Since 2014, Jason Craley has been the General Engineer/Technology Transfer (T2) Specialist at the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) Technology Transfer and Outreach Office, located at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.
His responsibilities include the facilitation and negotiation of Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) and Test Service Agreements, the negotiation and execution of Patent License Agreements and Joint Work Statements, intellectual property (IP) marketing, and international program management.Jason Craley
Craley demonstrated exceptional performance while negotiating a CRADA with the University of California, Riverside (UC) that established a collaborative ARL presence at UC. The CRADA focuses on the assessment of new materials based on radially reinforced composites. A significant challenge he faced was that each UC campus had its own approach to engaging with ARL. AR preferred a blanket CRADA that would apply to the entire UC system; however, because there are foreign nationals at all UC campuses, Craley needed to coordinate with ARL security and legal personnel to modify the CRADA language to satisfy UC and ARL’s security needs.
He mastered background laws and security requirements, examined the researchers’ resumes and citizenship status, and conceived a mutually agreeable collaborative mechanism.
The result was a highly significant agreement between ARL and the UC system that serves as a future template for engagement with sister UC campuses in the ARL West region, including a new CRADA at UC Irvine, which ARL is currently negotiating.
Craley also established and implemented the first ARL foreign nongovernmental CRADA with New Zealand for work with Auckland Uniservices, Ltd. (University of Auckland). This effort addresses Auckland Uniservices’ interest in exploring potential uses for ARL-developed custom materials related to robotic control. The CRADA demonstrates ARL’s continued push toward expanding Open Campus collaboration not just to the U.S., but internationally. Initially, there were many concerns regarding the IP implications. Craley worked closely with ARL and University of Auckland legal teams to determine how ARL could ensure Auckland’s comfort with the agreement. His dedication and ability to negotiate via email over multiple time zones resulted in a successful, mutually beneficial agreement. Without his maturity, patience and persistence, this groundbreaking agreement would have been impossible.
Craley thinks outside the box to resolve problems quickly and efficiently. He has a penchant for streamlining the ARL’s Technology Transfer and Outreach Office processes, and looks for new and innovative ways to complete technology transfers with the least amount of friction and greatest customer satisfaction. Though still a T2 rookie, he is a master at balancing his workload, shifting gears, and tracking multiple projects simultaneously, while meeting deadlines and customer (external and internal) expectations.
Contact: Jason Craley, (410) 306-1275, [email protected]