Leveraging Partnerships between Federal Laboratories and TBED Organizations

Last week, the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC) held its annual national meeting in Portland, Ore. The gathering brought together laboratory technology transfer specialists, industry representatives and state and regional TBED organizations, among others, to discuss pertinent issues such as changes in federal legislation affecting intellectual property and SBIR reauthorization, STEM education initiatives, funding opportunities, and best practices for encouraging the successful commercialization of research. The conference also served as an entry point for those new to collaborating with the nation’s system of federal laboratories, presenting their tools and programs that can be used to enhance commercialization partnerships. 
 
At the invitation of the FLC’s State & Local Government Committee, SSTI joined the leadership of two state TBED organizations in a conference session describing the landscape of state tech-based economic development and exploring best practices and examples of collaborative efforts. From a federal laboratory’s perspective, partnering with a state TBED organization makes sense because many have connections to political leadership and access to funds for investment and infrastructure; collaborate with in-state universities and companies; can act as a gateway to specialized equipment within the state; and have connectivity to the state’s regions. This being said, the size and capabilities of each state’s TBED resources are often as varied as the diverse collection of the individual federal laboratories spread throughout the U.S.
 
Lee Cheatham, executive director of the Washington Technology Center, stressed in his presentation that technology companies are looking for opportunities where often risk is lowest and seek partners who can provide valued assistance. Federal laboratories can be those partners. The federal labs have the unique opportunity to make technology approachable though their outreach and interactions with industry partners. Additionally, the labs can influence policy and act as an access point to those wishing to explore the technology and innovation ecosystem.
 
Deborah Clayton, commissioner of Kentucky’s Department of Commercialization and Innovation, believes the best partnerships are the ones that involve “wins” for not only state TBED organizations and industry, but also the federal labs and other stakeholders at the table. Her presentation highlighted the success of past Department of Energy initiatives such as AMTEX, a cooperative R&D partnership between the U.S. textile industry DOE laboratories. Clayton recommended the re-establishment of one of these initiatives, the Laboratory Technology Research Program, which bridged the gap between basic research and technology development by incorporating cost-shared partnerships with the private sector.
 
Additionally, she advised TBED organizations to identify their state or regional strengths and resources in advance of pursuing partnerships and to become informed on the strengths and resources of nearby laboratories. TBED organizations can also be proactive by:

• Taking the lead to gather regional R&D leaders for interaction with the labs;
• Creating inventories of equipment and research capabilities within their jurisdictions;
• Hosting high-level visits to federal laboratories to familiarize state and local leadership with the labs; and,
• Hosting procurement seminars to universities, businesses and governments about the mechanisms of supplying labs.

The goal is to create mutually beneficial partnerships. Just as TBED organizations and associated companies can explore the technologies being created within the federal laboratory system, TBED leaders can provide the connections and technologies that enable the components of the federal laboratory system to realize their missions.
 
The agenda for the 2008 FLC National Meeting can be found at:
http://www.federallabs.org/meeting/2008/agenda/