The award winners were: Tony Burrell, of the Laboratory's Chemistry division for the development of electrochromic auto-darkening car mirrors; Jacek Dziewinski, of the Risk Reduction and Environmental Stewardship division, for the removal of nitrate pollutants from water; George Havrilla and Ben Warner, of the Chemistry division, for micro X-ray fluorescence-based instruments for drug discovery; Lakshman Prasad and Alexei Skourikhine, of the Nonproliferation and International Security division, for the development of image-recognition software for advanced vehicle navigation systems; and Louis Rosocha, of the Physics division, for the development of plasma processing of pollutants in exhaust streams.
The Technology Maturation Fund is designed to advance technologies thought to have high, but unproven, commercial potential. The intent is to move promising technologies to proof-of-concept or prototype stage so companies will license them, or investors will fund a startup to commercialize them. Funds come from a combination of licensing and royalty revenues and monies earmarked for this purpose under the Laboratory's prime contract.
According to Mike Connolly, a Laboratory technology commercialization executive, "We target inventions in which a small investment is expected to create significant returns in terms of licensing revenue and regional/national economic impact. The program operates similarly to a venture capital fund, except we invest in our own technologies rather than startup companies. This is a relatively unique concept -- similar programs exist at only a handful of other universities and research institutions nationwide." Laboratory researchers submit competitive proposals on a monthly basis to receive awards in the range of $10,000 to $50,000 to achieve specific milestones oriented toward commercialization of their technology. The fund accepted its first contingent of proposals in December. Although modest in size, the awards are expected to have a relatively large impact on the Laboratory's commercialization efforts.
The program is being applauded by the New Mexico business community. "LANL's Technology Maturation Fund is an extremely innovative approach to matching the vast technology assets within New Mexico to real marketplace needs," said Randy Burge, Director of the Office of Science and Technology in the New Mexico Economic Development Department. "This could provide a critical missing element in facilitating technology startups in this state. Government sponsors of research at the Laboratory usually do not provide funding for technology maturation and the resulting technologies have often been too early stage to attract venture investors."
The Technology Maturation Fund is one of many programs developed by the Laboratory to support its goals of technology commercialization and regional economic development. The Laboratory also assists scientists in applying for patent protection and obtaining corporate financial support via cooperative research and development agreements, in developing market assessments and business/commercialization plans, and in negotiating licenses to commercial entities.
The Laboratory also offers classes in commercialization and entrepreneurship, administers a formal Entrepreneurial Leave-of-Absence program, and is developing a growing network of corporate and venture investors to help fund future Lab spinoffs.
Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and Washington Group International for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.