A Survey of LTR Program Industry Partner Satisfaction at Oak Ridge National Lab

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is ''bringing science to life'' through the creation of knowledge; the invention of new tools and techniques; the scientific analysis of complex situations; and the design, construction and operation of research facilities used by scientists and engineers from throughout the world. ORNL creates and uses partnerships as a means for conducting collaborative research and development (R and D), facilitating access to its capabilities, improving the utilization of its unique science and technological facilities, and assisting in commercialization of technology. This paper will concentrate on seven of the mechanisms used to access ORNL facilities and expertise namely, Cooperative Research and Development Agreements, License Agreements, Personnel Exchanges, Small Business Innovative Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Partnerships, Technical Assistance Program, User Facility Agreements, and Work For Others Agreements. Cooperative Research and Development Agreements, also known as CRADAs, create formal teams of researchers from ORNL and private industry for the purpose of collaborating on an R and D area of interest to both partners. License Agreements give commercial entities authorization to use ORNL-developed technologies for specified purposes. A Personnel Exchange either locates ORNL employees at the site of the partner organization, or, brings the employee(s) of the outside organization to ORNL to enhance their technical capabilities. The Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program provide government-funded partnership opportunities for qualified small private companies. The ORNL Technical Assistance Program can provide a rapid response to a technical question from a business entity. User Facility Agreements provide qualified users from universities, industry, or other institution access to ORNL's 14 designated user facilities where both proprietary and nonproprietary research can be conducted. Work for Others is a mechanism that gives government entities and commercial companies the ability to pay for predetermined scopes of work to be performed for their benefit.