ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Not since the early 1990s, when the World Wide Web was introduced, has Sandia National Laboratories seen as many new Cooperative Research and Development Agreements as it did in fiscal year 2024.
Sandia entered into 72 new CRADAs, the second-highest number in history, in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. In the early 2000s, Sandia executed about half that number of agreements per year.
CRADAs, which are contracts, enable federal labs and outside parties to jointly develop new technologies using each other’s expertise and resources.
“We’re trying to make CRADAs more accessible by lowering the barriers to enter into an agreement with Sandia, including with a master scope of work,” said Jason Martinez, a business development specialist at Sandia.
The master scope of work, which is in the pilot phase, is the result of collaboration with the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Sandia Field Office.
Martinez added that the master scope of work can be used in low-risk circumstances and significantly speeds up CRADA approval time. About 78% of CRADAs that utilized the master scope of work in fiscal year 2024 were completed in 30 days or less — from initiation to execution.
“CRADAs should only be leveraged in specific circumstances,” Martinez said.
CRADAs are for non-federal entities.
Martinez explained that some factors considered when evaluating whether to enter a CRADA include whether the work will be collaborative and the likelihood that a new product or process will be developed.
“Our CRADA partners get to work with Sandia’s experts as well as the research and development capabilities and resources we have here,” Martinez said. “Our partners in industry and academia bring significant expertise that can help with the problems Sandia is trying to solve.”
Martinez said Sandia’s wide spectrum of work is reflected in the new CRADAs, ranging from advancing microneedle technology to quantum photonics.
While fiscal year 1994 still holds the record for the highest number of new CRADAs executed, with 84 agreements, fiscal year 2024 surpassed the previous second-place holder, 1993, which had 68 new CRADAs.
“When the CRADA program launched in the early ’90s, there was a push for many new agreements, with a strong emphasis and focus on U.S. economic security and what companies needed or wanted,” said Mary Monson, senior manager for Sandia’s business development. “While we’ve eased the process to partner with Sandia, the emphasis on CRADAs has shifted to utilizing mission-related capabilities to help businesses. Now, there is also a strong emphasis on maturing Sandia technology and moving it out of the labs.”
Economic boom
(Graphic by Ray Johnson) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution graphic.
The National Nuclear Security Administration and Sandia commissioned two studies to examine the impact of CRADAs and patent license agreements between 2000 and 2023. The studies found CRADAs and patent license agreements had an economic impact of $140 billon and more than 600,000 jobs. The studies also found that Sandia had the third-highest number of CRADA projects in the DOE enterprise during that time.
There’s also an impact on the local economy.
“There’s been an uptick in New Mexico businesses partnering with the Labs through CRADAs,” Martinez said. “From an economic standpoint, we have a footprint in the community.”
Martinez said state funding is playing a role in the increased number of local businesses partnering with Sandia through CRADAs. New Mexico’s Technology Readiness Gross Receipts initiative, a tax-funded program, allows businesses to work with scientists and engineers from Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories. The goal is to help New Mexico business owners get their inventions ready for the commercial market.
Businesses can learn more about CRADAs on the Sandia website.