Engineered Composite Sciences

FS-FPL-4706

Cooperation at the Forest Products Laboratory

We invite you to visit our laboratory, talk with our staff, and become familiar with what we have to offer. We welcome the opportunity to discuss any proposal you are considering. Each potential project will be judged independently on its own merit. Because we are a publicly funded government research institution, all suitable projects must relate to the missions of the USDA Forest Products Laboratory.

Technology can be developed at the Forest Products Laboratory on a proprietary basis, under the provisions of the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986 (PL 99-502). Federal laboratories are permitted to (1) enter into cooperative research and development agreements with industry and (2) define terms for dealing with patents achieved during the cooperative research.

Proprietary information supplied by the cooperator can be treated confidentially. Additionally, information developed under the agreement can be kept confidential for an agreed-upon period of time. Cooperative research and development agreements are of two types: (1) those with other organizations, public and private foundations, nonprofit organizations or other persons and (2) those with consortia, usually for purposes of economic development in a particular region, state, or locality.

Under these existing technology transfer authorities, we can provide for a variety of arrangements:

• Accept, retain, and use funds, services, and property from cooperators and use cooperators' personnel.
• Provide personnel, services, and property (but not funds) to cooperators.
• Grant, waive, or agree to grant in advance patent licenses or options.
• Permit employees to participate in efforts to commercialize inventions they have made.

The groundwork is in place for maintaining long-term competitiveness and success of wood-based composites through emphasis on product quality and uniformity, new product development, and product differentiation through proprietary use of emerging technologies. This strategy, combined with the vast renewable forest resources available in the United States, will help to insure the long-term prosperity of the wood industry.

The Forest Products Laboratory can help provide basic and applied information on wood and wood-based composites. Industry can then develop new products, based on that information. New product development is a key ingredient for competitiveness. Entire markets have been threatened by developments in competing industries. Good examples of these are the inroads that concrete, metal, masonry, and plastic-clad products have made in both residential and nonresidential construction markets. A continued awareness of new product opportunities is essential to the long-term growth and overall health of the wood industry.

By working together, both the Forest Products Laboratory and cooperators will benefit in several ways:

• Access to expertise-Cooperators can consult with our scientific and technical staff and draw on their experience in both basic and applied research. Additional assistance is available through our long-standing relationship with a number of universities.
• Efficiency of combined resources-Cooperative research generates synergism and cost effectiveness.
• Opportunity to explore new areas-Sharing staff, equipment, and costs can put advanced-concept projects within the realm of possibility.
• New perspectives-- Cooperators provide a new perspective on current research problems and Forest Service operations. Interaction with cooperators sharpens our focus on current problems faced by wood users and on areas where research is needed.
• Ability to implement new technologies--Applying results is the goal of our research. Working with industry, government, and university groups allows us to share our knowledge with those who may benefit from it the most. Joint studies allow us to contribute to the development of new technologies that can improve the competitive position of the forest products industry in the United States.

  For further information on cooperative research and development possibilities related to composite technologies please contact:

Jerrold Winandy, Project Leader
USDA, Forest Service
Forest Products Laboratory
1 Gifford Pinchot Drive
Madison, WI 53705-2398
tel: 608-231-9316
fax: 608-231-9582