[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 48, Volume 1]

[Revised as of October 1, 2005]

From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access

[CITE: 48CFR35.017]



[Page 732]

 

            TITLE 48--FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM

 

                CHAPTER 1--FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION

 

PART 35_RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTING--Table of Contents

 

Sec. 35.017  Federally Funded Research and Development Centers.



    (a) Policy.

    (1) This section sets forth Federal policy regarding the 

establishment, use, review, and termination of Federally Funded Research 

and Development Centers (FFRDC's) and related sponsoring agreements.

    (2) An FFRDC meets some special long-term research or development 

need which cannot be met as effectively by existing in-house or 

contractor resources. FFRDC's enable agencies to use private sector 

resources to accomplish tasks that are integral to the mission and 

operation of the sponsoring agency. An FFRDC, in order to discharge its 

responsibilities to the sponsoring agency, has access, beyond that which 

is common to the normal contractual relationship, to Government and 

supplier data, including sensitive and proprietary data, and to 

employees and facilities. The FFRDC is required to conduct its business 

in a manner befitting its special relationship with the Government, to 

operate in the public interest with objectivity and independence, to be 

free from organizational conflicts of interest, and to have full 

disclosure of its affairs to the sponsoring agency. It is not the 

Government's intent that an FFRDC use its privileged information or 

access to facilities to compete with the private sector. However, an 

FFRDC may perform work for other than the sponsoring agency under the 

Economy Act, or other applicable legislation, when the work is not 

otherwise available from the private sector.

    (3) FFRDC's are operated, managed, and/or administered by either a 

university or consortium of universities, other not-for-profit or 

nonprofit organization, or an industrial firm, as an autonomous 

organization or as an identifiable separate operating unit of a parent 

organization.

    (4) Long-term relationships between the Government and FFRDC's are 

encouraged in order to provide the continuity that will attract high-

quality personnel to the FFRDC. This relationship should be of a type to 

encourage the FFRDC to maintain currency in its field(s) of expertise, 

maintain its objectivity and independence, preserve its familiarity with 

the needs of its sponsor(s), and provide a quick response capability.

    (b) Definitions. As used in this section--

    Nonsponsor means any other organization, in or outside of the 

Federal Government, which funds specific work to be performed by the 

FFRDC and is not a party to the sponsoring agreement.

    Primary sponsor means the lead agency responsible for managing, 

administering, or monitoring overall use of the FFRDC under a multiple 

sponsorship agreement.

    Sponsor means the executive agency which manages, administers, 

monitors, funds, and is responsible for the overall use of an FFRDC. 

Multiple agency sponsorship is possible as long a one agency agrees to 

act as the ``primary sponsor.'' In the event of multiple sponsors, 

``sponsor'' refers to the primary sponsor.



[55 FR 3885, Feb. 5, 1990 as amended at 66 FR 2132, Jan. 10, 2001]