1. (a) The Secretary of Defense shall authorize the director of each defense laboratory to enter into one or more education partnership agreements with educational institutions in the United States for the purpose of encouraging and enhancing study in scientific disciplines at all levels of education. The educational institutions referred to in the preceding sentence are local educational agency, colleges, universities, and any other nonprofit institutions that are dedicated to improving science, mathematics, business, law, technology transfer or transition and engineering education.

2. (b) Under a partnership agreement entered into with an educational institution under this section, the director of a defense laboratory may provide, and is encouraged to provide, assistance to the educational institution by—

   1. (1) loaning defense laboratory equipment to the institution for any purpose and duration in support of such agreement that the director considers appropriate;

   2. (2) notwithstanding the provisions of subtitle I of title 40 and division C (except sections 3302, 3501(b), 3509, 3906, 4710, and 4711) of subtitle I of title 41 or any provision of law or regulation relating to transfers of surplus property, transferring to the institution any computer equipment, or other scientific equipment, that is—

      1. (A) commonly used by educational institutions;
      2. (B) surplus to the needs of the defense laboratory; and
      3. (C) determined by the director to be appropriate for support of such agreement;
   3. (3) making laboratory personnel available to teach science courses or to assist in the development of science courses and materials for the institution;
   4. (4) providing in the defense laboratory sabbatical opportunities for faculty and internship opportunities for students;
   5. (5) involving faculty and students of the institution in defense laboratory projects, including research and technology transfer or transition projects;
   6. (6) cooperating with the institution in developing a program under which students may be given academic credit for work on defense laboratory projects, including research and technology transfer or transition projects;
   7. (7) providing academic and career advice and assistance to students of the institution; and
   8. (8) entering into new and separate contracts or cooperative agreements with, or making grants to, the institution to provide financial assistance for activities conducted under such partnership agreement.
3. (c) The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that the director of each defense laboratory shall give a priority under this section to entering into an education partnership agreement with one or more historically Black colleges and universities and other minority institutions referred to in paragraphs (3), (4), and (5) of section 312(b) ¹ of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058(b)).
4. (d) The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that, in entering into education partnership agreements under this section, the director of a defense laboratory gives a priority to providing assistance to educational institutions serving women, members of minority groups, and other groups of individuals who traditionally are involved in the engineering and science professions in disproportionately low numbers.
5. (e) The Secretary of Defense may permit the director of a defense laboratory to enter into a cooperative agreement with an appropriate entity to act as an intermediary and assist the director in carrying out activities under this section.

6. (f) In this section:

   1. (1) The term “defense laboratory” means any laboratory, product center, test center, depot, training and educational organization, or operational command under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense.
   2. (2) The term “local educational agency” has the meaning given such term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
   3. (3) The term “United States” includes the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any other territory or possession of the United States.

(Added Pub. L. 101–510, div. A, title II, § 247(a)(1), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1522; amended Pub. L. 103–382, title III, § 391(b)(4), Oct. 20, 1994, 108 Stat. 4021; Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title XV, § 1503(a)(19), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 512; Pub. L. 106–398, § 1 [[div. A], title II, § 253], Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1654, 1654A–49; Pub. L. 107–110, title X, § 1076(e), Jan. 8, 2002, 115 Stat. 2091; Pub. L. 108–178, § 4(b)(1), Dec. 15, 2003, 117 Stat. 2640; Pub. L. 111–350, § 5(b)(3), Jan. 4, 2011, 124 Stat. 3842; Pub. L. 111–383, div. A, title II, § 211(b), Jan. 7, 2011, 124 Stat. 4163; Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title II, § 251, Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 1688; Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title II, § 213, Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 767; Pub. L. 114–95, title IX, § 9215(uuu)(4), Dec. 10, 2015, 129 Stat. 2190; Pub. L. 118–159, div. A, title II, § 213, Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 1824.)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Paragraphs (3), (4), and (5) of section 312(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058(b)), referred to in subsec. (c), were repealed by Pub. L. 102–325, title III, § 302(a)(3), July 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 472.

Section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, referred to in subsec. (f)(2), is classified to section 7801 of Title 20, Education.

Amendments

2024—Subsec. (b)(8). Pub. L. 118–159 added par. (8).

2015—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 114–92, § 213(1), inserted “business, law, technology transfer or transition” after “mathematics,”.

Subsec. (b)(4) to (7). Pub. L. 114–92, § 213(2), added par. (4), redesignated former pars. (4) to (6) as (5) to (7), respectively, and, in pars. (5) and (6), substituted “projects, including research and technology transfer or transition projects” for “research projects”.

Subsec. (f)(2). Pub. L. 114–95 substituted “section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965” for “section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)”.

2013—Subsec. (f)(2). Pub. L. 112–239, § 251(b), inserted “(20 U.S.C. 7801)” before period at end.

Subsec. (f)(3). Pub. L. 112–239, § 251(a), added par. (3).

2011—Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 111–350 substituted “division C (except sections 3302, 3501(b), 3509, 3906, 4710, and 4711) of subtitle I of title 41” for “title III of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (41 U.S.C. 251 et seq.)” in introductory provisions.

Subsecs. (e), (f). Pub. L. 111–383 added subsec. (e) and redesignated former subsec. (e) as (f).

2003—Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 108–178 inserted “subtitle I of title 40 and title III of” before “the Federal” and substituted “(41 U.S.C. 251 et seq.)” for “(40 U.S.C. 471 et seq.)”.

2002—Subsec. (e)(2). Pub. L. 107–110 substituted “section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965” for “section 14101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801)”.

2000—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 106–398, § 1 [[div. A], title II, § 253(a)(1)], inserted “, and is encouraged to provide,” after “may provide” in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 106–398, § 1 [[div. A], title II, § 253(a)(2)], inserted before semicolon “for any purpose and duration in support of such agreement that the director considers appropriate”.

Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 106–398, § 1 [[div. A], title II, § 253(a)(3)], added par. (2) and struck out former par. (2) which read as follows: “transferring to the institution defense laboratory equipment determined by the director to be surplus;”.

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 106–398, § 1 [[div. A], title II, § 253(b)], amended subsec. (e) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (e) read as follows: “In this section, the term ‘local educational agency’ has the meaning given such term in section 14101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801).”

1996—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 104–106 substituted “(20 U.S.C. 8801)” for “(20 U.S.C. 2891(12))”.

1994—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103–382, § 391(b)(4)(A), substituted “educational agency” for “education agencies”.

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 103–382, § 394(b)(4)(B)(iii), which directed amendment of subsec. (e) by striking out “(20 U.S.C. 1058(b)” could not be executed because “(20 U.S.C. 1058(b)” does not appear in subsec. (e).

Pub. L. 103–382, § 391(b)(4)(B)(i), (ii), substituted “educational agency” for “education agency” and “section 14101” for “section 1471(12)”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2015 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 114–95 effective Dec. 10, 2015, except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see section 5 of Pub. L. 114–95, set out as a note under section 6301 of Title 20, Education.

Effective Date of 2003 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 108–178 effective Aug. 21, 2002, see section 5 of Pub. L. 108–178, set out as a note under section 5334 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

Effective Date of 2002 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 107–110 effective Jan. 8, 2002, except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see section 5 of Pub. L. 107–110, set out as an Effective Date note under section 6301 of Title 20, Education.

¹ See References in Text note below.