CIA unveils first federal lab to protect IP
The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has launched its own federal lab and research and development branch, enabling officers to obtain patents and licences for IP they develop while working at the agency.
CIA Labs, announced on September 21, will partner with the community of more than 300 US federal labs, academia, and industry in areas including artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, quantum computing and advanced materials and manufacturing.
CIA Labs is a chartered member of the Federal Laboratory Consortium that brings CIA officers together with the private sector and academia to research and develop science and technology inventions.
According to the spy agency’s statement, CIA Labs will conduct “research, development, testing, and engineering to address new challenges; adapt, improve, or accelerate the production of existing solutions; and solve persistent scientific and technological problems in new ways”.
The lab’s existing research areas include: advanced materials and manufacturing; AI, machine learning, and data analytics; bioscience and biotechnology; distributed ledger/blockchain-enabled technologies; virtual and augmented reality; high performance and quantum computing; future wireless and telecommunications technologies; and robotic, autonomous, and human interface systems.
According to a report in MIT Technology Review, officers who develop new technologies at CIA Labs will be allowed to patent, license, and profit from their work, making 15% of the total income from the new invention with a cap of $150,000 per year. That could double most agency salaries, making the work more competitive with Silicon Valley.
Dawn Meyerriecks, head of CIA’s directorate of science and technology, said: “In an evolving threat landscape, CIA Labs will help us maintain our competitive edge and protect our nation.”
She added: “Some phenomenal innovations have come from CIA over the years, and with CIA Labs, we’re now better positioned to optimise developments and further invest in our scientists and technologists.”
The agency has requested that other federal labs and academic leaders send in their ideas to work together via an online form.
Organisations interested in partnership opportunities can contact CIA Labs here.
The move follows a speech made by US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross earlier this month in which he called for a stronger innovation landscape to fortify and strengthen US IP against the threats posed by foreign countries, and by China in particular.
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