TECHNOLOGY-TRANSFER AND THE FEDERAL LABORATORIES - A MIDTERM ASSESSMENT OF COOPERATIVE RESEARCH

Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) are at the heart of recent federal efforts to increase United States technological competitiveness through the commercialization of public technologies. CRADAs are competitiveness legal agreements for the sharing of research personnel, equipment, and intellectual property rights in joint government-industry research. Since 1986, over 2,200 CRADAs have been entered into. This study provides a midterm evaluation of the CRADA process. It finds that important legal obstacles remain in the use of CRADAs. Progress is also impeded by a lack of industry familiarity with research in the federal laboratories, as well as inadequate federal funding for research collaboration.