Accelerating technology transfer from federal laboratories to the private sector by increasing industrial R&D collaborations-a new business model

Many important products and technologies were developed in federal laboratories and were driven initially by national needs and for federal applications. For example, the clean room technology that enhanced the growth of the semiconductor industry was developed at Sandia (SNL) decades ago. Laboratories advances in micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS)-an important set of process technologies vital for product miniturization-are occurring at SNL. Each of the more than 500 federal laboratories in the US, are sources of R&D that contribute to America's economic vitality, productivity growth and, technological innovation. However, only a fraction of the science and technology available at the federal laboratories is being utilized by industry. Also, federal laboratories have not been applying all the business development processes necessary to work effectively with industry in technology commercialization. This paper addresses important factors that federal laboratories, federal agencies, and industry must address to translate these under-utilized technologies into profitable products in the industrial sector.