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The Technology Partnerships Office (TPO) recently attended the Federal Labs Consortium’s (FLC) annual, national meeting, which was virtual this year. The FLC national meeting is the largest meeting on federal technology transfer in the entire country, bringing together technology transfer professionals from a myriad of government agencies to learn, connect, and further their careers in the world of tech transfer.
This year’s annual FLC meeting brought on subject matter experts who provided in-depth training and education on tech transfer for attendees’ professional growth, shared the best tech transfer practices, analyzed the latest tech transfer trends and legislation, and also provided a platform for tech transfer professionals to network and connect with one another to increase collaborative efforts. The training and educational sessions provided a user-friendly experience that were easily accessible to anyone, from the tech transfer beginner to the expert. Some of the topic areas included:
- Tech transfer for beginners – provided insight into the fundamentals of tech transfer for those who have newly started their careers in this field
- Marketing strategies – discussed the best practices when promoting the tech transfer of a federal lab, or department, to the commercial sector, as well as for internal communications
- Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) – discussed the importance of CRADAs, which instill collaboration between the public and private sector, and how they are a necessary tool for tech transfer
- Venture funding technologies – provided an opportunity to learn about venture capital groups, which are a crucial element to getting federal technologies to market
- Modernizing the Bayh-Dole Act – discussed the landmark act, which was ratified in 1980, that dealt with the reporting of federally funded inventions, as well as discussed how to keep the legislation current with the times
The FLC national meeting wrapped up by giving out awards to highlight the accomplishments of those in the tech transfer field over the past fiscal year.
The overall mission of FLC is to bridge together a network of federal laboratories, agencies, and research centers around the country to promote, educate, and propel federal technologies out of the labs and into the commercial market for the betterment of the American public and to drive the national economy forward. There are over 300 member agencies and organizations contributing to these efforts, and the FLC national meeting is where they all come together to assess past efforts, increase the education on tech transfer, and discuss innovative ideas in regard to future goals of FLC and overall mission to boost the economy through federal inventions and technologies.