Federal laboratories meet the marketplace

The changing role of national laboratories in the US is examined. The goal is for the federal laboratories to provide a source of ideas for industry. Past efforts, begun in the 1980s, to revamp the laboratories have moved slowly or mired completely, and it expected that a significant number of them, many in the Department of Defense, may disappear within the next few years, having outlived their missions. The operation of the laboratories is discussed, with particular attention to the defense laboratories. The issue of technology transfer is addressed, and recent collaborations are discussed. The role of the laboratories as a worldwide resource (i.e. for non-US industry) is considered.<
>