EconDefense
ACQ-13 / Research, innovation and experimentation

Share underused laboratory capabilities and undertake public-private work

STRL partnership centers can permit private use of underused capabilities, perform cooperative work, leverage private recapitalization and credit receipts to cost-bearing funds.

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At a glance

Possible toolACQ-13 · Other statutory tools
Legal basis10 U.S.C. §4124

Authority holder: Secretary of Defense, authorized Center/STRL directors

Other statutory tools

Mechanism tags describe the source text; they do not expand the authority.

Availability and verification

Express statutory pathway; award-specific appropriations, available balances, delegations, implementation and approvals not independently verified.

Requirements and limits

Eligibility & prerequisites

  • Use supports statutory partnership objectives and does not significantly impair laboratory mission.
  • Private partner agrees to required direct/indirect cost reimbursement and indemnification.

Limits & exclusions

  • No authorization for otherwise-prohibited conversion of government work to contractors.
  • War/emergency can suspend access; unused capability is not a blanket disposal of public assets.

Funding conditions

  • Reimbursement to appropriation, working-capital or revolving fund incurring costs; alternative statutory reinvestment conditions.

Read the funding and execution guide

Who contributes what

Need & planning

  • Laboratory scientific lead and Office of Research and Technology Applications

Resources

  • Laboratory director and sponsoring component budget owner

Approval

  • Laboratory director and agency approver as statute/delegation requires

Execution

  • Laboratory ORTA, counsel and authorized agreement official

Partners & review

  • Industry, universities, nonprofit and government collaborators within eligibility limits

Office links are editorial matches to the original role text, not verified delegations. Composite labels and unmatched actors are preserved.

Coordination pathway

Lab director/ORTA identifies spare capability → mission-impact and reimbursement determination → partner agreement → lab comptroller credits authorized receipts.

Actor and execution-role sources

Legal basis

  • 10 U.S.C. §4124Primary statutory text; primary GovInfo baseline and amendment audit identified in research narrative.

What this research establishes

Legal powerSource and conditions recorded
EligibilityProject-specific check needed
Available fundsBalances not verified
DelegationValid signature authority must be checked
ExecutionOffice capacity and approvals must be checked

Confidence: High on express authority and cited conditions; execution assignment is illustrative unless statute expressly names it.

Currentness: GovInfo 2024 Code (includes FY2025 NDAA, P.L. 118-159) read in full for cited provision; targeted FY2026 NDAA P.L. 119-60 amendment/repeal sweep. No claim of complete legislative currency through 2026-10-02; remaining 2026 delta needs counsel validation.

Research target: October 2, 2026. A record-specific last-review date is not supplied. Publication date is not legal-currentness certification.

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