Research News November 2022: Transitioning Lab Innovations to the Marketplace

Message from Carol
Dear Colleagues:

One of Berkeley Lab’s strengths is in doing what I like to call “solution-inspired science.” While basic science continues to be the bedrock for our research mission, each of us is mindful of the DOE’s and our own mission to bring our research to bear on addressing today’s global challenges.

One way to realize this impact is through the commercialization of products and services, and Lab’s historical and current efforts to support technology transfer are rich. From our research partnerships and engagements with companies, to the technologies and software that we license to external parties, to the many startups that we have spun out over the years, we have found many ways to have a real-world impact. This issue of Research News is all about ways you can help bring science solutions to the world.

As many of you may have read, we recently moved management of Cyclotron Road, the Laboratory-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program funded by the DOE, from the Energy Technologies Area to the Strategic Partnerships Office in the Lab Directorate. This move, designed to provide more visibility across the Lab for Cyclotron Road startup companies, and to help them accelerate the commercialization of their game-changing energy technologies, is part of a larger effort to ensure coordination of our innovation ecosystem. I encourage you to look for ways our expertise and capabilities can help our entrepreneurial fellows be more successful.

This issue also includes a feature on two offices designed to transition Lab innovation to the marketplace – the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and Strategic Partnerships Office (SPO). Also highlighted are perspectives from researchers who are knee-deep in technology transfer to industry, a new program at the Lab funded by the DOE’s Technology Commercialization Fund to develop national lab infrastructure for technology transfer, and Lab resources available to researchers who are interested in entrepreneurship.

I hope that you will take the time to consider the many opportunities available to work with industry and to share your own innovations with the world; I invite you to talk with experts in our Intellectual Property Office and Strategic Partnerships Office about these opportunities.

I wish you all a healthy and happy Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,
Carol Burns
Deputy Laboratory Director for Research
Chief Research Officer

Making a Difference by Taking Lab Innovations to the Marketplace: A Conversation with IPO’s Jesse Kindra and SPO’s Todd Pray

Across the Lab, scientists are working to solve critical problems facing society. Often, the path to impact is through the commercialization (also known as technology transfer) of the Lab’s innovations. Two offices within the Research Management Office, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and the Strategic Partnerships Office (SPO), help facilitate the transfer of our technology to the marketplace. Jesse Kindra, the Lab’s Chief Technology Transfer Officer, and Todd Pray, Chief Strategic Partnerships Officer, share their thoughts about technology transfer and their offices’ roles at the Lab.

Read the story

Energy Technologies Area and Intellectual Property Office Win DOE Funding for ‘Cradle to Commerce’ Tech Commercialization Initiative

Moving critical clean energy technology solutions from the lab to the marketplace is an important part of the DOE’s mission, but also a challenging endeavor. A new program led by Berkeley Lab and funded by the DOE’s Technology Commercialization Fund will develop infrastructure for clean energy technology commercialization at four national labs. The program will offer comprehensive entrepreneurship support services to Lab scientists, including matching with public and private sector entrepreneurs and partners.

Read the story

Scientists at the Lab Work to Bring Science Solutions to the Market

The Lab’s mission, to bring science solutions to the world, often means working to license technologies to industry, directly collaborating with industry, or spinning out entrepreneurial ventures. Three scientists who are working to bring their innovations to the market shared their perspectives and tips with the Lab community.

Read the story

Lab Resources for Entrepreneurs

As part of its efforts to support scientist-entrepreneurs, the Lab offers many resources that Lab researchers can access.

Read the story

PEOPLE

Harshini Mukundan is the new program manager in the Lab’s Office of National Homeland Security (ONHS) working to help the Lab explore and understand how to have impact at the interface of science and security, particularly in biological and chemical technologies. She is also a scientist in the Biosciences Area, focusing on research related to how infectious disease and human hosts interact with each other. She shares her thoughts on the expanding opportunities for the Lab related to security and human health.

Read the article

Need To Know

Five Basics You Should Know about Conflicts of Interest (COI)

With recent updates related to conflicts of interest, the Research Compliance Office (RCO) would like to share a reminder of the basics regarding financial interests, prior approval for engaging in outside work, international engagement and affiliations, and training requirements.

Read the article

Sitemap