The Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA) is an organizational structure established in United States federal laboratories through the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (P.L. 96-480), specified in 15 USC § 3710. The acronym "ORTA" has evolved to refer to those who perform the functions of the ORTA organization. By law, the ORTA must be staffed by at least one full-time person in any laboratory with 200 or more scientific, engineering, or related technical positions, in order to coordinate and promote technology transfer.