TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER.

SEC. 3135. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER. (a) Expedited Review of Agreements With Small Businesses.— Section 12(c)(5) of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a(c)(5)) is amended— (1) in subparagraph (C)(i), by striking out “Any agency” and inserting in lieu thereof “Except as provided in subparagraph (D), any agency”; and (2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: “(D) (i) Any non-Federal entity that operates a laboratory pursuant to a contract with a Federal agency shall submit to the agency any cooperative research and development agreement that the entity proposes to enter into with a small business firm and the joint work statement required with respect to that agreement. “(ii) A Federal agency that receives a proposed agreement and joint work statement under clause (i) shall review and approve, request specific modifications to, or disapprove the proposed agreement and joint work statement within 30 days after such submission. No agreement may be entered into by a Government-owned, contractor-operated laboratory under this section before both approval of the agreement and approval of a joint work statement under this clause. “(iii) In any case in which an agency which has contracted with an entity referred to in clause (i) disapproves or requests the modification of a cooperative research and development agree-106 STAT. 2641ment or joint work statement submitted under that clause, the agency shall transmit a written explanation of such disapproval or modification to the head of the laboratory concerned”. (b) Technology Transfer to Small Businesses.— (1) The Secretary of Energy shall establish a program to facilitate and encourage the transfer of technology to small businesses and shall issue guidelines relating to the program not later than May 1, 1993. (2) For the purposes of this subsection, the term “small business” means a business concern that meets the applicable size standards prescribed pursuant to section 3(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632(a)). (c) Funding.— Funds authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Energy and made available for laboratory directed research and development shall be available for cooperative research and development agreements or other arrangements for technology transfer.