---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 5817a"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "5817a"
heading: "Employee-suggested research projects; approval; funding; reports"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/5817a"
units:
  - "Chapter 73 — Development of Energy Sources"
  - "Subchapter I — Energy Research and Development Administration"
---

# §5817a. Employee-suggested research projects; approval; funding; reports

- (a) Any Government-owned contractor operated laboratory, energy research center, or other laboratory performing functions under contract to the Administration may, with the approval of the [Administrator](/usc/42/4005.md?p=1), use a reasonable amount of its operating budget for the funding of employee-suggested research [projects](/usc/42/13641.md?p=2) up to the pilot stage of development. It shall be a condition of any such approval that the [director](/usc/42/11851.md?p=5) of the laboratory or center involved form an internal review mechanism for determining which employee-suggested [projects](/usc/42/13641.md?p=2) merit funding in a given fiscal year; and any such [project](/usc/42/13641.md?p=2) may be funded in one or more succeeding years if the review process indicates that it merits such funding.
- (b) Each [director](/usc/42/11851.md?p=5) of a laboratory or center specified in [subsection (a)](#a) of this section shall submit an annual report to the [Administrator](/usc/42/4005.md?p=1) on [projects](/usc/42/13641.md?p=2) being funded under this section; and on completion of each such [project](/usc/42/13641.md?p=2) shall submit a report to the Technical Information Center of the Administration for inclusion in its data base.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 95–39, title III, § 303, June 3, 1977, 91 Stat. 189.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Codification

Section was not enacted as part of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 which comprises this chapter.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Transfer of Functions

Energy Research and Development Administration terminated and functions vested by law in Administrator thereof transferred to Secretary of Energy (unless otherwise specifically provided) by sections 7151(a) and 7293 of this title.