Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) are used by federal laboratories to participate in collaborative efforts and partnerships with industry. Although not technically a research laboratory, the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a federally funded research university that has developed an extensive sponsored program of Technology Transfer (T2) with the private sector. Cooperative research and development is often a two-way instrument whereby knowledge-generated value can flow in both directions. This thesis assesses that value from the perspective of the federal partner, based on the NPS case as a specialized academic and research institution. The research and analysis performed within the context of this thesis contributes to goals established in the NPS's "Technology Transfer Business Plan," which focuses on the measurement of outcomes and benefits resulting from CRADAs, one of the preferred and most widely used mechanisms in technology transfer within the Department of Defense, particularly at the NPS. The perspective chosen, in the direction from the nonfederal entity -- generally industry -- towards the federal partner, has not been researched and reported in the specialized literature as extensively as in the opposite direction.

Authorization for Government-operated Federal laboratories to enter into Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) was initially provided by the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980, which was amended by the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986. The Department of Defense and the Department of the Navy have each issued specific guidelines governing technology transfer. This guidebook was prepared for the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), Dahlgren, Virginia, and provides guidelines concerning responsibilities, requirements, options, types, format, and contents of CRADAs.