COMPANIES INTERNAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75B00514R000100060014-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 28, 2002
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: November 7, 1972
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release 2002/06/24: CIA-RDP75B00514R000100060 4-
ORD-6262-72
' N O'I 1972
MEMORANDUM FOR: Assistant Deputy Director for Science
and Technology
SUBJECT: Companies' Internal Research and
Development Programs
REFERENCE: Note to Don from Ray, 15 September
1. The suggestion contained in the referenced note that a
more effective interface with contractors be developed to influence
their IR&D programs certainly has merit. Many companies have
from one to five percent of their research and development sales
dollars available for internal research and development work.
They try to expend these funds in research and development work
directly related to the companies' long-term corporate goals.
Insofar as the companies' goals and the Agency's goals can be
made to coincide, both can benefit. We certainly should encourage
companies to do research and development in which we are inter-
ested, at the same time being careful that we neither acquire an
implied obligation to give them contracts later, establish the
company in unwarranted IR&D positions, try to obtain a service
at no cost for which we should rightly pay, nor induce a company
to work on a problem which later proves to be trivial.
2. It would be most helpful, as suggested in the note, for
the TCC panels to summarize in a suitable sterile form their
estimates of the technical areas most deserving of attention in
contractor IR&D programs. Ray's suggestion that a single point
of contact act as a focal point for liaison with the companies on
IR&D programs is good. That point of contact could review the
DD/s&T
FILE COPY
Approved For Release 2002/66/24 -CIA iRDP75B00514R000100060014-5
 Approved For Release 2002/06/24: CIA-RDP75B00.514R000100060014-5
SUBJECT: Companies' Internal Research and Development
Programs
programs and either work directly with the companies or assist
in establishing good lines of communication between the company
investigators and the Agency group or groups most directly
concerned.
3. ORD would constitute an appropriate entity to serve
that role. One of the principal aims in its reorganization was to
strengthen its function in providing information on the state of
intelligence--related technology to the other elements of the Agency
using it. Keeping track of IR&D efforts and providing generalized
guidance to them is consistent with that operation. This should
work without difficulty in those cases where the approach is de-
focused and exploratory. Where close relations exist between
TSD or Commo and the company in question, any efforts on our
part to assume a new role would probably appear gratuitous.
Nevertheless, ORD could probably ease into such a function which
could develop with time. It would constitute a worthwhile effort
without being so important that we couldn't back off where necessary.
25X1A
yre evens
Director of Research and Development
Approved For Release 2002/06/24: CIA-RDP75B00514R000100060014-5