Commercialization Of Federally Funded R D

This collection of papers—by American and Russian specialists—addresses a variety of legal, regulatory, institutional, and financial issues that can promote or hinder technology commercialization. The book is the result of a series of workshops organized by the National Research Council with the Russian Academy of Sciences on commercialization of technologies, particularly those developed at research and educational institutions. Technology Commercialization concludes with a list of actions, programs, and policies which warrant further consideration as Russia tries to improve the success of technology commercialization. This book will be of interest to those concerned with small-business development in post-communist states, university technology management, and comparative technology commercialization.

This volume summarizes a conference held by RAND, at the request of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, at which participants offered their perspectives on issues and best practices related to technology transfer.

Materials are important in the pursuit of virtually every human endeavor. Advances in materials are applied not only in advanced technological systems such as spacecraft, jet engines, computers, and telecommunications but also in a world of more familiar applications from automobiles to floor coverings to fishing rods. This book addresses the factors that impede the transition of new materials from concepts into commercial use. It identifies policies and actions that government and industry, together with universities, can take to remove these impediments. Incentives to accelerate the commercialization of advanced materials are suggested, and recommendations are presented on ways to stimulate competitive commercialization of materials by government, industry, and academia.

Public interest in approaches that might provide prescription drugs at lower cost, particularly for the elderly, has rekindled discussion over the role the federal government plays in facilitating the creation of new pharmaceuticals for the marketplace. The government traditionally funds R&D to meet the mission requirements of the federal departments and agencies. It also supports work in areas where there is an identified need for research, primarily basic research, not being performed in the private sector. Congressional initiatives have expanded to include the promotion of technological innovation to meet other national needs, particularly the economic growth that flows from the use of new and improved goods and services. Various laws facilitate commercialization of federally funded R&D through technology transfer, cooperative R&D, and intellectual property rights. Contents of this report: Overview; Government Support for R&D; Industrial R&D; Patents; Legislative Initiatives; NIH-University-Industry Collaboration; Pricing Decisions and Recoupment; Research Tools; Government Rights: Royalty Free Licenses and Reporting Requirements; Conclusion. Figures. This is a print on demand report.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is one of the largest examples of U.S. public-private partnerships. Founded in 1982, SBIR was designed to encourage small business to develop new processes and products and to provide quality research in support of the many missions of the U.S. government, including health, energy, the environment, and national defense. In response to a request from the U.S. Congress, the National Research Council assessed SBIR as administered by the five federal agencies that together make up 96 percent of program expenditures. This book, one of six in the series, reports on the SBIR program at the National Science Foundation. The study finds that the SBIR program is sound in concept and effective in practice, but that it can also be improved. Currently, the program is delivering results that meet most of the congressional objectives, including stimulating technological innovation, increasing private-sector commercialization of innovations, using small businesses to meet federal research and development needs, and fostering participation by minority and disadvantaged persons. The book suggests ways in which the program can improve operations, continue to increase private-sector commercialization, and improve participation by women and minorities.

A toolbox for accessing federal laboratory innovations and financing the acquisition of new technologies with corporate equity, this book is also a guide to understanding the expertise of specific government laboratories. Entrepreneurs can rapidly accelerate the growth of their companies and become more competitive by acquiring federal laboratory innovations. This book is an indispensable resource for those who want access to the latest breakthrough technologies, most of which can be traced to universities and federally funded laboratories. These taxpayer-funded idea factories can and should be leveraged by companies for competitive advantage. The authors describe how the private sector can engage these labs as long-term strategic partners, as well as development partners for the ongoing, cost-effective improvement of new technologies. Jargon-free and succinct, this guide also explains how to benefit from knowledge of the current technology-transfer landscape in order to maximize this special private-public partnership. No country can equal the United States in research and development assets. But the federal government is not always as successful as it could be in using its authority to encourage such partnerships. It is therefore up to the private sector—entrepreneurs as well as established companies seeking new growth outlets-exploit the information presented here. Included is a directory of federal laboratories with a synopsis of their expertise and contact information, along with copies of the breakthrough technology-transfer legislation that has made technology transfer possible.