{
  "id": "ACQ-02",
  "category": "Research financial assistance",
  "capability": "Fund external R&D through grants and cooperative agreements",
  "summary": "Provide assistance for defense-relevant research; use a cooperative agreement when substantial federal involvement is expected, and a grant when it is not.",
  "legal_basis": [
    {
      "citation": "10 U.S.C. §4001(b)",
      "url": "https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title10-section4001&num=0&edition=prelim",
      "kind": "statute",
      "note": "Primary statutory text; primary GovInfo baseline and amendment audit identified in research narrative."
    },
    {
      "citation": "10 U.S.C. §4024",
      "url": "https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title10-section4024&num=0&edition=prelim",
      "kind": "statute",
      "note": "Primary statutory text; primary GovInfo baseline and amendment audit identified in research narrative."
    },
    {
      "citation": "10 U.S.C. §4141",
      "url": "https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title10-section4141&num=0&edition=prelim",
      "kind": "statute",
      "note": "Primary statutory text; primary GovInfo baseline and amendment audit identified in research narrative."
    },
    {
      "citation": "31 U.S.C. §6304",
      "url": "https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title31-section6304&num=0&edition=prelim",
      "kind": "statute",
      "note": "Primary statutory text; primary GovInfo baseline and amendment audit identified in research narrative."
    },
    {
      "citation": "31 U.S.C. §6305",
      "url": "https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title31-section6305&num=0&edition=prelim",
      "kind": "statute",
      "note": "Primary statutory text; primary GovInfo baseline and amendment audit identified in research narrative."
    },
    {
      "citation": "31 U.S.C. §6303",
      "url": "https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title31-section6303&num=0&edition=prelim",
      "kind": "statute",
      "note": "Instrument-selection rule, not the substantive grant authority; research authority is10 U.S.C. §4001."
    }
  ],
  "authority_holder": "Secretary of Defense or military-department Secretary",
  "actor_chain": {
    "planner": [
      "USD(R&E) and Service science-and-technology executives",
      "DARPA or Service laboratory/program manager"
    ],
    "resource_owner": [
      "Sponsoring component RDT&E budget owner; component comptroller"
    ],
    "approver": [
      "Secretary of Defense or military-department Secretary; valid delegate must be confirmed"
    ],
    "executor": [
      "DARPA Contracts Management Office or Service contracting/grants/agreements office",
      "Performing laboratory or external research performer"
    ],
    "partners": [
      "Operational customer / acquiring program",
      "Security, export-control, counsel and fiscal officials as applicable"
    ]
  },
  "actor_sources": [
    {
      "title": "DARPA Contracts Management Office — award and administration roles",
      "url": "https://www.darpa.mil/about/offices/contracts-management"
    },
    {
      "title": "DEVCOM ARL Broad Agency Announcement — program managers and award instruments",
      "url": "https://arl.devcom.army.mil/collaborate-with-us/opportunity/arl-baa/"
    },
    {
      "title": "Office of Naval Research — funding opportunities",
      "url": "https://www.onr.navy.mil/work-with-us/funding-opportunities"
    }
  ],
  "requirements": [
    "Instrument selection follows 31 U.S.C. chapter 63: assistance for a public purpose versus acquiring for federal direct use.",
    "New research grants use merit-based selection; university awards obey §4141 competition rules."
  ],
  "limits": [
    "Not a general-purpose economic-development grant power.",
    "University earmark exceptions require explicit statutory language and applicable notice/wait; grant and contract labels are not interchangeable."
  ],
  "funding": [
    "Available funds for the authorized research purpose; research-security and award conditions remain applicable."
  ],
  "coordination_path": "Research program manager → grants officer → university/company eligibility and security review → assistance award.",
  "availability": "Express statutory pathway; award-specific appropriations, available balances, delegations, implementation and approvals not independently verified.",
  "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.",
  "family": "Research, innovation and experimentation",
  "mechanisms": [
    "Grants & cooperative agreements",
    "Cooperation & exchanges"
  ],
  "goal_ids": [
    "develop-technology"
  ],
  "office_links": [
    {
      "office_id": "usd-research-engineering",
      "role": "planner",
      "label": "USD(R&E) and Service science-and-technology executives"
    },
    {
      "office_id": "comptrollers",
      "role": "resource_owner",
      "label": "Sponsoring component RDT&E budget owner; component comptroller"
    },
    {
      "office_id": "secretary-deputy-secretary",
      "role": "approver",
      "label": "Secretary of Defense or military-department Secretary; valid delegate must be confirmed"
    },
    {
      "office_id": "counsel-award-officials",
      "role": "executor",
      "label": "DARPA Contracts Management Office or Service contracting/grants/agreements office"
    }
  ]
}