by Gary Jones
FLC Washington, DC Representative
Greetings from DC. Although I typically try to stay away from purely "agency-specific" topics in this column (preferring to highlight issues of a broader FLC interest), recent developments at the Department of Energy are noteworthy to many in the FLC community. In an internal DOE memorandum dated June 28, Secretary Bodman announced the appointment of Dr. Ray Orbach, Under Secretary for Science, as the Department's new Technology Transfer Coordinator.
The position was created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-58, Title X, Section 1001(a), August 2005), which stated that "[T]he Secretary shall appoint a Technology Transfer Coordinator that will be the principal advisor to the Secretary on all matters relating to technology transfer and commercialization." In addition, Section 1001 also directed the Secretary to: 1) establish a Technology Transfer Working Group, consisting of members of the national labs and single-purpose research facilities to coordinate activities across the Department, exchange information internally, and develop and disseminate information to the public and potential partners relevant to technology transfer; 2) create an Energy Technology Commercialization Fund to be used to promote energy technologies for commercial purposes (The Energy Policy Act of 2005 [EPACT] identifies the sourcing formula for the fund); and 3) develop a technology transfer execution plan, to be updated annually.
In naming Dr. Orbach, the Secretary has identified a single point of responsibility for technology transfer policy within the Department, directing him to "perform the duties of the Coordinator …" as outlined in the EPACT (including establishing the Technology Transfer Working Group and preparing the Technology Transfer Execution Plan). Dr. Orbach is now responsible for "overseeing and for advising the Secretary on all technology transfer and commercialization activities performed by the DOE National Laboratories, single purpose research facilities, and other DOE facilities authorized to conduct technology transfer."
In addition to meeting the specific directives of the EPACT, the Secretary went further by simultaneously establishing a Technology Transfer Policy Board to assist Dr. Orbach in developing an "enduring framework for continuity and uniformity of technology transfer" within the DOE complex. The Policy Board, unlike the Working Group (which will consist of lab personnel), will be comprised of career DOE employees from the Office of Science (2), Nuclear Security (2), General Counsel (2), Policy and International Affairs (1), Office Management (1), and four others designated by the Under Secretary for Science (with possible members identified by the Principal Secretarial Officers).
The primary functions of the Technology Transfer Policy Board will be to:
- Consider the development of a Secretarial policy statement concerning the purpose and goals of the Department's technology transfer mission.
- Develop the technology transfer execution plan and annual update.
- Oversee the activities of the Technology Transfer Working Group.
- Oversee and develop proposed policies governing the use of overhead funds to conduct technology transfer activities at a DOE lab or research facility.
- Conduct oversight activities of each technology transfer ombudsman.
- Oversee and encourage efforts to engage private sector entities, including venture capital companies.
- Develop an annual technology transfer report.
- Provide recommendations to the Coordinator for appointing a DOE representative to the FLC and the Interagency Working Group for Technology Transfer.
The immediate task of the Coordinator and the Policy Board, as stated in the press release, is to "undertake a comprehensive review of the Department's technology transfer activities with the goal of deploying energy technologies to the marketplace at an accelerated rate."
Filling the Technology Transfer Coordinator position is a positive step for the DOE. Although it's too soon to tell how this new development will have an impact on technology transfer activities within the DOE lab environment, or what, if any, changes to current DOE tech transfer policy the newly created Policy Board may wish to implement, our DOE member labs will certainly want to follow this closely — and presumably be involved at every available opportunity (e.g., participation in the Working Group, etc.) to work toward continued successful technology transfer at the DOE labs.
The EPACT can be found under the public law section on Thomas (www.thomas.gov). The DOE internal memorandum and press release are available on the DOE's website.
Gary can be reached at gkjones@federallabs.org.
