Industry, academic, and community relationships are critically important to Berkeley Lab and to the Department of Energy. These partners can collaborate with Lab researchers, provide additional funding for research and development projects, and offer input on Lab programs. Part of the Department of Energy’s mission (executed through its Office of Technology Transitions) is to expand the commercial impact and public benefit of DOE’s Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment (RDD&D) portfolio to advance the economic, energy, and national security interests of the nation.
To help facilitate stronger collaboration with these stakeholders and organizations, Berkeley Lab has launched a Partner Advisory Board (PAB). The PAB is composed of representatives from academia, corporate entities, the investment community, incubators, and community and economic development groups, as well as the Lab Advisory Board.
The Partner Advisory Board, which was proposed and organized by the Strategic Partnerships Office and sponsored by Deputy Laboratory Director for Research and Chief Research Officer Carol Burns, met for the first time at the end of November 2023. The Lab’s research areas were invited to participate, as well as the Intellectual Property Office.
Todd Pray, the Lab’s Chief Strategic Partnerships Officer, noted that the board is already providing valuable input to the Lab. For example, members of the partnership advisory board are providing input on “use cases” which describe ways in which the Lab engages with industry. Each of these use cases can then be explored for opportunities for streamlining and optimization. The board also encouraged the Lab to continue to develop different ways to raise external awareness of the Lab’s capabilities and technology portfolio.
“The partner advisory board is valuable for our research and discovery efforts. We hope to find ways to work more deeply with the organizations on the board and also to leverage their networks for new partnerships,” said Todd. “These relationships can, where the Lab and external research goals align, become the foundation for joint proposals and for additional research funding.”
The Partner Advisory Board is part of a series of activities designed to strengthen Lab-industry collaboration. These activities include the analysis of data about the Lab’s industry partnerships, providing new partnering and engagement tools such as the SPO dashboard and IPO’s industry “innovation discos,” and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) industry-Lab partnerships.
For information about the mission and membership of the Partner Advisory Board, visit research.lbl.gov or contact Todd Pray or Gail Chen.
