A Practical View of Strategies for Improving Federal Technology Transfer

The purpose of this paper is to consider strategiesthat federal laboratories could use to improve technology transfer, along withstrategies that governmental policy makers and private firms could follow.Improving technology transfer in federal labs necessitates a close look at thefollowing issues: the federal laboratory consortium; protecting intellectualproperty and developing good licensing practices; finding solutions togovernmental problems; creating quality cooperative research and developmentagreements (CRDA); accelerating cultural change; making laboratory inventorsaccessible; working with universities and not-for-profit organizations;assessing and marketing laboratory capabilities; avoiding conflicts ofinterest; copyrighting software created by federal employees; providingfairness of opportunity for cooperative research and development agreements;and expanding the federal technology resource base. Other issues of concern include: present and future legislation; the role ofcompanies; measuring the progress and success of technology transfer; thevariety of interactions between companies and the labs; and the role oftechnology transfer staff and top management at the labs. It is recommendedthat top management and technology transfer officers at the labs shouldreassess the role they can play in facilitating interactions with private firmsand move quickly to expand their activities in the privatesector.(LMH)