Work With Us

The Agile BioFoundry actively collaborates with industry and academic groups to accelerate bioproduct research & development and promote the growth of the U.S. bioeconomy.

How to work with us

We can collaborate with industry and academia through two mechanisms: Collaborative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) and Strategic Partnership Projects (SPPs).

SPPs tend to be more narrowly focused projects and often involve the Agile BioFoundry performing a smaller number of unit operations (e.g., targeted proteomics analysis) for the industrial partner. SPPs may be very attractive to industry, as the industrial partner retains all intellectual property (IP) rights derived from the work performed.

CRADAs are typically larger engagements in which the Agile BioFoundry performs multiple unit operations in collaboration with the industrial partner (which may embed its staff at Agile BioFoundry facilities while pursuing the scope of the project’s work).

Because CRADA-based projects are often larger in scope and more open-ended than SPPs, there is a greater chance that new IP will arise over the course of project execution. IP ownership follows inventorship, with the industrial partner generally having an option to negotiate an exclusive license to Agile BioFoundry (co-)invented IP, in a specific field(s) of use. 

There may be other restrictions placed on CRADAs and SPPs. For example, the scope of the project’s work must only include domain expertise and capabilities that are exclusively or uniquely available from the Agile BioFoundry national labs and not otherwise commercially available. Developed processes or products that are derivative of the work performed may need to be first substantially implemented or manufactured in the United States.

The Agile BioFoundry CRADA template will be used for all of the Agile BioFoundry’s CRADA-based projects, and if the project is receiving U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funding, this CRADA is non-negotiable. If a CRADA project is funded entirely with non-DOE funds, changes will be considered. The CRADA is applicable only to Agile BioFoundry projects where there is one non-DOE lab party, although there may be any number of DOE labs.

Agile BioFoundry researchers are free to collaborate with other researchers from within academic, non-profit, or government institutions, with the work either needing to be directly aligned with the Agile BioFoundry’s mission, or the collaborating parties required to secure additional sources of funding to pursue the collaborative work.

In this video from our 2021 Industry Day event, ABF’s Robin Johnston outlines types of partnerships, directed funding opportunities, and more.