Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer ORNL FLC Award Submission Process Larry Dickens Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) FLC Representative & Deputy Coordinator FLC Southeast Region May 2003 (865)

Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer ORNL FLC Award Submission Process Speaker’s Disclaimer o What has Worked in the ORNL FLC Awards Process o Share Successful Tools o Avoid Effects on Lack of Information o Not the Only or Best Way to Prepare FLC Awards Submissions o Speak Freely - Disagree or Offer Alternatives

Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer ORNL FLC Award Submission Process The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) o One of 9 DOE Multipurpose Laboratories o $1B with ~$600M in R&D o Nation's Largest Concentration of Materials Research o Nation's Largest Energy R&D Laboratory o ~100 Invention Disclosures Annually

Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer ORNL FLC Award Submission Process ORNL FLC Award History o 1985 – 1999 (15 Years) 20 Awards of Excellence in Technology Transfer o Examination of our Internal Award Submissions Process Revealed Opportunity for Improvement

Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer ORNL FLC Award Submission Process My Perceptions About FLC Awards o Prestigious Award o From ~ 700 Federal Laboratories 22 Awards This Year 35 Awards Last Year o Not About “Good Science” but What it’s Done o Demands Excellent Nomination

Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer ORNL FLC Award Submission Process How ORNL Submitted Nominations Prior to 2000 o Call for Awards From FLC o Forward to the Researchers o Researchers Fill Out “the Form” o Submit “the Form” to the FLC Rep o FLC Rep Sends ‘em in

Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer ORNL FLC Award Submission Process Guess What? o Quality All Over the Map o Gaps in Submission Information o No Standardization o No Nomination Recruitment Effort o None Selected

Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer ORNL FLC Award Submission Process ORNL Process 2000 – Present o Prior to FLC Call for Awards, FLC Rep Notifies Researchers, TT Staff and Line Management o Request “One Pager” not “the Form” o R&D 100 Submissions Automatically Included o Reviewed by ORNL FLC Awards Committee o Efficient Selection and Critique Process

Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer ORNL FLC Award Submission Process Why the “One Pager”? What is Requested? 1. Technology Description and IP 2. Technology Partner (Who’s Problem Solved?) 3. Technology’s Tangible Benefits and Significance to Recipient 4. Team Members and Their Contributions

Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer ORNL FLC Award Submission Process ORNL FLC AWARDS COMMITTEE o 6 Volunteer Members FLC Rep (Chair) FLC Alternate Rep Researcher or Manager from each Research Directorate (Awardee) Editor

Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer ORNL FLC Award Submission Process AWARDS COMMITTEE MECHANICS o Award Criteria Matrix Based on FLC’s o Pre-Meeting with Packet for each Committee Member o Evaluated and Ranked in Private o Committee Meeting for Group Evaluation & Ranking Work to Consensus o Top Submittals Identified for Regional Submission with Nominees Working with Editor to Produce Submittal o Iterative Critique Process

Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer ORNL FLC Award Submission Process Why Submit Regionally? o Limited to 4 National FLC Submissions o Regional Submissions are not Limited o Regional Ranking Determine National Submissions o Independent Review o It is a GREAT Farm System!

Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer ORNL FLC Award Submission Process After Regional Evaluation…National Submission o Down Select for National Submission o Refine Submissions for National o Iterative Critique and Edit Process o Submit Maximum Allowed

Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer ORNL FLC Award Submission Process Has This Process Made a Difference for ORNL? o 1985 – 1999 (15 Years) 20 Awards of Excellence in Technology Transfer o 2000 – Present (3 Years) 9 Awards of Excellence in Technology Transfer 4 This Year 1 Last Year 4 Prior Year

Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer ORNL FLC Award Submission Process In Closing…Lessons Learned o More Process Participants = More Submissions o Researchers Receptive to “One Pager” o Process Standardization has Increased Nomination Quality and Award Rate o Editor Invaluable o Regional Submission Provides Independent Review o Get Ahead of the Official Call for Awards o More Award Winners = Increased Participation