The CIA launched its own federal lab and research and development branch Monday.
CIA Labs makes the agency a possible research partner for the more than 300 other federal labs and academic experts.
The lab will also allow CIA officers to get patents and licenses for any intellectual property they create while working at the agency. The agents would then be able to take a portion of the profits, while the CIA will take the rest of the money, according to the MIT Technology Review. Officers could make 15 percent of the total income with a maximum of $150,000 per year.
The research areas that CIA Labs cover will include artificial intelligence, bioscience, virtual and augmented reality, quantum computing and advanced materials and manufacturing, among others, according to a release.
“CIA Labs conducts multidisciplinary research, development, testing, and engineering to address new challenges; adapt, improve, or accelerate the production of existing solutions; and solve persistent scientific and technological problems in new ways,” the release said.
The CIA requests that other federal labs and academic leaders send in their ideas to work together via an online form.
Dawn Meyerriecks, the head of CIA’s directorate of science and technology, said in a statement that CIA Labs “will help us maintain our competitive edge and protect our nation.”
“Some phenomenal innovations have come from CIA over the years, and with CIA Labs, we’re now better positioned to optimize developments and further invest in our scientists and technologists,” she said.