The Department of Energy (DOE) is one of the largest supporters of technology transfer in the federal government. This is highlighted by the Report on Technology Transfer and Related Technology Partnering Activities at the National Laboratories and Other Facilities for Fiscal Year 2014. The report was prepared by DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions in accordance with the requirements of the Technology Transfer and Commercialization Act of 2000, and was issued by DOE in June 2016.
According to the report, DOE and its laboratories and facilities managed and executed 15,945 technology transfer-related transactions in FY 2014. These included but were not limited to:
- 702 Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs)
- 2,021 Strategic Partnership Projects (SPPs) involving non-federal entities
- 5,861 active licenses of intellectual property
- 67 Agreements for Commercializing Technology (ACT Agreements)
- 6,748 user projects
In addition, DOE’s national laboratories and facilities totaled:
- 1,588 invention disclosures
- 1,144 patent applications filed (962 U.S. and 182 foreign)
- 822 patents issued (693 U.S. and 129 foreign)
- 482 commercialized technologies
- $235.1 million in SPP non-federal sponsor “funds-in”
- $64.3 million “funds-in” for CRADAs
- $29.0 million “funds-in” for ACT
- $37.8 million in licensing income
More details about those efforts, as well as success stories of technology transfer and industrial partnering activities at DOE’s national labs and facilities, can be found in the full report.