The role of marketing in matching industry needs with technologies developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

National laboratories have limited resources to devote to the transfer of government-funded technologies to the commercial sector. Companies, too, face resource constraints in their attempt to identify and assimilate innovations which fit with their strategic objectives. For these reasons, persons engaged in technology transfer should attempt to identify laboratory developments which represent the best possible match with industry needs and focus their attention on those technologies which are most likely to make and impact in the marketplace. In a structured approach designed to meet this objective, Martin Marietta Energy Systems, which operates Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the Department of Energy, has established formal ties with the University of Tennessee Business School, to enhance the role of marketing for technology transfer. The school's MBA students continue to play a key role in the formulation and execution of plans designed to transform Oak Ridge technologies into new products, new jobs, and economic prosperity for US companies.