Draft2:Federal Laboratory Consortium

Federal Laboratory Consortium on Wikipedia

The Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC) is a U.S. based nationwide network of federal laboratories that provides the forum to develop strategies and opportunities to help transfer laboratory mission technologies into commercial products for the global marketplace. The FLC develops and tests transfer methods, addresses barriers to the process, provides training, engages in grass-roots transfer efforts, and emphasizes national initiatives where technology transfer has a role.

The FLC was organized in 1974 and formally chartered by the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986 to promote and strengthen technology transfer nationwide. Today, more than 250 federal laboratories and centers and their parent departments and agencies are FLC members.

Official Site - federallabs.org

DOE relevance

The website features information about our national labs, news, etc.

• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) - Hanford Site
• DOE announces $65M in public and private funds to commercialize energy technologies
• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) - Hemispheric Center for Environmental Technology (HCET)

Organization

Administratively, the FLC is divided the U.S. into six geographical regions, each run by a Regional Coordinator and a Deputy Regional Coordinator.

The FLC utilizes its Technology Locator network to connect federal laboratory developed technology with the private sector. Private sector users can apply and make specific request that identify criteria such as technical need, constraints, and intended use. The network process then matches these criteria so as to respond to specific requests, provide referrals to other federal resources, utilizes the FLC Technical Specialist System to complement information sources and network expertise, and publishes directories that focus on special needs (such as automotive materials or defense conversion partnerships).

Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer

The FLC awards a series of eight annual awards each January that recognizes employees of FLC member laboratories and non-laboratory staff who have accomplished outstanding work in the process of transferring federally developed technology. A panel of experts from industry, state and local government, academia, and the federal laboratory system judge the nominations.

• Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer
• Service Awards
• Interagency Partnership Award
• Outstanding Technology Transfer Professional Award
• State and Local Economic Development Award
• Rookie of the Year Award
• STEM Award
• Laboratory Director of the Year