Does promoting technology transfer detract from the Laboratorys basic research mission?
I think that technology transfer and basic research—the core mission of the Laboratory—can be mutually supportive. Without good, solid, basic scientific research, we cannot create technological advantage for America’s economy. Conversely, commercial application identifies and shapes basic research, because real-world problems quite often have to be addressed in the basic research phase. Q. Why have federal laboratories seemingly been slower to embrace technology transfer than other institutions, such as universities? There has been a cautious effort on the part of the Department to ensure that national laboratories do not unfairly compete with the private sector. What these laboratories do best is take on big problems that are too costly or too complex for the private sector to address. National laboratories should not develop a widget that is 5% better than the old widget. Rather, their focus should be on helping society deal with major problems. In this context, we arenow allowing la
