Forming partnerships with the Forest Service : transferring Forest Service research and development to the marketplace

2004·0.95 MB·English

by  United States. Department of Agriculture

Historic, Archive Document
Do not assume content reflects current
scientific knowledge, policies, or practices.

United States DepartmentofAgriculture
ForestService
Program Aid 1731
Forming
Partnerships
withi thie Forest Service:
Transferring Forest Service
Researcti and Development
to tine Marketplace
ForestService Research
TheResearchandDevelopmentarmoftheUSDAForestService(FSR&D)isoneof
theworld'sleadingforestryresearchorganizations,conductingandsponsoringbasic
andappliedresearch. Thisresearchgeneratescredible,relevantknowledgeand
excitingnewtechnologiesthatcanbeusedtosustainthehealth,productivity,and
diversityoftheNation'sforestsandrangelandstomeettheneedsofpresentand
futuregenerations. Creatingandcommunicatingknowledgeandtechnologytopri-
vatelandownerssotheycanbettersustainthehealth,productivity,anddiversityof
theirlandsisasimportanttoFSR&Dasservingtheneedsofthepubliclandman-
agers.
Scanningelectron
micrographofgypsymotli
viruspolyliedra
AForestService-developed
wooddecaytestaidsinttie
structuralmaintenanceof
thistimberbridge
Cooperative Research and
DevelopmentAgreements
Afrequentlyutilizedagreementforbeginningresearch
developmentistheCooperativeResearchandDevelopment
Agreement(CRADA).CRADAswerecreatedbytheFederal
TechnologyTransferActof1986(PublicLaw99-502).
CRADAsauthorizeForestServicescientiststoworkcollabora-
tivelywithprivatefirmstohelpcommercializetechnology
basedoncollaborativeresearch.CRADAsdifferfromtheother
ForestServiceagreementsmainlybyprovidingthecooperative
firmwiththefirstrighttoexclusivelicensesonpatented
inventionsdiscoveredordevelopedundertheagreement.
UnderaCRADA,thecooperatingfirmprovidestheknow-
howneededtodevelopandcommercializeanewproduct,
process,orservice.Thefirmmayalsoprovidefundsto
coversomeoftheaddedcoststotheForestServiceforwork
doneundertheagreement.Orthefirmmightcontribute
personnel(forexample,apostdoctoralscientist,graduate
student,ortechnician),equipment,ormaterials.Insome
casesaCRADAmayinvolvenotransferoffundstothe
ForestService.Asacooperator,theForestServiceprovides
researchpersonnel,laboratoryfacilities,materials,equip-
ment,supplies,andother"in-kind"contributions.Aswith
itsothercooperativeagreements,theForestServiceenters
intoaCRADAonlywhentheresearchobjectiveisconsis-
tentwiththeagency'smission.
TechnologyTransferAgreements
with the Forest Service
apRrenosdceeausnrstceihsl,rteahsenuydltassreecrrvceioacnetsev.enrotTehvdealiUunetSoDfpoArraFtcohtreiecspatulbSplerirocvdiuuccnetlseh,sass aCwSrehieratvlhsilhcaeaennrgteeeodntpCbiroteosyttdw-tuoeScheewanorsretohkmAeegctFroohoeripeenesmrgteanotSfitevrmev(uliCtycCueSwa)ail:tnhAdinntttehhareeegsFrptoae.rreetCmsnoetesrnt.ts aSRitnegacsrtleeeuaedCrmiocenohngptCeporiesasrttsfi-oovRrneeatilhImnesbseuatrircvtqsiuuactibeissloi,net.fiAoogrnrmoeufetmgueoaonldtsb(eanRneCfdRiAts)efr:rvTiochmeissa,
alongandsuccessfulhistoryofcollaboratingwith
cinofmomremractiiaolnfainrdmstetcohcnoonlvoegryt.rTeesecahrncohloigntyotursaansbfleer CviodoepsersautpipvoertAgorresetmiemnutlat(iCoAn):toThaecoFoopreersattSoerr'vsipceropgrro-am
agreementsweredevelopedtoimprovethistraditional ofmutualinterest. TheForestServiceissubstantially
cooperation,increasingthebenefitstothepublicand involvedintheresearch,aswellashavingtheover-
tocommercialfirms. sightresponsibility.Bothpartiesmakecontributions
towardstheresearch.
Severaldifferenttypesofagreementsarecommonly
usedfortechnologytransfer. Allofthemallowthe MemorandumofUnderstanding(MOU):Thepurpose
Governmentandindustrytoworktogetherindevelop- ofthisagreementistocoordinateactivitiesforacom-
ingnewtechnologies. Theyvarybasedonthelevelof monpurpose.Nofundingorvaluechangeshandsand
contributionfromeachpartyandexpectedbenefits. itisnotafund-obligatingdocument.
Theultimatepurposeofalltechnologytransferisto ForestServiceresearchhashelpedpreserve
bettercoordinateresearchactivitiesbetweenthepar- ResearchJointVentureAgreement(RJVA):Thepur- oursensitivewetlands
tiessuchthatresultsareefficientlytransferredtothe poseofthisagreementistoperformbasicorapplied
public. InadditiontoCRADAs,thefollowingtypesof researchofmutualbenefit.Thepartiesmustsharea Technologyaidsinpreventingpremature
agreementsbetweencommercialfirmsandtheForest mutualbenefitinadditiontoamutualinterest.Mutual wooddecayinutilitypoles
Serviceareavailable: benefitexistswhenthepartiesbenefitinthesame
qualitativewayfromtheobjectivesoftheagreement. NewideasfromtheForestServicecould
Eachpartymakesaminimummonetarycontribution. changethefaceofourofficebuildings
"
-BenefitsofCRADAstoCommercialFirms ;> ^ stepsCommercialFirmsCanTakeToInitiateaCRADAwith
t*Firstrighttoexclusivelicensesonpatentedinventions^ theForestService
I^Vj^ madeundertheagreement •LearnofForestServiceresearchcapabilities,programs,and
k'. ImprovedaccesstoForestServicescientistsandfacilities results. (Seebelowforsourcesofinformation.)
!' 4"*'3ncreasedaccess;tb-expertiserelatedtoresearchresultsanc •tChoanttaicntterFeosrtesytouS.ervicescientistsresponsibleforprograms
»Newproductandproces •Withthescientist,developabriefproposal.VisitstoForest
Serviceresearchlaboratoriesareoftenextremelyhelpful.
BenefitsofCRADAstotheForestService •Ensurethatthedraftproposalreceivesappropriateprelimi-
;^ •Increasedopportunitiestodevelopandtransfertechnology naryreviewandcleaiancewithinthefirm.
•.H '^-Betterfeedbackfromindustryonwhatresearchisneeded •WtioverkrewsietahrcthheanFdordeestveSleorvpimceentscpiernotgirstamt.odevelopacoopera-
^y, (V.^iIznactrieoanseodfafapmirloidaurictty-owriptrhocpersosblemsrelatedtocommercial--'-.^-^ •Approvecooperativeresearchanddeveloprnentagregmeat
'' • TheForestServiceandscientistssharelicensingfeesand^-'rta--. ^;iacorporatmgtheproposedresearchplan. \_ t'J -i" j
, royalties
f'aieniana License rrogram
ManyimportantForestServicediscoveriesaretransferreddirectly;otliepublic,withoutintellectualproperty
protection. SomeForestServiceinventionsrequiresignificantfinancialinvestmentsandresourcesfromthepri-
vatesectorbeforethepubliccanbenefitfromanew,improvedproductorservice. Toprovideanincentivefor
suchinvestments,theForestServicemaypatentnewinventionsandtransfertechnologiestothepublicthrough
patentlicenses.
TheForestServicetechnologylicensingprogramgrantslicensestoqualifiedbusinessesandindividualswho
wis);tocommercializeForestServicetechnologies. Licensesmaybeexclusive,nonexclusive,orpartiallyexclu-
sive,andforeignpatentrightsareavailableforlicensinginsomecases. TheAgriculturalResearchService's
OfficeotTechnologyTransfer(ARS-OTT)administerstheentireU.S.DepartmentofAgriculture'stechnology
licensingprogram,includingthatoftheForestService.
Nearright:ForestServiceresearcliermeasuresmoisturein
home'sbasement
Middleright:Controllinggypsymothattackthroughvirusstrain
improvements
Left:AnalyzingvegetationfromtheSandDunesareaonthe
HiawathaNationalForest
Above:Recyclingpreservative-treatedwastewood
Left:ForestServiceresearchutilizesthefungalroleinour
ecosystem
Above:Technologycreatesamoreefficientgreenhouse
Right:Improvingsafetythroughourpartnerships
HowToApplyfora Patent License
LicensingfederallyownedinventionsisdoneinaccordancewithFederalregulations Licenseesarerequiredtosubmitperiodicprogressreportsdetailingtheprogressmade
(37CFR404). Acopyoftheseregulationscanbeobtainedfromthetechnology tocommercializelicensedpatents. Afterthefirstsaleofroyalty-bearingproducts,
licensingprogramcoordinatorortheARS-OTTWebsite. plircoednuscetessmaareder,equusierde,datondsusbomlidtanrodyatlhteyarmepoourntst,oifncrloyuadlitnigesindfuoermUaStDiAo.noTnhiqsuainntfiotrymoaf-
BusinessesorindividualswantingtocommercializeaForestServiceinventionmust tionisconfidentialandnotpubliclydisclosed.
submitapatentlicenseapplication. Informationprovidedwiththeapplicationis
usedtodeterminewhethertheapplicanthasasufficientplanfordevelopingandmar-
ketingtheinvention,aswellasthefinancialandtechnicalresourcesneededtocarry SpecialConsiderationsforExclusiveLicenses
outtheplan. Businessplansfromalicenseapplicantareconfidential.
Exclusiveorpartiallyexclusivepatentlicenses—includinglicensesthatareco-exclu-
Patentlicenseapplicationsareavailablebymailormaybedownloadedelectronically sive(limitednumberoflicensees),exclusiveterritory(limitedtoaspecificcountry),
fromtheARS-OTThomepage. Allpatentlicenseapplicationsshouldbeforwardedto andexclusivefield(limitedtoaspecificuse—maybegrantedfornon-CRADAinven-
thetechnologylicensingprogramcoordinator. tions,butonlyafterpublicnoticehasbeenmade.
LicenseProvisions
PatentlicensesgrantedbytheUSDAareroyaltybearingandincludeprovisionsfor
licenseexecutionfees,annuallicensemaintenancefees,andpatentcostreimburse-
ments. Licensefeesandroyaltyratesarenegotiable. Informationsubmittedbythe
applicant—includingestimatesofpotentialmarketsize,marketshare,andprofitabili-
ty—isusedtohelpdeterminefairandreasonableterms. Otherfactorsarealsocon-
sidered,suchasscopeofthelicensedpatent,scopeofrightsgranted,andfinancial
andresourceinvestmentsrequiredforcommercialization. Spaceboardtechnologypromisestoalterthe
constructionindustrywithoutharming
ourenvironment
EarlydetectionofwooddecayfungithroughForest
Serviceinnovation
PromisingCommerciai Partnersliips
TheForestServicehasestablishedrelationshipswith •AnotherForestServicelicenseeisworkingto
manybusinessesthroughouttheUnitedStatestodevel- improvelivestockmanagementandreducethe
opandcommercializeitstechnologies. Theserelation- effectsoflivestockinriparianareasusingthe
shipshaveresultedinavarietyofnewjobopportuni- ForestService-inventedelectronicfencing
ties,helpingtobolsterlocal.State,andnational technology. Thisinventioncontrolslivestock
economies. Currently,theForestServicehasseveral accessbydefininganexclusionareawith
promisingpartnerships: electronictransmitters. Throughconditioning,
•SoppaecdebboyarFodr,esatuSneirqvuiceesstcriuecnttuirsatlsmfartoemrivailrgdienvel- tehleimainniamtianlgstlheearnneteodsftoaryfcelnecaers.ofsuchplaces,
and/orrecycledfibers,isapproachinglarge-scale Throughpartnershipssuchasthosedescribed,the
productionbythelicensee. Thisstrong,environ- ForestServicehelpsdeliverinnovativetechnologies
mentallyfriendlyproductpromisestochangethe toachangingworld.
marketforawidevarietyofendproducts,suchas
floorandwallpaneling,officefurniture,andcon-
structionmaterials.
•TheForestServicerecentlylicensedits
GreenhouseIlluminationSystem. Thisinvention
usesanoscillatingparabolicmirrorbehindasodi-
umarclamptoflickbeamsoflightfromoneend
ofthegreenhousetotheother,providingintermit-
tentlighttotheentirearea. Thiscapabilitygreatly
increasesplantgrowthandflowering.
Workingtogethertoachieveresults
Additional Information OnlineDatabases completed)agricuhuralresearchprojectsatleastpartly
PatentsAvailableforLicensing—Tomaintainacompet- fundedbytheFederalGovernment.CRISisoneofthe
TheUSDATechnologyTransferInformationCenter itiveedge,obtaincurrentlistingsofnewlyfiledForest databasesavailablethroughDialogInformation
(TTIC)helpstopromotetherapidconversionoffeder- Servicepatentapplicationsandissuedpatentson-line Services,acommercialonlineservice.Writeorcall
allydevelopedinventionsintocommercialproductsby fromtheU.S.DepartmentofAgriculture(USDA).Each CurrentResearchInformationSystem,Cooperative
gitienctdatilivnuigsdeut.ahlesraensudltosrgoafnriezsaetairocnhsiwnhtootchaenhpauntdsitoifnttohopsreac- maRveoasnietlaahrbclihenfoSoenrrmvtaihcteeiIo(nntAeoRrSnn)eltiWcvoeirnalsdatbhlWeeiUdtSeeDchWAneoAblgorgsiiecreuvsletriu.sramBlraidefe 2SUt0Sa7Dt0Ae5,-R2eN3sa5et0ai;rocn(ha3,l01E)Adgur5ci0ac4tu-il6ot8un4r,6a.lanhLdtitbpEr:ax/rt/ye,cnrsBiieslo.tncssvSrielerleves,i.cuMes,dDa.gov
descriptionsoflicensabletechnologycontaininginven-
Toaccomplishthesegoals,TTICprovidesavarietyof tornames,addresses,andtelephonenumbersarepro- AGRICOLA—Thebibliographicdatabaseofthe
psreorcveiscse.stFoorprmoofresesiionnfaolrsmaitnivoonlvaebdouinttThTeIiCnnacotviavtiitioenssor voipdpeodr.tuInnidtuisetsroyfkUeSywDoArdlsicetnasragbelteintgeccohmnomleorgciieasliazraetailosno cNoatvieornaagleAogfrwicourlltduwraildeLijboruarryn.alPrliotveirdaetusrecoamnpdremhoennos-ive
services,pleasecontact: offeredeachmonth.Informationonissuedpatentsand graphsonagricuhureandrelatedsubjects.Available
filedpatentapplicationsavailableforlicensingcanbe throughDialogandthroughtheBibliographicRetrieval
TNaetcihonnoallogAygrTircaunltsufrearlILnifborramray,ti4otnhCfelnotoerr Tarcacnessfseerdheolmecetproangiecalatlyhttthpr:o/u/gohttt.haersAuRsdSa.Tgeocvh/nology LSiebrrvaircye,.UWrSiDtAe,oBrelctasllviAllGeR,IMCDOL2A0,70N5a-t2i3o5n0a;l(A3g0r1i)cu5l0t4u-ral
PBehlotnsvei:lle(,30M1)D520047-0650-425351 TEKTRANInternetReports—Over25,000brief,easy- 6813.
FAX:[phone] to-readsummariesofthelatestresearchresultsthat Forfurtherinformationabouttechnologytransfer
http://www.nal.usda.gov.ttic havebeenpeer-reviewedandclearedbyForestService agreementswiththeForestService,writeorcall:
management(prepublicationnotices);about400new
TSeoucrhcneosloogfyInformationAboutNewForestService TfiRnAdiNngcsaanrebeadadcecdestsoedtheeledcattraobniacsaelleyacthhrmooungthht.heTEAKR-S JPaanteenttI.&SLtiocceknhsaiunsgePnrogram
Inadditiontocontactswithindividualscientists,pro- TechnologyTransferhomepageat USDAForestService
fessionalsocietymeetings,andprofessionaljournals, http://ott.arsusda.gov/ OneGiffordPinchotDr.
commercialfirmscanlearnmoied'ouJtForestService — Madison,WI53726-2398
researchfrom: CRIS(CurrentResearchInformationSystem) Phone:[phone]
Abstractsdescribingallongoing(andsomerecently Fax:[phone]
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Currentresearchpublicationsareissuedand NortheasternResearchStation RoclcyMountainResearchStation-Ft.Collins
distributedbyindividualForestServiceResearch 11CampusBlvd.,Suite200 NaturalResourcesResearchCenter
Satcacteisosnes.dtAhrloisutgohftahveaiUlSabDlAepFuobrleisctaSteirovniscecahnobmeepage NPheownteo:n(S6q10u)ar5e5,7-P4A01179703 2Fo1r5t0CCoelnlitnrse,ACvOen8u0e5,26B-u8i1l2d1ingA
athttp://www.fs.fed.us/Publicationsmayalsobe http://www.fs.fed.us/ne Phone:[phone]
requesteddirectlyfrom: http://www.fs.fed.us/rm
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