NAICS 541715Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences
Size Standard
1,000 employees
CMMC Level
Level 2–3 (varies by program)
Key Agencies
DARPA, DoD, Army Research Lab, Naval Research Lab
Overview
Establishments primarily engaged in conducting research and experimental development in physical, engineering, and life sciences, such as agriculture, electronics, environmental, biology, botany, computers, chemistry, food, fisheries, forests, geology, health, mathematics, medicine, oceanography, pharmacy, physics, veterinary, and other allied subjects.
Common Contract Types
Contracting Agencies
Frequently Asked Questions
What CMMC level is required for NAICS 541715?
CMMC Level 2 is the baseline for most R&D contracts involving CUI. Programs with ITAR-controlled research or sensitive prototype data may require Level 3. Basic research contracts funded through broad agency announcements may only require Level 1.
What is the SBA size standard for NAICS 541715?
The size standard is 1,000 employees, making it one of the few professional services codes measured by employee count rather than revenue.
What defense R&D programs use NAICS 541715?
This code is used for DARPA programs, Service Research Lab contracts, SBIR/STTR awards, Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements for prototype development, and basic research grants across all science and engineering disciplines.
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