National laboratories play a critical role in building the nation’s innovation capacity and driving our economy. At Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne), we are working on developing a reliable, efficient and secure electrical grid, and other technologies ranging from transportation vehicles to semiconductor devices to cancer-fighting drugs that will change people’s lives, nationally and globally. In order for many national laboratory innovations to be truly impactful, they must be commercialized and distributed through the marketplace, and Argonne works closely with its academic, industry and national laboratory partners to do so.
At Argonne, we strive to do a better job of working with our collaborators to transition the Laboratory’s research and development (R&D) projects from lab to market, mutually benefiting all partners and always keeping the public benefit foremost. We are mindful that other national laboratories, academic and research institutions also are trying to find ways to accelerate and transition their innovations, and some are experimenting with initiatives that could be adapted by others. In order to learn more about these innovative initiatives, we commissioned Innovation Associates to explore some promising models that could be adapted for use. Several national laboratories very generously shared their knowledge with us, and by releasing portions of the Argonne report nationally, we wish to share what we have learned with others.
