs are formal agreements between a DoD Laboratory and an educational institution, or any other nonprofit institutions dedicated to improving science, mathematics, business, law, technology transfer or transition and engineering education, to transfer and/or enhance technology applications and provide technology assistance for all levels of education. Through the EPA, the laboratory can loan equipment, declare as surplus and transfer (donate) equipment, make laboratory personnel available to teach or assist in developing courses, involve faculty and students in research, etc. (10 U.S.C. § 2194)
ENGINEERING SERVICE AGREEMENTS (Please see Test Service Agreements below)
LABORATORY
(5) The terms “federal laboratory” and “laboratory” have the meaning given the term “laboratory” in section 12(d)(2) of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a(d)(2)), except that such terms include a federally funded research and development center sponsored by a federal agency.
OTHER TRANSACTION AGREEMENT OR OTHER TRANSACTION AUTHORITY
An “Other Transaction Agreement” or “Other Transaction Authority” is a streamlined vehicle that brings innovative research findings and state-of-the-art prototypes from industry to the federal government. OT-based collaborations are not subject to some of the regulations that apply to Federal Acquisition Regulation-based acquisitions. OTAs enable fast acquisition of critically needed technologies in areas as diverse as shipbuilding, armaments, satellites, medical devices, and electromagnetic spectrum technologies. To learn more about OTAs via the DoD Ordnance Technology Consortium/National Armaments Consortium, please visit HERE.
PARTNERSHIP INTERMEDIARY
A partnership intermediary means an agency of a state or local government, or a nonprofit entity described by 15 U.S.C. § 3715, that has entered into a partnership intermediary agreement with a federal laboratory. Partnership intermediaries provide services to federal laboratories that increase the likelihood of successful cooperative activities with small businesses and educational institutions. This includes assisting, counseling, advising, evaluating, and otherwise cooperating with small businesses and educational institutions to find productive uses for federal laboratory technology. See also 15 U.S.C. § 3715 and 10 U.S.C. § 2368.
PATENT LICENSE AGREEMENT
The Armaments Center has the authority to license its intellectual property rights on behalf of the government. A PLA can be granted on patents already issued or applications filed by the government under an exclusive, partially exclusive or non-exclusive basis. The purpose of a PLA is to commercialize federally owned technology for the benefit of the U.S. economy. See our Patents Page for more on Armaments Center intellectual property.
TEST SERVICE AGREEMENTS & ENGINEERING SERVICE AGREEMENTS
The Armaments Center’s engineering expertise and over 100 unique laboratory and testing facilities, are a national asset available to help both our nation’s military industrial base and the private sector supporting our nation’s economy. Government laboratories may make available to any person or entity, at a prescribed fee, the services of the government facility for the testing of materials, equipment, models, computer and the facilities, services, and equipment of the government laboratory, if the facilities, services, and equipment provided will not be in direct competition with the domestic private sector (Engineering Service Agreement). A TSA should be used if the service is to be provided by the laboratory with no technical collaboration by the partner. Under a TSA, the services performed must legitimately be the testing of materials, equipment, models, computer software, or other items. A TSA is not appropriate for research studies or investigations, nor does it authorize the sale of products, only services. The only limitation on participants for TSAs and ESAs is that they may not be agencies of foreign governments. (10 U.S.C. § 4892)
If you are interested in Armament Center facilities for purposes of a TSA or ESA, please visit our Facilities Site.