# Technology Transfer — Program Element 0604317F

**Program element:** 0604317F  
**Component:** U.S. Air Force  
**Appropriation:** 3600 — RDT&E, Air Force  
**Budget Activity:** 4 — Advanced Component Development & Prototypes  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604317F

## Summary

U.S. Air Force funding falls 94% to a $2.2M request in FY2027 (down from a FY2026 peak), sustained across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House funded it in full; the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators added 455% (to $12.2M). TechLink leads the industry work.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 10.2 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 37.5 |
| FY2027 | Request | 2.2 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 2.3 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 2.3 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 2.4 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 2.4 |

> Estimate types are not summed — the profile mixes actuals, enacted law, the request, and outyear projections.

## Congressional marks (FY2027)

| Stage | Marked ($M) | Change ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| Request | 2.2 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 2.2 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 2.2 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 12.2 | +10.0 |

> FY2027 NDAA authorization marks, as of 2026-07-27. Not appropriations or final law.

## Projects (1)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 646003 | Partnership Intermediary Agreements/T3 | 10.2 | 37.5 | 2.2 | −94% |

> Projects are the summable leaves: the program element total is their sum, never added to it.

### Project 646003 — Partnership Intermediary Agreements/T3

The Department of the Air Force (DAF) Tech Transfer & Transition Program Office Tech Transfer & Transition Program Office manages two Department of War (DoW) level Partnership Intermediaries (PIAs) (TechLink & MilTech), supports oversight of 15 DAF PIAs, and oversees all DAF inventions/patents and technology transfer agreements. Enabled by the TechLink PIA, TechLink brokered 80% of DoW license agreements over the past five years, with 90% of them being with small businesses. TechLink has also facilitated over 2,000 DoW tech transfer agreements since 1999 and has enabled the conversion of lab inventions into realized products and services that bolster the US Defense Innovation Ecosystem. Montana State University's MilTech has performed over 600 technology acceleration and transition projects for all DoW Services, OSW, Joint and Special Programs. Additionally, MilTech has partnered will all DoW Services for over twenty years to support efforts such as electronic warfare, medical technologies and body armor projects and has been selected as the permanent bi-annual host of the Interservice Body Armor Working Group (IBAWG) event. Montana State University's MilTech has been rated as a Top Ten Veteran Friendly university and has supported MilTech's 20 years of successful technology transitions that protect Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Guardians. This project funds the management of DoW/DAF PIAs, invention disclosure & patent processing, program management activities, training, support to the Technology Executive Officer (TEO), and support of the Defense Technology Transfer Information System (DTTIS). This DTTIS platform collects and manages technology transfer activities.

**Named R-3 performers** (share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total, so they need not reach 100%)**:** TechLink (2.2, 100%).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technology Transfer | 3.4 | 3.5 | 2.2 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

## Where the FY2027 request goes

| Category | Share | $M |
|---|---|---|
| Industry primes | 100% | 2.2 |

**Top named industry performers:** TechLink ($2.2M, 100%).

> R-3 exhibit contract funding, not USAspending obligations.

## Mission & acquisition strategy

Technology Transfer is a critical part of the National Defense Strategy (NDS) and Department of War (DoW) that makes the best possible use of national scientific, technical resources and information to enhance the effectiveness of DoW forces and warfighting capability systems. The Department of the Air Force (DAF) Technology Transfer and Transition (T3) program oversees all of the DAF inventions/patents and technology transfer agreements, such as Cooperative Research and Development agreements (CRADAs), Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs), Confidential Disclosure Agreements (CDAs), etc.

This effort uses a Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) with Montana State University-TechLink. Through this agreement TechLink helps the Department of War to establish licensing and other technology transfer agreements with US industry. The effort is run through the Air Force Research Laboratory/Strategic Partnering Office at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

## Related program elements

- [0604222F — Nuclear Weapons Support](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604222F) (Air Force)
- [1160405BB — Intelligence Systems Development](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1160405BB) (Defense-Wide)
- [0603724N — Navy Energy Program](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603724N) (Navy)
- [0603790F — Nato Coop R&D](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603790F) (Air Force)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0604317F (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604317F")`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*