National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Technology Transfer

Work-for-Others Agreements

NREL uses a work-for-others (WFO) agreement when a partner seeks technical services to complete a project but does not intend to perform joint research. The partner provides NREL with the necessary resources and fully covers the costs of the work to be performed.

Types

Work-for-others agreement types include:

• Interagency Agreement-Government (IAG)
  A federal agency other than the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funds NREL's work directly. However, DOE and the agency enter into the agreement.

• Funds-In Agreement (FIA)
  A nonfederal entity pays NREL to conduct a research-oriented project. Under certain circumstances, the agreement may allow for the nonfederal project sponsor to obtain title to inventions.

• Technical Services Agreement (TSA)
  A nonfederal entity pays for NREL to assist with an analytical problem. NREL consults and provides basic technical assistance under this agreement.

• Analytical Services Agreement (ASA)
  Nonfederal sponsors pay for specialized, narrow analytical services performed by the lab in 13 different categories of testing or characterization services. This small-scale, "shrink-wrap" agreement has a maximum work duration of three months and a maximum value of $25,000.

More Information

To learn more about the process for establishing a work-for-others agreement with NREL, see technology partnership agreements.

Contact

If you have any questions about work-for-others agreements, contact Jennifer Schofield, 303-384-7424.