FLC Awards Recognize Federal Laboratories for Success in Bringing Technologies to the Public

Released: August 28, 2020

(WASHINGTON, DC) Government-led projects focused on a broad range of technologies—from viral vaccines to planet-friendly fuel solutions— will be honored with Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) National Awards on Aug. 31 at 2:40 p.m. at the FLC’s National Meeting, which will be virtual. Reporters are welcome to attend.

The FLC’s members represent 300 research labs, agencies, and research centers nationwide, creating partnerships to shepherd technologies out of government labs and into the marketplace, where they improve the economy, society, and national security—a collaborative process called technology transfer (T2).

The FLC’s annual National Awards recognize laboratories and their employees who have excelled in this mission. 

“These award winners are the best of the best, both in terms of developing new technologies and in terms of forging the partnerships—with universities, businesses, or state and local governments—that are needed to bring those technologies to the public, where they can have a life-changing impact,” said Paul Zielinski, Executive Director of the FLC.

The winners represent six federal agencies. See the full list of winners below, with links to descriptions of the winning projects. The full awards collection can be viewed here.

EXCELLENCE IN TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AWARD: Honors outstanding work by federal labs in collaborating with industry, academia, or other labs to bring technologies from the lab to the marketplace. 

Department of Agriculture

Department of Defense

Department of Energy

Department of Health and Human Services

INTERAGENCY PARTNERSHIP AWARD: Recognizes agency and/or laboratory employees from at least two different agencies who have collaboratively accomplished outstanding work in transferring a technology from lab to market. There is typically only one award per year in this category.

STATE AND LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AWARD: Celebrates technology-focused partnerships between federal labs and state or local economic development groups that have had a positive impact.

Department of Defense

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

  • NASA Johnson Space Center

“NASA technology boosts Brownsville economy”

IMPACT AWARDHonors federal labs whose technology commercialization efforts have made a tangible and lasting impact on society or the marketplace. This award category is new for 2020. 

Department of Commerce

 Department of Defense

Department of Energy

 Department of Health and Human Services

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER INNOVATION AWARD: Recognizes the successful use of innovative or unconventional approaches, such as in-house competitions, to significantly increase the lab’s technology transfer partnerships and results. This was another new category for 2020. 

Department of Agriculture

 Department of Defense

 Department of Energy

Department of Health and Human Services

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS AWARDGiven to a lab that has successfully commercialized a technology associated with that year’s featured initiative. This year’s Technology Focus is on autonomous systems, such as robots or drones, that can function on their own with minimal human interaction. 

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD: Honors one federal laboratory employee who has demonstrated outstanding work in the past year despite being relatively new to the technology transfer profession.

OUTSTANDING TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER PROFESSIONAL AWARD: Recognizes outstanding work by one seasoned technology transfer professional.

LABORATORY DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR AWARDGiven to a federal laboratory director, who is typically not a technology transfer professional, for his or her notable support of the lab’s technology commercialization efforts.

HAROLD METCALF AWARD FOR FLC SERVICECelebrates one federal laboratory employee who has provided significant service over time to the FLC as an organization. 

About the FLC

The Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC) is a formally chartered, nationwide network of more than 300 federal laboratories, agencies, and research centers that foster commercialization best practice strategies and opportunities for accelerating federal technologies from out of the labs and into the marketplace. To learn more, visit www.federallabs.org.

Reporters interested in attending the awards should contact the FLC’s media team for access instruction. The full schedule of the meeting can be found here

 

Media contact:

Jordana Bieze Foster

FLC Marketing Manager

Phone: (617) 501-4597‬

email: [email protected]

Originally published at https://federallabs.org/about/media/flc-press-releases/flc-awards-recognize-federal-laboratories-for-success-in-bringing-technologies-to-the-public

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