Lab-Industry Partnerships Key to Future Technology Transfer Efforts
June 7, 1996
By Lynn Yarris, LCYarris@LBL.gov
Political rhetoric portraying partnerships between the national laboratories
and private industry as "corporate welfare" creates the impression that there
is little support in Congress for the concept. As with most news from
Washington, the devil is in the detail.
"What we are seeing is a much more subtle message on the concept of public
laboratory-private industry partnerships as a vehicle for technology transfer,"
says Cheryl Fragiadakis, head of Berkeley Lab's Technology Transfer Department.
"There is strong Congressional opposition to federal funds being given directly
to companies for the development of a technology. However, there is support on
both sides of the aisle for partnerships between federally-funded labs and
private industry when those partnerships yield mission-oriented results that
benefit taxpayers."
What has emerged from the debate, according to Fragiadakis, is the idea of
partnerships in which federal and private industry funds are combined for a
common goal.
"Congress likes the idea of leveraging money for research," she says, "but they
want the research to be done because there is a governmental as well as
corporate need for it, and not just because some lab somewhere can do it."
Indicative of President Clinton's support for technology transfer through
public-private partnerships is the $21.8 million he has requested in the FY97
budget for the ER-Laboratory Technology Research (ERLTR) program. This request
is up from the $18.5 million appropriated in FY96 and provides funds for
collaborative research and personnel exchanges. Historically, Berkeley Lab has
received 16-20 percent of total ERLTR funding each year. Past projects have
ranged in size from less than $100,000 to about $2 million.
There are several ways in which private companies can enter into partnerships
with Berkeley Lab researchers. Some arrangements are quite formal, such as the
Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), and specify in writing
the terms being agreed to by all participants. Others are less formal, such as
the memorandum of understanding (MOU) or the technical assistance agreement
(TAA), and may call only for an exchange of personnel.
Berkeley Lab's Tech Transfer Department can advise researchers on which
partnership approach--CRADA, MOU, TAA, or other--would best serve their
particular situation. The department also fills the role of matchmaker, finding
the best fit between industry needs and Laboratory capabilities. To this end, a
robust database containing the names of contacts for several thousand companies
plus information on the technical needs of those companies is maintained.
Fragiadakis and her staff are well-suited for their matchmaking role. All of
the key people have worked in private industry and many have technical
backgrounds. Fragiadakis holds an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering
and an MBA from UC Berkeley. She also spent 10 years with the Exxon
Corporation. Glen Dahlbacka, who handles industrial program development, has a
Ph.D. in physics and was VP of business development for Maxwell-Brobeck
Laboratories. Marketing manager Bruce Davies is a former public
relations/advertising executive whose clients included CBS, Chrysler, Sony, and
IBM. Chris Kniel, manager of the ERLTR program, is a civil engineer who spent
more than 20 years as a technical manager at the Bechtel Corporation. Viviana
Wolinsky, who heads Tech Transfer's licensing operations, is a lawyer with an
MBA who worked for Baker and MacKenzie, serving such clients as Borland, SAIC,
and Hewlett Packard.
While the Technology Transfer Department has been successful in wooing funds
from private industry and is continuing to introduce potential partners to the
Laboratory, Fragiadakis cautions that, like many courtships, the process
requires patience. Private companies have budgeting cycles too, and even a
perfect match can be several years in the making. The all-important first step
is getting to know one another.
"Our general experience has been that private industry has a low level of
awareness of what Berkeley Lab can offer," she says. "However, each time when
we bring in company reps they are bowled over by what they see."
Laboratory researchers can help by being willing to meet with company
representatives who visit the Lab and by keeping in mind that they may have to
talk with a number of representatives before a partnership is made. Once a
partnership is formed, however, everybody--including the Laboratory community
as a whole--benefits.
Deputy Lab Director Pier Oddone, to whom Fragiadakis reports, says he strongly
supports partnerships with private industry.
"With strong partnerships we can further the goals of the Laboratory in
research and also create a direct societal benefit," he says. "Partnerships are
especially important in a world of fiscal austerity because they allow us to
pool resources toward common research goals."
In its efforts to find alternative funding for research, Tech Transfer also
markets and licenses Berkeley Lab-developed technology. This provides
additional revenue.
Researchers interested in working with the Technology Transfer Department on
partnerships or any other aspect of technology transfer may contact Fragiadakis
at X6467 or
CAFragiadakis@lbl.gov.
Are partnerships between national laboratories and private
industry dead? Not at Berkeley Lab. More than one hundred research projects are
currently being funded in part through private industry, and prospects for
future partnerships are encouraging.