Environmental Protection Agency Federal Technology Transfer Act Program

Sarah Bauer, FTTA Program CoordinatorValerie Blank, FTTA Specialist

Rochelle Perry, Records and Documents

January 27, 2009

Technology Transfer Legislation

Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act (1980) • First to define and promote technology transfer • Easier to transfer federal technologies to nonfederal parties

Bayh-Dole Act (1980) • Permits non-profit organizations and small businesses to retain title to

inventions made with government funds (later extended to all contractors and grantees)

• Government owned and government operated laboratories permitted to grant patent licenses

Federal Technology Transfer Act (1986) • Provides private industry, state and local governments, and academic

institutions access to federal laboratories to collaborate on R&D projects• Allows government-employed inventors and government laboratories to share

in royalties • Gets federally-funded technology into the marketplace

EPA MISSION Protect human health and safeguard

the natural environment – air, water, land – upon which life depends

PROGRAM OFFICES(Air, Water, Waste, Pesticides/Toxics)

OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

NationalDecisions

Scientific Foundation

REGIONAL OFFICESREGIONAL OFFICES

Implementation

EPA’s FTTA Program Focus of “technology transfer” is to get technologies

developed by the Federal government into the marketplace Managed by the Office of Research and Development for

EPA

• Cooperative Research and Development Agreements: Technologies can be co-developed or jointly improved

• Material Transfer Agreements: Loan or donation of research materials from one party to another

• Outside User Agreements: Non-Federal parties can use EPA facilities for independent research (for which EPA can charge and retain fees)

• Licenses: Technologies developed in EPA labs can be transferred to the partner for further development and/or commercialization

Mechanisms for Technology Transfer

Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs)

• EPA can enter into an agreement with an outside partner (industry, academia, non-profit) to perform research

• Research performed under the agreement must be collaborative and consistent with the mission of the lab

• EPA can provide personnel, services, facilities, equipment, or other resources, but not direct funds to the joint research

• A non-Federal party can provide direct funds, personnel, services, facilities, equipment or other resources

• The CRADA specifies how resources will be used and how the rights to any intellectual property developed will be assigned

Intellectual Property, Patents, Licenses, and Royalties

• Federal labs can protect their IP by patenting inventions (inventor rights assigned to the Government)

• Licenses allow the Government to transfer property rights to an external party Licenses can be exclusive or non-exclusive Government retains a right to use the technology License may associated with a CRADA or be stand

alone• Under FTTA, the government gives the inventor

(employee) a portion of royalties if licensed

OSP’s Role in FTTA

• Coordinate FTTA activities for the Agency• Determine CRADA/License opportunities and review

documents• Coordinate Approval of Agreements with the Office of

General Counsel (OGC) and the Grants Administration Division (GAD)

• Coordinate patent applications with OGC• Highlight EPA capabilities and partnership opportunities• Negotiate licenses with companies (along with

inventor’s management)• Create annual report to OMB and Commerce, • Respond to FOIAs and requests as necessary

EPA Research Topics

Ecological Research Economics & Decision

Sciences Human Health Pollution Prevention Vehicle and Fuel

Emissions Homeland Security Air and Radiation Genomics/CompTox

Air Toxics Contaminated Sites and

Hazardous Waste Drinking Water Endocrine Disruptors Global Change Mercury Particulate Matter Safe Pesticides/Safe

Products Water Quality

Example Partnerships & Research Areas

Example Partners and Licensees

American Chemistry Council BP Amoco Chevron Dow Corning DuPont

Eastman Chemical Exxon Fisher-Scientific Ford Motor

Electric Power Research Institute General Electric General Motors

Georgia Pacific Proctor and Gamble Hewlett-Packard International Paper

Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles Duke University

University of Maryland Georgia Institute of Technology

New Jersey Institute of Technology University of North Carolina

Examples of Research Areas for CRADAs and Licenses

Black Mold Arsenic Removal Hybrid Vehicles Water Security

Children's Health Clean Diesel Combustion Phytoremediation

Cryptosporidium Aerosol Samplers Soil Treatment

72% industry partners; 24% non-industry partners; 4% other

FTTA Examples

ORD/NRMRL: Arsenic treatment for small systems ORD/NRMRL: Biomass Concentrator Reactor CRADA with

Italian company and licenses with US companies ORD/NERL: Black Mold Detection ORD /NERL: MI Agar for Detecting Pathogens ORD/NHEERL: Electromagnetic Therapy ORD/NRMRL: Genome Fragment Enrichment (GFE) – DNA

sorting for fecal contamination OPPTS & ORD/NERL – Lead Paint Test Kits (R & R Rule) OAR/NVFEL: CRADA to install EPA’s hydraulic hybrid powertrain

system into UPS delivery trucks EPA Region 10: Portable Sampler for Monitoring Air Quality

Ongoing Initiatives

Highlight EPA Capabilities and Expertise Increase CRADAs and licenses Increase Visibility/Awareness to Partners Participation in EPA and Intergovernmental

activities Increase Visibility/Awareness within EPA Increase collaboration with additional Partners Increase collaboration with other Federal Agencies

Summary and More Information Expertise in Environmental Technologies EPA Research laboratories across the country Opportunities for CRADAs, Licensing EPA Tech Transfer Internet: www.epa.gov/osp/ftta.htm Federal Staff:

Sarah Bauer, Program Coordinator202-564-3267 / bauer.sarah@epa.gov

Valerie Blank, Program Specialist 202-564-1720/ blank.valerie@epa.gov

Rochelle Perry, Records and Documents202-564-6484 / perry.rochelle@epa.gov