Transcript Slide 1

The Only
Government-wide
Forum for
Technology Transfer
Leveraging Federal
Technology Assets as Your
Own
Presented at:
American Filtration & Separations Society Annual
Meeting
Valley Forge, PA
May 21, 2008
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Disclaimer
The opinions
expressed are the
author’s and do not
represent the
position or policy of
the US Government.
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Agenda
• The Federal Lab Consortium Gateway
• The Federal Labs
• Generically, your opportunities at the
labs
• Example lab separations interests
• How to leverage the labs
• Abyss of misunderstanding
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Entry Points to the Federal Labs
www.federallabs.org
www.flcmidatlantic.org
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Federal Laboratory Consortium
• Nationwide network of over 700 Federal
laboratories and R&D centers organized in
1974 and formally chartered by Congress in
1986 to promote and strengthen technology
transfer throughout the U.S.
• A forum that links technology with laboratory
missions and the marketplace
• 18 Departments and Agencies, conducting
$100 billion in R&D annually and employing
over 100,000 scientists and engineers.
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What is the
Federal Laboratory Consortium?
Departments
• Agriculture
• Commerce
• Defense
– Army
– Air Force
– Navy
• Education
• Energy
• Health and Human
Services
• Interior
• Justice
• Labor
• Transportation
• Veterans Affairs
Agencies
• Central Intelligence Agency
• Environmental Protection
Agency
• National Aeronautics and
Space Administration
• National Science Foundation
• Smithsonian Institute
• Tennessee Valley Authority
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Personnel
• NIST has 2000 employees – and 1,500
guest scientists/engineers
• NIH has about 18,000 employees and
maintains about 3000 post docs/yr
• FDA has about 10,000 employees
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NIH
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NIST
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NASA Langley
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NASA Wallops
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Wallops Island
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Beltsville Agricultural Research
Center
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ARS Appalachian Fruit
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Federal Labs are Centric to Many
Industries
• NASA & NAWC drive space & aerospace
• NIH, Navy Medical, Army Medical, FDA &
USDA stimulate medical & biotechnology
• NIST at forefront of nanotechnology
• NRL, NAWC & NSWC lead naval technologies
• NSA, CIA, FBI, NGA are drivers of IT, sensors
& communications
• DOD labs are key to defense
• DHS is stimulating a growing security
industry
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The Cost of Separations
Rate-Limits Progress
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90% of biotech processing
70% of high volume chemical operations
Salt from sea water and brine
Recycled values from mixed waste
H2 from H2O
CO2 from the atmosphere
Rock from rock for mining & tunnels
Astronauts from the planet
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Federal Agency Interests in
Separations
• All 700 labs use separations for R&D
• EPA: Water/air impurity separations for
analysis & cleanup
• DOC/NIST: Nano separations
• NIH: Blood filtration; poisons from
body; drugs from time-release
capsules; drugs from natural products;
proteins; cells
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More Agency Interests
• NOAA: Rain from clouds
• Interior: Mineral from rock; processing
chemicals from product and waste; mine
field drainage wastes
• FDA: Contaminants from food, water & drugs
• DHS/FEMA: Filters for Chem/Bio/Radioactive
agents; decontamination; first responder
masks; water purification in disaster areas
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More Agency Interests
• FAA: Air circulation filters for cabins
• USDA/ARS: Food from fiber; dirt from
food; plant pathogens from greenhouse
air; biofuels and bio-products
• Forestry Service: brush from forest
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DOE Strongly Needs Advances
in Separations
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CO2, NOx, Hg from hydrocarbon combustion
Oil from rock, water, S, drilling fluids
Oil fractionation
Coal from rock, water, S
Tar from tar sands
Ethanol from biomass
Uranium from ore; Isotopes from each other
Silicon from SiO2 for solar
Ions from each other in batteries/fuel cells
Salts from geothermal steam
Fish from hydro turbines
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Example DOD Separations
Purposes
• Marine vessel onboard wastewater treatment
system
• Dirt from wounds; contamination from
ground & aquifers;
• Chemical operations
• Army Engineer R&D Center: Salt from water
• Selective chem-bio detectors
• Functional clothing
• Batteries
• All of the applications sought by other labs
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DOD Licensing Opportunities
TechMatch
www.dodtechmatch.com
Key Words
Filtration
Filter
Membrane
Separation
Separator
Hits
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1,498
480
1,296
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Regulatory & Safety Agencies Use
Separations for Quantitative Analyses
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FBI
EPA
FDA
OSHA
DHS
Consumer Products Safety Commission
CDC
USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection
Service
• USDA Food Safety & Inspection Service
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NSF
• Supports fundamental research on
novel methods & materials for
separation processes
• Recognizes processes are central to
chemical, biological, materials, energy
& pharmaceutical industries
• Looks for proposals addressing energy
sources
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Research topics in NSF-CBS include
fundamental molecular-level work on:
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Biochemical separations and purification processes
Microporous and novel molecular-recognition adsorbents
Self-assembly in the synthesis of adsorbents and membranes
Nanostructured materials for separations
Fuel-cell membranes
Biomimetic materials for separations
Chiral separations
Separations for environmentally benign processing
Novel polymeric and ceramic membranes
Hybrid separation processes
Control and separation of organic crystalline materials
Separations using ionic liquids
Purification of drinking water
Membranes for ion-selective sensors
Adsorption and chromatography
Field (flow, magnetic, electrical) induced separations.
Separation of molecular constituents from blood
Thermodynamics and transport simulations for the design of separation processes
Combinatorial design of separation systems
Rational ligand design for separations
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Examples in Separations
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Army Corps of Engineers Air
Pollution Control Laboratory
• High Temperature Particulate Filter Development:
• The U.S. Army operates furnaces to demilitarize
spent and expired munitions.
• These furnaces are subject the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency regulations.
• Fine mesh steel screen filters operating at 1200 F
and perlite-based solid sorbent materials are used to
capture metal vapors and residual organics.
• Surface treated perlite and surface treated absorbent
carbons are studied for mercury reduction.
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Army Corps of Engineers Environmental
Processes Laboratory
• Development of environmental technologies to treat Army
industrial wastewater from explosives manufacturing and
munitions packaging
• Developing-cost effective methods to treat Army wastewater
contaminated with explosives (like TNT, RDX, Perchlorate, other
Insensitive Munitions) and toxic metals (like arsenic, lead and
chromium)
• Currently we are also looking at removal of oxidizers used in
missiles. One of the projects evaluates biosorbents (material
made out of shrimp shells, CERL patented) for treatment of
perchlorate in groundwater and wastewater from bomb/missile
packaging facilities.
• Also membrane based separation systems at bench and pilot
scale for reduced sensitive munitions program.
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Available Technology: Magnetic Bead-Based
Solid Phase for Selective Extraction of DNA
• Functionalized micro-bead enables
capture of generic targets
• Office of Naval Research
• Contact Dottie Vincent: 703-696-4792
• www.onr.navy.mil/sci_tech/3t/transition/
tech_tran
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Licensing Opportunity: Miniature
Microbial Fuel Cells with Nanoporous
Membrane: Harvests Energy in Aerobic
Environments
Office of Naval Research
Contact Dottie Vincent: 703-696-4792
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Available Patent: Handheld and
Hand-powered Centrifuge Device
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Patent Number: 6905454
Army Medical Research and Materiel Command
Fort Detrick, MD
Abstract:
This invention relates to a handheld, hand-powered centrifuge
device. The device preferably includes a centrifuge body and a
sample-holding member connected to a tether. The device
centrifuges the sample by a user physically spinning the member
preferably in a vertical arc. The device preferably includes a pull
handle which allows a user to shorten the length of the tether to
reduce the circumference of the arc, thereby increasing the speed of
rotation and centrifugal force on the sample. The device also
preferable includes a brake to prevent the member from contacting
the handheld centrifuge body. The centrifuge body may have a
storage cavity for storing the pull handle when not in use, wherein
the member serves to seal the storage cavity when not in use.
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Solid/liquid Separation at NIST
Polymer Lab
Sorting and manipulating nanotubes by
length and type using size exclusion
chromatography
http://www.ncnr.nist.gov/programs/san
s/pdf/publications/0526.pdf
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Ceramic Membranes at the
National Energy Technology Lab
• The water-gas-shift (WGS) reaction, CO +
H2O ↔ H2 + CO2, is used to increase the
hydrogen content of synthesis gas.
• One approach for overcoming this limitation
is to carry out the reaction in a reactor with
walls that are CO2 permeable.
• This continuously removal of CO2 from the
system should allow the reaction to
continue.
• http://www.netl.doe.gov/publications/factshe
ets/project/Proj195.pdf
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Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Emphasis Areas
• Crown ethers, macrocycles, and designer
ligands for recognition and transport of
cations and anions
• Novel materials and processes for waste
remediation, environmental restoration, and
decontamination
• Metal-organic frameworks
• Metallo-organic compounds for sensors,
catalysis, and other applications
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Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Accomplishment
• Separation of Radioactive 137Cesium
• Development of a new solvent
extraction process for separating
radioactive 137cesium from the
nation's troublesome high-level wastes.
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Desalination at Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory
• The LLNL has created a membrane made of carbon
nanotubes and silicon that may offer less expensive
desalination.
• The nanotubes, special molecules made of carbon
atoms in a unique arrangement, act as the pores in
the membrane.
• The pores are so small that only six water molecules
could fit across their diameter.
• The super smooth inside of the nanotubes allow
liquids and gases to rapidly flow through, while the
tiny pore size can block larger molecules.
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LLNL Nanotubes
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Nanoporous Catalytic Membranes
at Argonne National Lab
• Conversion of the feedstocks into chemicals, diesel
fuel or gasoline using catalytic membranes would be
a great step towards energy independence.
• Argonne aims to fabricate novel nanostructured
catalytic membranes that enable the cheap and
efficient synthesis of hydrocarbons for gasoline and
diesel fuel.
• Ultra-uniform nanoporous catalytic membranes are
based on anodic aluminum oxide (AAO).
• By using atomic layer deposition (ALD) thin film
growth techniques AAO pore size is optimized for
reactant/catalyst contact time as well as to provide
filtration capability.
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Argonne’s Nanoporous Catalytic
Membranes
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USDA Agricultural Research Service
www.ars.usda.gov
Membrane Separation of Ethanol
• This technology addresses the energy
efficiency of bioethanol production.
• The invention is called a spiral-wound
liquid membrane module
• It could potentially replace the widely
used process of distilling ethanol.
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Some EPA Available Patents
• Separation process using pervaporation and dephlegmation
• Adsorbent-filled membranes for pervaporation
• Recovery of volatile organic compounds from emulsion of
volatile organic compounds in water by pervaporation
• Vacuum distillation automatic sampler
• Lightweight low permeation piston-in-sleeve accumulator
• Biomass concentrator reactor
• System and method for vacuum flushing sewer solids
• On-line gas chromatograph with sample preparation,
concentration, and calibration apparatus for measuring trace
organic species from combustor flue gas
• Enhancement of electrostatic precipitation with pre-charged
particles and electrostatic field augmented fabric filtration
• Minimizing emission of hexavalent chromium from combustion
sources
• Vacuum extractor incorporating a condenser column
• Processes for removing acid components from gas streams
• Enhancement of electrostatic precipitation with electrostatically
augmented fabric filtration
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Department of the Interior
Bureau of Reclamation
Desalination and Water Purification Research &
Development Program
• Reclamation has formed partnerships with private industry,
universities, local communities, and others to address a broad
range of desalting and water purification needs.
• The overall program objective is to reduce the cost of desalting
and water purification technologies in order to augment U.S.
water supplies.
• Research focuses on desalination technologies and related
issues that push the state of the art forward so costs can be
reduced.
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Gas Separation at NASA National Space
Science and Technology Center
• The continuing rising costs of helium
justifies the construction of an economic
system that will separate helium gas from
gas streams that would normally be
considered waste gas.
• Since almost all of NASA's launch and other
propellant related test operations use helium
and hydrogen, this system would be capable
of recovering these valuable gases to the
point that they could be separated and
recycled.
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Organically Modified Silicates Polymer
Membranes at Glenn Research Center
• NASA Glenn Research Center has
developed a series of membranes with
acceptable ionic conductivity as well as
thermal and dimensional stability.
• Applications include proton-conduction
for fuel cells, gas separation
membranes, and solid electrolytes for
lithium batteries.
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Organically Modified Silicates Polymer
Membrane
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Hollow Fiber Freeze Thaw Filter
SBIR Opportunity Solicitation
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Open Date:
4/21/2008
Close Date:
6/18/2008
Marine Corp Infantry Combat Equipment
Research and test a practical method for preventing
damage to hollow fiber water filtration media
subjected to freezing and thawing. A practical
method must NOT make the resultant system so
heavy and bulky as to negate the weight and size
advantage of hollow fiber filtration media.
• http://www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/sbir/solicitations/index.htm
• Email: [email protected]
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How to Use Federal Assets
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There are Many Ways for Companies
to Leverage Federal Labs
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License Federal technology
Collaborate on R&D projects
Access Federal equipment
Obtain technical information & advice
Employee exchange
Hire post-docs when they leave the labs
Participate in meetings, seminars &
conferences
• Publications
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FLC MAR Annual Meeting
• Tech transfer, licensing,
commercialization
• September 15-17, 2008
• Rocky Gap Resort,
Cumberland, MD
• www.flcmidatlantic.org
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FLC Locator Service
• Use this service to solve problems; find
expertise, facilities and technologies
• Access all 700 Federal labs at once
• Send email to FLC with succinct statement of
interest and your contact information
• Get results in hours-to-weeks
• Get directions at www.federallabs.org
• Call: 856-667-7727
• E-mail: [email protected]
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More Starting Places
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www.usa.gov
www.science.gov
Lab web sites
www.fbo.gov (www.fedbizopps.gov)
www.sba.gov/sbir --> tech-net
Google alerts and RSS Feeds
Showcases
Green Book: www.federallabs.org
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Interaction Mechanisms
• Licensing
• Cooperative Research and
Development Agreements
• Facility use
• Technical Assistance
• Work for Others
• Personnel exchanges
• Industrial Fellows
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Other Collaborative Mechanisms
• User Facility Agreements
• MOUs & PIAs
• Material Transfer Agreements
- NIH does hundreds; NIST zero
• Educational Partnership Agreements
• Agency funded grants & contracts
• Consortia
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Boiler Plate Agreements
• Significant variations among agencies & labs
• Lab and agency-specific models at
respective web sites
• Examples at
www.federallabs.org/education/t2-matrix
• Hard copy example references in free
“Federal Technology Transfer Mechanisms
Matrix” found in the store at
www.federallabs.org
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Companies are Attracted to Labs
and Military Installations
--- Many Companies Locate Close By --• Proximity helps companies learn
requirements
• Face-to-face meetings facilitate decisionmaking
• Close interaction synergizes project
performance
• Cooperative projects promote facility &
expertise leveraging
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Federal Physical Assets Are
Available
• DOD laboratory database:
www.dodtechmatch.com
• DOC NIST
www.nist.gov
• Army ammunition plants:
www.openterprise.com
• Army arsenals (Rock Island, Picatinny,
Watervliet, etc)
• Google at NASA Moffett Field (1 M ft2 for
partnering)
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Proximity Not Always Required
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Funded research
Periodic meetings
Communication technology
“Collaboratory” participation
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What is a CRADA?
• A type of R&D contract between Federal labs
and non-federal parties
• Allows for transfer of IP, expertise, facilityuse and other assets to the private sector
• Allows for transfer of IP, expertise, facilityuse, other assets and money to the public
sector
• Allows great flexibility and discretion without
many of the legal conditions placed on
grants, procurement contracts & other kinds
of cooperative agreements
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CRADA Advantages
• Address business-related challenges
• Access expertise, data, services and
facilities
• FOIA protection, although project title,
company name & objectives are
publicly available
• Avoid usual competitive requirements
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CRADA Success Story
• EPA and MAR Systems developed jointly
• Extracts arsenic, mercury, selenium, uranium
from water
• Uses recycled catalyst from chemical
industry
• Sulfur in spent catalyst is necessary for this
second application
• Technology showing promise for air
scrubbing as well
• MAR Systems commercializing
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Licensing
• All Labs are authorized to license their IP
• Inventions but not otherwise copyrightable
materials are protected in the US
• Licenses transfer certain rights
• Business terms negotiable
• Usually non-exclusive or partially exclusive
• Need to share business plan
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Considerations in All Licenses
• Preference for US companies
• Preference for small businesses
• Substantial US manufacture if product sold
in US
• Government retains rights
• Government march-in rights
• May retain rights for use in research and
education
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Tips to Facilitate Collaboration
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Learn the lab’s mission
Tech transfer vs. tech transition
The labs are not like grocery stores
Authorizations and procedures vary
Technology transfer usually requires
scientists
• Do a little homework. Its not hard.
• FLC members are your best pals
• 90% of companies who partner want to do it
again
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Abyss of Misunderstanding
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Using University Expertise For
Commercial Assessments
• Johns Hopkins University
• University of Maryland Baltimore
County “Lab to Market”
• Penn State University
• Naval Academy
• Activate
• Intermediaries: TEDCO, TechLink,
FirstLink
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W. P. Carey Program in
Entrepreneurship and
Management
• Fall semester conducting commercial assessments
– Students taught/directed to cover all aspects of the assessment
– High quality report provided
– Allows for inventor to alter research
• Spring semester developing a business plan and marketing strategy
– Students taught/directed to cover all aspects of a business plan
– Markets, companies identified for marketing the invention
– High quality report provided
• Formal presentations on their research at end of the courses
– Audience consists of major business and technology managers
– Tech Transfer Directors and scientists invited
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W. P. Carey Program in
Entrepreneurship and Management
• Program administered by Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore,
MD
• Novel mechanism for obtaining FREE high quality commercial
assessments and potential market for insertion of technology
– Management buy-in after providing scenario on program
• “Protected” IP provided to the professor of the Program
– Patent applications filed with U.S. PTO
• Provides real-life IP for the curricula as opposed to fictitious IP
• Students work in groups of 5 on a technology they select
• Groups are highly motivated, intelligent, and cross several
majors
• Groups interacted directly with inventor(s)
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Unexpected Results
Students working shipping container:
A new defense against a
Major bioterror threat while reducing
DOD packaging and shipping costs
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Graduated from JHU
Incorporated into Baltimore Shipping Corp.
Licensed the technology they worked on for 2 semesters
Entered into a CRADA with IHDIV
Obtained TEDCO funding for the CRADA
Developed commercial prototypes
Ready for sales in just over one year
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Leveraging Federal Technology
Assets as Your Own
Connect for More Info!
Dr. John L Eichelberger
Support Contractor
Pendulum Management LLC
Federal Laboratory
Consortium
407-947-6443
[email protected]
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