Partnering Overview

Let’s work together to advance today’s discoveries into tomorrow’s innovations that improve our quality of life and enhance U.S. economic competitiveness.

Getting Started

Our partners include industrial and manufacturing companies across the world, investors, start-ups, academic institutions, non-profit organizations, other government agencies, and NIST investigators.

The NIST Technology Partnerships Office (TPO) manages the technology transfer services of Laboratories, User Facilities, and Programs across NIST and can help you make the right connection.

When you are ready to partner, our team of partnerships officers will guide you through the process including recommending the best type of technology transfer agreements for your needs.

Areas We Support

TPO supports the following entities within NIST:

• Communications Technology Laboratory
• Engineering Laboratory
• Information Technology Laboratory
• Material Measurement Laboratory
• Physical Measurement Laboratory
• NIST Center for Neutron Research
• Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology NanoFab
• Baldridge Performance Excellence Program
• CHIPS for America Initiative
• Manufacturing Extension Partnership
• Office of Advanced Manufacturing
• Special Programs Office

Why Partner With Us

Companies and organizations should consider working with NIST, for multiple reasons, not in the least including access an expansive collection of leading-edge discoveries and inventions. Working with NIST, partnerships have the potential to bring new inventions and technologies to market to improve our quality of life. 

NIST partners can: 

• Gain access to world renowned researchers and regulatory expertise.
• Gain access to laboratory resources and unique reagents.
• Benefit from a commercialization friendly business model. 
  • NIST offers licenses with compelling business terms.  
  • Both non-exclusive and exclusive licenses are available, especially for projects with significant scientific, investment, and development risks.
  • Financial terms are success-oriented with reasonable milestone and royalty obligations.
• Collaborate with the potential that the partnership might lead to new discoveries and inventions.
  • If you work with NIST under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), you have the option to an exclusive license to any co-owned intellectual property.
• Collaborate with NIST to co-develop your own ideas and intellectual property if your organization's and NIST's research interests mutually align.
  • Through collaborations with NIST researchers, NIST can help to validate your technology.

Choose a Partnership Agreement

NIST offers a variety of agreements that allow companies and other organizations to leverage our unique and wide-ranging resources. Your specific goals will determine the most appropriate agreement, whether a transactional agreement for a material or data transfer, a collaborative agreement such as a CRADA or Research Collaboration Agreement (RCA), or a research-use or commercialization license. TPO highly recommends a discussion with our staff to determine the type of agreement appropriate for the partnership.

If you do not already have a TPO staff contact, please reach out to our Deputy Director at TPO [at] nist.gov (TPO[at]nist[dot]gov) to explore a partnership with the NIST.

Explore a Partnership

If you are interested in partnering with NIST, TPO will talk with you about your goals and conduct a needs assessment. This will determine the appropriate next steps, which may include connecting you to a dedicated partnerships officer. Our skilled partnerships officers will work with you to understand your unique technology transfer needs and guide next steps including recommending the most appropriate type of agreement needed.