(a) Authority to make grants

The Secretary of Defense shall make grants, in accordance with section 6304 of title 31, to Sematech in order to defray expenses incurred by Sematech in conducting research on and development of semiconductor manufacturing technology. The grants shall be made in accordance with a memorandum of understanding entered into under subsection (b).

(b) Memorandum of understanding

The Secretary of Defense shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with Sematech for the purposes of this subchapter. The memorandum of understanding shall require the following:

(1) That Sematech have—

(A) a charter agreed to by all representatives of the semiconductor industry that are participating members of Sematech; and

(B) an annual operating plan that is developed in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Semiconductor Technology Council.

(2) That the total amount of funds made available to Sematech by Federal, State, and local government agencies for any fiscal year for the support of research and development activities of Sematech under this section may not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of such activities.

(3) That Sematech, in conducting research and development activities pursuant to the memorandum of understanding, cooperate with and draw on the expertise of the national laboratories of the Department of Energy and of colleges and universities in the United States in the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology.

(4) That an independent, commercial auditor be retained (A) to determine the extent to which the funds made available to Sematech by the United States for the research and development activities of Sematech have been expended in a manner that is consistent with the purposes of this subchapter, the charter of Sematech, and the annual operating plan of Sematech, and (B) to submit to the Secretary of Defense, Sematech, and the Comptroller General of the United States an annual report containing the findings and determinations of such auditor.

(5) That (A) the Secretary of Defense be permitted to use intellectual property, trade secrets, and technical data owned and developed by Sematech in the same manner as a participant in Sematech and to transfer such intellectual property, trade secrets, and technical data to Department of Defense contractors for use in connection with Department of Defense requirements, and (B) the Secretary not be permitted to transfer such property to any person for commercial use.

(6) That Sematech take all steps necessary to maximize the expeditious and timely transfer of technology developed and owned by Sematech to the participants in Sematech in accordance with the agreement between Sematech and those participants and for the purpose of improving manufacturing productivity of United States semiconductor firms.

(c) Construction of memorandum of understanding

The memorandum of understanding entered into under subsection (b) shall not be considered to be a contract for the purpose of any law or regulation relating to the formation, content, and administration of contracts awarded by the Federal Government and subcontracts under such contracts, including chapter 271 of title 10, section 719 of the Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. App. 2168),¹ and the Federal Acquisition Regulations, and such provisions of law and regulation shall not apply with respect to the memorandum of understanding.

(d) Funding for FY88

Of the amounts appropriated to the Defense Agencies for fiscal year 1988 for research, development, test, and evaluation, $100,000,000 may be obligated only to make grants under this section.