Technology transfer is the process by which existing knowledge, facilities, or capabilities developed under federal R&D funding are utilized to fulfill public and private needs.
Every year, billions of American taxpayer dollars go into funding research and development (R&D) at our federal laboratories, with the intent being for those innovations to return their investment and move from the laboratory to the marketplace, thereby boosting our economy.
To ensure the best use of taxpayers’ contributions to R&D conducted at federal labs, Congress enacted the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 and the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986, which mandated that federal labs accelerate the results of their hard work into the market through collaborative partnerships with any nonfederal organization such as private business, academia, and state and local governments.
For an overview of the commercialization process and the impact it can have on our economy and everyday lives, check out our “What is T2?” video!
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The T2 Process
Interested in learning more about how the tech transfer process works, want to partner with a federal lab, or license a technology for your own R&D? Get started on your commercialization success by choosing a path below.
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Learn How to Work With a Laboratory
To help navigate the T2 process, we have developed a T2 Toolkit that offers a comprehensive set of tools and services for anyone seeking information and access to federal laboratory resources. To learn how you can work with a federal laboratory, visit our T2 Toolkit!
There are several ways to access federal technologies, one is through licensing—to authorize the use, performance, or release of something from one party to another. The federal government grants licenses for thousands of its available technologies. To learn how to license federal technologies and other T2 agreement options, check out our T2 Mechanisms database.