15 U.S.C. § 3715: Use of partnership intermediaries

enter into a contract or memorandum of understanding with a partnership intermediary that provides for the partnership intermediary to perform services for the Federal laboratory that increase the likelihood of success in the conduct of cooperative or joint activities of such Federal laboratory with small business firms, institutions of higher education as defined in section 1141(a) 1 of title 20, or educational institutions within the meaning of 1 See References in Text note below. section 2194 of title 10 ; and pay the Federal costs of such contract or memorandum of understanding out of funds available for the support of the technology transfer function pursuant to section 3710(b) of this title . For purposes of this section, the term “partnership intermediary” means an agency of a State or local government, or a nonprofit entity owned in whole or in part by, chartered by, funded in whole or in part by, or operated in whole or in part by or on behalf of a State or local government, that assists, counsels, advises, evaluates, or otherwise cooperates with small business firms, institutions of higher education as defined in section 1141(a) 1 of title 20, or educational institutions within the meaning of section 2194 of title 10 , that need or can make demonstrably productive use of technology-related assistance from a Federal laboratory, including State programs receiving funds under cooperative agreements entered into under section 5121(b) of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 ( 15 U.S.C. 278 l note). A federally funded research and development center of the Department of Defense, of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or of the Department of Energy that functions primarily as a research laboratory may respond to solicitations and announcements under programs authorized by the Federal Government for the purpose of promoting the research, development, demonstration, or transfer of technology in a manner consistent with the terms and conditions of such program. A federally funded research and development center of the Department of Energy described in subparagraph (A) may respond to solicitations and announcements described in that subparagraph only for activities conducted by the center under contract with or on behalf of the Department of Defense. A federally funded research and development center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration that functions primarily as a research laboratory may respond to broad agency announcements under programs authorized by the Federal Government for the purpose of promoting the research, development, demonstration, or transfer of technology in a manner consistent with the terms and conditions of such program. A federally funded research and development center described in paragraph (1)(A) that responds to a solicitation or announcement described in such paragraph shall not be considered to be engaging in a competitive procedure and may use, among other authorities, cooperative research and development agreements provided for under section 12 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 ( 15 U.S.C. 3710a )) [sic] as the instruments of participation in the solicitation or announcement.”