As directed by the board, the research applications center may:

A. acquire, by lease or purchase, the land, buildings, facilities, improvements and equipment necessary to achieve the purposes of the New Mexico Research Applications Act;

B. lease to any person any part or all of the land, buildings, facilities, improvements and equipment acquired pursuant to Subsection A of this section;

C. enter into contracts, joint powers agreements, memoranda of understanding and other agreements with public and private entities in order to carry out the purposes of the New Mexico Research Applications Act;

D. incur liabilities or borrow money at rates of interest that the research applications center may determine; provided that:

(1) any debt incurred shall be payable solely from the money available to the research applications center and does not create an obligation or indebtedness of the state within the meaning of any constitutional provision;

(2) no breach of any contractual obligation incurred pursuant to the New Mexico Research Applications Act shall impose a pecuniary liability or a charge upon the general credit or taxing power of the state, and any debt incurred is not a general obligation for which the state's full faith and credit is pledged; and

(3) the research applications center shall not incur any debt greater than one million dollars ($1,000,000) or for a term longer than eight months without the prior approval of the state board of finance;

E. enter into business arrangements to carry out technological innovations with one or more business entities, governmental entities, universities, private foundations, national laboratories or other persons;

F. otherwise conduct, sponsor, finance and contract as necessary to further technological innovations;

G. purchase, take, receive or otherwise acquire; own; hold; dispose of; use; or otherwise deal in and with property, including an interest in or ownership of intangible personal property, intellectual property or technological innovations;

H. sell, convey, pledge, exchange, transfer or otherwise dispose of its assets and properties for consideration upon terms and conditions that the board shall determine;

I. solicit, receive and administer grants, contracts and gifts from federal, state and private sources;

J. invest and reinvest its funds;

K. employ officers and employees that it deems necessary, set their compensation and prescribe their duties;

L. enter into agreements with insurance carriers to insure against any loss in connection with its operations;

M. authorize retirement programs and other benefits for salaried officers and employees;

N. create such enterprise funds, revolving funds or other financial arrangements as it deems necessary to carry out the purposes of the New Mexico Research Applications Act; and

O. enter into license agreements and contracts involving intellectual property and technological innovations, including agreements for patents, copyrights, franchises and trademarks.

History: Laws 2009, ch. 66, § 5.

Emergency clauses. — Laws 2009, ch. 66, § 16 contained an emergency clause and was approved April 2, 2009.