In the United States, a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADAorCRDA) is an agreement between a government agency and another government agency, a private company, non-profit, or university to work together on research and development.
Designated under the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-502) (which amended the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (P.L. 96-480)),[1] a CRADA is intended to speed the commercializationoftechnology, optimize resources, and protect the private company involved. A CRADA allows both parties to keep research results confidential for up to five years under the Freedom of Information Act.[2] The Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) is responsible for preserving the scientific and technical information generated through a CRADA and making this information readily available to the scientific community as well as the public.[3]
Private corporations participating in a CRADA are allowed to file for patent, and they retain patent rights on inventions developed by the CRADA. The government gets a license to the patents.[4]