FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 35: Research and Development Contracting

FAR 35.001 Definitions.

The codified text (eCFR, as of 2026-10-02). Under the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul ↗, agencies follow class deviations with new text for many parts while the formal rules go through the Federal Register: check the solicitation and your contract's clauses, which rule.

In plain English

This section defines three terms used in FAR Part 35: applied research, development, and recoupment. For contractors, these definitions matter because they determine how research and development efforts are classified, which can affect cost principles and whether the Government may recover certain costs.

Applies to: Contractors performing or proposing research and development work under FAR Part 35

Key terms: applied research · development · recoupment · nonrecurring costs · cost principle applications

Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.

The text

Applied research means the effort that (a) normally follows basic research, but may not be severable from the related basic research; (b) attempts to determine and exploit the potential of scientific discoveries or improvements in technology, materials, processes, methods, devices, or techniques; and (c) attempts to advance the state of the art. When being used by contractors in cost principle applications, this term does not include efforts whose principal aim is the design, development, or testing of specific items or services to be considered for sale; these efforts are within the definition of development, given below.

Development, as used in this part, means the systematic use of scientific and technical knowledge in the design, development, testing, or evaluation of a potential new product or service (or of an improvement in an existing product or service) to meet specific performance requirements or objectives. It includes the functions of design engineering, prototyping, and engineering testing; it excludes subcontracted technical effort that is for the sole purpose of developing an additional source for an existing product.

Recoupment, as used in this part, means the recovery by the Government of Government-funded nonrecurring costs from contractors that sell, lease, or license the resulting products or technology to buyers other than the Federal Government.

Sections that refer to it

  • 207.103 Agency-head responsibilities.

← 35.000 Scope of part. · 35.002 General. →

Rule changes for FAR Part 35

Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.

FAR 35.001 Definitions · SpendQuery