Federal Technology Transfer and the

Federal Laboratory Consortium:

“Identifying and accessing U.S. federal lab

technologies available for partnering”

Mojdeh Bahar

FLC Chair

National Institutes of Health

Gary K. Jones

FLC DC Representative

Fred Snyder

Federal Aviation Administration

Science Diplomatic Club

November 27, 2012

Overview

Overview of U.S. Federal Technology Transfer

Role of the Federal Lab Consortium for Tech Transfer (FLC)

Identifying Potential U.S. Federal Lab Partners

Selected Examples of Tech Transfer

Tech Transfer: Outputs, Impacts & Benefits

Federal Technology Transfer Defined

Technology transfer is the process by which knowledge, facilities,

or capabilities developed under federal research and development

(R&D) funding are utilized to fulfill public and private needs -- it can

occur:

Between the government and non-government entities

Between government entities (labs/agencies)

…. and designed to:

- enhance agency mission capabilities

- increase return on R&D investment

- support economic growth and development

- enhance U.S. competitiveness

Results of Legislative History (Current Tech Transfer Environment)

Technology transfer is a mission of the federal government

ORTAs (Lab T2 Offices) established

Small businesses, universities and not-for-profits keep title to inventions made with federal funds

Federal agencies receive greater, more flexible, patent and licensing authority

Lab scientists can participate in royalty income

Mechanisms and incentives to implement technology transfer, including CRADAs, etc.

Office of Research Technology Applications

(Federal Lab Focal Point For Technology Transfer)

Common Tech Transfer Mechanisms

Patent License Agreement

Cooperative Research and Development Agreement

(CRADA)

Work for Others – Work for Private Parties

Collegial exchange

Educational Partnership Agreement

Use of Facilities Agreement

Cooperative Agreement

Commercial Test Agreement

Material Transfer Agreement

Partnership Intermediary Agreement

Commercial Service Agreement

Personnel Exchange

What is the FLC

The FLC: Formally created by Congress under the Federal Technology

Transfer Act (Public Law 99-502)

Composed of tech transfer professionals from the federal

laboratories, their respective agencies, and affiliated organizations

Membership reflects: 18 federal departments and agencies

Hundreds of federal government R&D laboratories and centers

$ billions annual budget

> 100,000 scientists & engineers

Primary Activities: Education and Training

Sharing Best Practices/Networking

Professional Recognition

Communications and Coordination

Resources on FLC Web Site (www.federallabs.org)

Locate Technologies (Tech

Locator Service, Available

Technologies Feed)

Training and Education

(Courses, Materials, etc.)

Reference Materials (Small

Business Resource, Green Book,

Desk Reference, Mechanisms

Database, etc.)

Points of Contact (Agency TTOs,

>300 Lab TTOs)

News & General Information

(NewsLink, DC Dispatch, Meetings

Calendar, etc.)

Interest

Looking for federal lab work on electro-responsive smart materials (to improve its own technology).

“Ras Labs and Princeton Plasma Physics Lab recently formed a CRADA and are actively conducting research with various metals and plasmas to improve the interface between the embedded electrodes and the electro-responsive material of these actuators, which should lead to superior electro-responsive actuators.”

Lenore Rasmussen, Ras Labs, LLC

Tech Locator Service Example (Ras Labs, LLC)

Available Technologies Search Tool

Joint Modular Intermodal Container (DOD-Navy: NSWC Indian Head)

The JMIC functions as a “pallet hybrid”;

offering flexibility, security, convenience

and lower cost to more than 100

different pallet and container designs

used by the military and commercial

markets.

Invented by the Navy, the technology

was transferred to NextGen

Containers via an exclusive patent-

license agreement.

There are currently (2011) more than

6,500 JMIC units in use throughout the

DOD, with thousands more on order;

JMIC prototypes are also being

marketed for commercial shipment of

ammunition and medical equipment. Technology For Today - 2011

Honey Bees With Varroa-Sensitive Hygiene

(USDA: Agricultural Research Service)

Honey bees pollinate over 100 crops in

the U.S. , unfortunately whole bee

colonies can become infected and

killed by a parasitic mite, Varroa.

A genetic strain of bees capable of

fending off the varroa mite was

developed by ARS scientists; by

identifying a trait named Varroa-

Sensitive Hygiene - VSH, the

technology was transferred via a

CRADA with Glenn Apiaries, and

other Material Transfer Agreements.

The VSH trait has been widely

distributed, with at least 25% of the

queens now sold carrying the VSH

trait.

Excellence in Tech Transfer Award - 2012

Stingray – threat disrupter (DOE- Sandia National Lab)

Stingray is a technology designed to

disable improvised explosive devices

(IEDs) which threaten the lives of

troops in the field and first responders.

The device is a coherent fluid blade

disablement tool - based on

technology that forms water into a

single blade capable of cutting one-

quarter inch steel.

The technology was licensed to TEAM

Technologies, Inc. for further

development and production – with the

first products delivered to soldiers in

July 2010.

Excellence in Tech Transfer Award - 2011

Vibro-Tactile Stimulation Device Aids Swallowing Disorders

(NIH: Nat’l Inst. of Neurological Disorders and Strokes)

Dysphagia is a common disorder that

creates difficulty swallowing – putting

patients at risk of choking and

potentially life threatening aspiration

pneumonia.

The technology is a non-invasive,

intensive, swallowing retraining device

combining sensory stimulation with

motor retraining to rehabilitate

swallowing function.

The technology was transferred to

Passy-Muir via an exclusive license

with NIH. They have also recently

received and an SBIR award for

further development.

Excellence in Tech Transfer Award - 2012

Kepivance treatment for mucositis,

a common complication of

chemotherapy in cancer patients,

was discovered, developed, and

patented by HHS, NIH, National

Cancer Institute.

The technology was patented and

licensed to Amgen and technology

commercially marketed as

Kepivance.

This drug benefits thousands of

adult Americans with hematologic

malignancies who undergo bone

marrow transplantation each year.

Kepivance® (HHS/NIH: National Cancer Institute)

Excellence in Tech Transfer Award – 2006

Low Cost, Clean Cookstove (DOE: Oak Ridge National Lab)

Toxic fumes from traditional cookstoves

and open fires cause the premature

deaths of 2 million people worldwide

annually.

ORNL helped Envirofit Int’l refine its

existing low-emission cookstove by

providing materials selection guidance

based on its expertise in high-

temperature materials. The effort

resulted in a joint patent application

among Envirofit, Colorado State

University and ORNL.

The new cookstove, launched 2009,

reduces smoke and harmful gases up

to 80%, fuel use by 60% and cooking

time by 50%. 150,000 units sold by

2012.

Excellence in Tech Transfer Award - 2012

FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009

CRADAs, total active in FY 5,947 7,268 7,326 6,923 7,733

New inventions disclosed in FY 4,771 5,193 4,486 4,365 4,425

Patent applications filed in FY 1,745 1,912 1,825 1,938 2,080

Patents issued in FY 1,012 1,284 1,405 1,272 1,494

Licenses, total active in FY 9,577 10,186 10,352 11,098 11,913

New, executed in FY 1,824 1,495 1,463 1,377 1,250

Income from licenses, ($$M) $144.9 $138.7 $149.9 $170.9 $154.3

**Also includes multiple examples of downstream outcomes for all agencies (reporting since 2001)

Federal T2 Summary Report (FY 2009, Department of Commerce, Issued March 2011)

Federal Laboratory Technology Transfer, Fiscal Year 2009,

Summary Report to the President and Congress

Intramural research program ~ 10% of overall NIH budget

~ 600 products (from drugs to research tools) developed to date

from intramural NIH licensees

~ $6B in product sales each year by intramural NIH licensees

(equivalent to a mid-level Fortune 500 company)

> $1B in royalties to date

Using the study data from the New England Journal of Medicine,

153 drugs were brought to the market in the last 40 years under

licenses from US Public Sector Research Institutions (PSRI)

including the NIH

Impacts/Benefits of Federal T2 (National Institutes of Health Stats)

The Economic Contribution of the Department of Navy Technology

Transfer Program

Economic impact of 103 agreements with Navy labs; 2005-2009

Select Findings:

Responsible for 670 civilian jobs (direct) and ~ 2,600 (indirect)

Compensation for these jobs averaged over $79,000 per year

Tax receipts (federal, state and local) on the economic activity

driven by these agreements totaled $60 million

Two-thirds of agreement partners agreements had < 100 employees

Estimated direct economic output associated with these agreements

totaled $200 million (with an add’l $345 million in indirect activity)

Impacts/Benefits of Federal T2 (Department of Navy Study)

• 4.2 billion cell phone and 2.6 billion PC owners

use Ames’ lead-free solder technology every day.

• Small gasoline engines

(lawnmowers, power tools, etc.)

are cleaner and more efficient because of Terfenol-D

(Navy Technology); the production process was

developed by AMES.

• All 7 billion people on Earth are impacted

by Ames’ Multiplexed Capillary Electrophoresis,

which was used in the Human Genome

Project and is a key technology for DNA sequencing.

Impacts/Benefits of Federal T2 (Single Lab – Department of Energy Ames)

2013 FLC National Meeting (Westminster, Colorado - April 23 -26, 2013)

https://meeting.federallabs.org/

• Training

• Networking Opportunities

• Industry Perspectives

• Tech Fair

• Recognition Ceremony & Banquet

• Federal Technology Transfer Outlook

Federal Laboratory Consortium

for Technology Transfer

1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Suite 735

Washington, DC 20036

Phone: 202-296-7201

Fax: 202-296-7203

gkjones@federallabs.org

www.federallabs.org

FLC Washington DC Office (Farragut Square)