Audit of Administration of Cooperative Research and Development Agreements at DOE National Laboratories

DOE established policies to ensure that Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAS) enhance US competitiveness in the world economy, provide a reasonable return on resources invested, and enable successful commercialization of technologies developed. DOE`s Office of Technology Partnerships issued a General Guidance Memorandum to DOE operations offices establishing policy goals for technology transfer programs, including CRADAS. Our audit disclosed that efforts to manage CRADAs at three national laboratories did not fully achieve DOE`s policy goals outlined in the General Guidance Memorandum. Specifically, the audit showed that: (1) joint work statements did not always contain clearly defined information that allowed DOE to facilitate technology transfer or to evaluate CRADAs potential benefits; (2) CRADA statements of work did not always contain adequate documentation or address potential benefits; (3) the national laboratories reviewed did not have effective mechanisms for continuous self-appraisal or measures of overall program success; and (4) CRADA provisions did not exist to ensure an accurate evaluation of partner contributions