The CFL has an established reputation for working with businesses and industries on a local, national, and international level. CFL faculty and staff can provide R&D, testing, and/or consulting services depending on your individual needs.

Several partnership opportunities are available depending on the nature of your project:

• Testing Services Agreement (TSA)
• Membership in the NSF I/UCRC Research Center: CICI
• Traditional Research Agreement

For more information, or to discuss your specific project, please email: cfl@ncsu.edu. A faculty or staff member will contact you.

Testing Services Agreement

Much of the testing for industry that takes place at the CFL uses the NC State Testing Services Agreement (TSA). The TSA is a standard contract that allows the CFL to perform standard tests on products or systems provided by industry. The key component of an analysis and testing agreement is that no analysis or interpretation is provided. This means that we can test a product according to a pre-established test method and provide results. Any interpretation of test results would fall under the scope of a research agreement and cannot be performed as part of a TSA.  This site discusses the differences between commercial testing and research.

The CFL can also perform many tests which are outside the lab’s current scope of accreditation. Contact cfl@ncsu.edu if you have questions about a specific test method or would like to request a quote.

Other sources of information include :

NCSU Standard Contracts (download TSA and associated guidelines)
NCSU Office of Technology Transfer

Research Agreements

Research agreements are a common way to sponsor activities at the university. These agreements allow you to utilize the full physical and intellectual capabilities of the university. First time research sponsors may qualify to use the Delegated Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) document. Information on this document can be found on the college of engineering website. Use of this document allows for reduced overhead on projects less than $50,000.

Many companies are concerned with confidentiality, intellectual property, and other related topics.  The website of the NCSU Office of Legal Affairs will introduce you to some of NC State’s policies. For more information please contact cfl@ncsu.edu.

Consulting

Faculty and staff at the CFL may undertake consulting activities provided that the activities do not create a conflict of interest with the university or compromise the intellectual property rights of the University.  Contact an individual faculty or staff member or email cfl@ncsu.edu to inquire about these services.

Supporting the CFL

The CFL is training future engineering leaders and developing tomorrow’s construction technology. In order to be successful and to remain a premier research and testing lab, the CFL must maintain state of the art equipment and facilities. We can’t do this alone, and often depend on financial, technical, and other support from businesses and individuals. Contact the NCSU Engineering Foundation for more information about how to support this world-class facility.