Funding Technology Development in the Government Contracts Industry

While the federal government continues to struggle with how best to innovate and procure innovative solutions to meet its needs ( whether  national defense, intelligence or civilian agency needs), the quest for identifying and procuring innovative technologies to address the government’s needs in a cost-effective manner has never been stronger.  Providing innovative technologies to the world’s biggest customer -- the federal government -- has obvious benefits to government contractors. However, few understand the full array of funding sources available to develop such innovative technology and even fewer appreciate the importance of understanding and complying with the applicable regulatory and contractual requirements.    

In this course, attorneys Gene Schleppenbach and Nathan Hartland discuss various sources of funding that are available (particularly from federal sources), the eligibility requirements under those programs and some of the regulatory, contractual and intellectual property issues relating to those funding programs. This course draws on the presenters’ experience in assisting early-stage companies, including in the government contracts space, to identify appropriate funding sources and understand how to use funding at various stages of technology development and commercialization, while being mindful of the regulatory and contract requirements that may impair or result in the loss of important intellectual property rights, as well as being mindful of contractor liability for failing to follow those requirements.  

Learning Objectives: 

1. Identify the various sources of funding available for technology development, particularly at the federal level, but including possible funding sources from private and state entities
2. Recognize the stages of technology development at which various sources of funding are likely to be available
3. Understand the regulatory, contractual, and intellectual property (IP) implications of utilizing such sources of funding with respect to federal funding sources
4. Protect IP in interactions with the federal government and prime contractors
5. Appreciate the potential consequences of failing to comply with the federal regulatory and contractual requirement, both from an IP ownership perspective and liability perspective