The Government Role in Civilian Technology Building a New Alliance (1992) / Chapter Skim
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A BACKGROUND PAPERS
A BACKGROUND PAPERS
Pages 142-179
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From page 142... ...
The primary objectives of the workshop were the identification of factors that contribute to successful technology transfer and of the impact collaborative technology transfer ventures have on the pace of technological change and technology commercialization. The discussions focused on technology transfer in three settings: within a single company; from one company to another; and from federal laboratories and universities to industry.
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From page 143... ...
It does not represent a consensus opinion of participants in the discussions, members of the Panel on the Government Role in Civilian Technology, the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, or National Research Council. This summary does not contain conclusions or recommendations.
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From page 144... ...
· Transferring expertise: One of the most effective ways to transfer technology is to move the individuals who have specialized knowledge to divisions within a firm. Many corporations use short- and long-term "internships" to transfer research personnel to areas of the company involved in product development, and vice versa.
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From page 145... ...
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER BEYOND INDUSTRIAL LABORATORIES In-house efforts to transfer technology from the laboratory bench into marketable products are vital to most firms that conduct research and development, and are part of a larger process that involves many individuals and organizations outside the company as well. From a corporate perspective, to varying degrees, technology transfer relationships with other firms, universities, and federal laboratories are also desirable.
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From page 146... ...
Even in universities, however, the desire for professional prestige, the competition for scarce research funds, and the trend toward more extensive relationships with the private sector can reduce the flow of new ideas and technologies. As academic institutions seek to capitalize on the economic benefits from their research activities, these impediments to successful technology transfer may continue to increase in number and complexity.
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From page 147... ...
Participants identified a number of problems with CRADAs: they require a high level of technical sophistication on the part of industrial partners, which narrows the field of potential participants; "cultural" differences (with regard to incentives, recognition, and rewards) between private industry and federal laboratories can reduce the potential effectiveness of CRADAs; and a considerable amount of administrative oversight is associated with their operation.
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From page 148... ...
Not only do these advisors provide scientific expertise, they also are a link between the firms and university research laboratories. Other steps taken by the biotechnology industry that directly or indirectly result in technology transfer include the following: · Using CRADAs: Involvement with federal laboratories is one method of leveraging R&D funds.
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From page 149... ...
There are potential problems, as well, such as conflicts of interest, the loss of top faculty to the private sector, maintaining a proper balance between research and teaching, and new sources of liability. The passage of the Government Patent Policy Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-517)
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From page 150... ...
. nology transfer activities.
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Participants also noted that in automotive electronics, the federal government has promoted technology transfer primarily through federal regulatory control. The Clean Air Act of 1970 and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency provided the incentives for the automotive industry to use electronics to control tailpipe emissions.
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From page 152... ...
The Department of Energy is also moving to enhance its technology transfer activities, an agency official told the workshop.8 Among the mechanisms DOE is using to transfer technology to the private sector are Superconductivity Pilot Centers that have industry-driven research agendas and require cost sharing. Similar efforts are the Clean Coals Technologies Program, DOE involvement in the Small Business Innovation Research Program, the Energy Conservation Utilization Technology Program, the Advanced Manufac
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The challenge for these regions, on participant noted, is to maintain and improve the R&D infrastructure to stimulate industrial development. Some areas in the United States are succeeding at this; a strong measure of success is the level of private industrial
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Others have invested pension funds in venture capital organizations that target technolo gy commerce Eaton. Ohio's Edison Technology Centers and Pennsylvania's Ben Franklin Partnership Program are two examples of state technology transfer initiatives.
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· P.L. 99-502, Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986: Amends Stevenson-Wydler Act to authorize government-operated federal laboratories to enter into cooperative R&D agreements with other entities; establishes Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer; directs that federal laboratory science and engineering professional duties include technology transfer; requires cash award programs to be established; includes formulas for distribution of royalties from licensing or assignment of inventions (defense program laboratories excluded)
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Creates state and local clearinghouse coordinating body at Department of Commerce; changes National Bureau of Standards to National Institute of Standards and Technology; expands mission to include technology transfer activities (Manufacturing Technology Centers, Advanced Technology Program, State Technology Extension Services, and others)
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From page 157... ...
Consortia participants often use different measures to assess the value and effectiveness of their involvement in collaborative R&D. In March 1991, the project on the Government Role in Civilian Technology and the Academy Industry Program convened a workshop to assess recent experiences with research consortia.
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From page 158... ...
Congress and the executive branch have attempted to create an environment in the United States that will accommodate this new dynamic.~7 For example, in 1984, Congress passed the National Cooperative Research Act (NCRA) , which relaxed antitrust regulations to permit firms in the same industry to collaborate on pre-commercial R&D.
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From page 159... ...
Collaborative R&D projects are often centered on long-term, applied research. Several workshop speakers suggested that collaborative projects should focus on research horizons of two to seven years, the shorter time frame for industrial R&D, and the longer for basic research.
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The Semiconductor Research Corporation, Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC) , and Software Productivity Consortium, are examples of collaborative efforts that bring together companies in similar product markets.
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5. Improving research efficiency: Noting the problems associated with the "not-invented-here syndrome," several corporate research directors stated that research needs, in some instances, can be addressed more efficiently by working with outside organizations.
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Returns to Cooperative Research Collaborative projects are judged on the basis of their accomplishments. A new product or more advanced technical application for existing product lines, manufacturing process technology improvements, and enhanced scientific understanding of physical or chemical processes all reflect successful collaboration.
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From page 163... ...
In the semiconductor and information technology industries, for example, collaboration can advance the development of standards and protocols for hardware, software, and communication networks. One such industry-wide activity, undertaken by SEMATECH, qualifies and certifies vendors that supply materials and equipment to member firms.20 Outside Pressures and Changing Circumstances To be successful, collaborative research ventures must be structured and operated in ways that are consistent with the realities of corporate R&D, participants noted.
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For example, some members of R&D projects have been reluctant to delegate highly qualified staff to collaborative projects. Others noted that firms in collaborative R&D projects face difficulties in sharing technology and technical information with other members.
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Industry representatives and consortium managers reported, however, that there are no specific rules for determining the optimal number of collaborators for specific projects. One participant noted that individual firms must determine whether a partnership is required to accomplish a specific R&D objective.
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From page 166... ...
These include the specific technical field in which the collaboration occurs, the stage of scientific and technological development within the industry, and whether the research efforts involve basic scientific inquiry or applied R&D. Workshop participants from computer and microelectronics firms, for example, noted that universities are often promising sites for multi-disciplinary research ventures involving several firms and teams of university scientists.
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From page 167... ...
The company also supports academic researchers in areas closely aligned with its product development goals. These projects, however, constitute a small part of its collaborative research arrangements with universities.
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Some participants argued that foreign firms have been more successful than domestic companies in realizing benefits from collaborative R&D involving U.S. universities.
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While acknowledging the need to be alert to this concern, participants from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies reported that small firms appear to have access to university research and its products. One participant noted that, in some cases, small firms succeed in licensing a university-owned invention but then lack the resources to carry out the work necessary to bring the product to market.
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In addition, the more than 700 federal laboratories employ nearly one-sixth of the scientists in the United States. Defense R&D constitutes a large percentage of the total federal R&D budget, accounting for more than 60 percent of such expenditures during the last decade.
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For example, federal scientists and engineers can now collect royalties on patented inventions they create.29 Procedures for licensing federal technology have been simplified, and industry sponsors of collaborative research conducted at national laboratories can own or secure exclusive licensing rights to inventions arising from these joint efforts. Nonetheless, the missions of many of the federal laboratories do not reflect the commercial technology needs of industry.
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From page 172... ...
Other, more difficult changes in facilities, staff, and location will be needed if federal laboratories are to fulfill a role in technology development and transfer, they noted. SEMATECH SEMATECH's goal is to develop a domestic capacity for world-class levels of semiconductor manufacturing by 1993.
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From page 173... ...
One such possibility, a participant noted, is "clean sheet" designs for factories built to manufacture the next generation of high-density memory and logic chips. SEMATECH might also be used to compare the advantages of costly, large-scale production facilities with the benefits that might be achieved from small fabrication plants.
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Collaborative projects were designed to refine advanced technologies. The specific goals of each collaborative venture were developed by the government in close consultation with the trade associations.
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As was noted often throughout the workshop, however, this expectation leads to less than successful technology transfer outcomes.
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Finally, many participants recommended that collaborative projects should be required to meet a series of technical milestones and should be monitored periodically for progress. Participation of Foreign Companies As participants noted, it is increasingly difficult to distinguish between U.S.
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See U.S. Congress, House Committee on Small Business, Subcommittee on Regulation, Business Opportunities, and Energy, Hearing on Technology Transfer Obstacles in Federal Laboratories: Key Agencies Respond to Subcommittee Survey, 101st Cong., 2nd sees., 1990.
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From page 178... ...
Congress, House Committee on Small Business, Subcommittee on Regulation, Business Opportunities, and Energy, 101st Cong., 2nd sees., Technology Transfer Obstacles in Federal Laboratories: Key Agencies Respond to Subcommittee Survey (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1990)
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From page 179... ...
35. Optoelectronics Technology Research Laboratory, Technology for the 21st Century (Program Description, Optoelectronics Technology Research Laboratory, Tsukuba Science City, Japan, 1990)
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