Manufacturers across the U.S. are contending with tariffs, tax changes and supply chain disruptions. Input costs remain unpredictable. And while companies rethink their operations and margins, they’re also being forced to rethink how they innovate.
Companies are learning that collaboration can lead to faster and more successful research and development outcomes. In fact, many overlook one of the most practical tools available to them: federal R&D, a powerful pipeline of breakthrough, patent-protected, demonstrated inventions ready for companies to transform into commercial solutions.
Through an activity called technology transfer, manufacturers can commercially advance inventions developed in U.S. government labs. These technologies are developed with government needs in mind, but many discoveries are directly applicable to commercial problems. In a moment where speed and cost control matter more than ever, technology transfer deserves serious consideration.
A Shortcut to Innovate in an Uncertain Market
The federal government invests heavily in R&D, employing world class scientists and engineers to create new technologies, capabilities and scientific breakthroughs. Technology transfer allows innovations developed in government labs to move into the hands of businesses.
Technology transfer represents a lower-risk path to market that is attractive for many companies because it helps them avoid betting on untested ideas and refocuses efforts where it matters most – towards product development. Companies can leverage existing R&D data and knowledge through technology transfer, resulting in faster retrofits, improved logistics, smarter automation and entirely new offerings without the uncertainty of starting from scratch.
Technology transfer was established by Congress in the 1980s to ensure publicly funded research produces measurable returns for the nation. Since then, federal labs, universities and research centers across the country have collaborated with companies to move thousands of technologies from the lab to the market. Within the U.S. Department of Defense alone, license agreements have generated an estimated $69 billion to the national economy from 2000-2021.
Federal labs regularly address the same technical challenges industry does. Their research isn’t theoretical; in fact, it’s often tied to the exact problems manufacturers face on the ground.
The government funds research and development. Manufacturers license the resulting inventions, use them to solve existing commercial problems, and benefit from the outcome.
As associate director at TechLink, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) primary technology transfer partner, I’ve seen firsthand how these inventions create real-world advantages for companies ready to act.
Technology Transfer in Practice
To understand how technology transfer works in the real world, consider how manufacturers have used it to bring new products to market.
Enzinc, a battery technology startup, licensed a zinc-based “3D sponge” anode from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. The sponge’s design enables rechargeable zinc batteries that are safer and less costly than lithium-ion alternatives.
The license gave Enzinc a scientific foundation strong enough to attract commercial interest and investment. With exclusive rights across applications like electric vehicles and microgrids, the company has built a U.S.-based anode manufacturing facility. For Enzinc, technology transfer opened a path to scale quickly in a market where safety and affordability are critical.
Concrete supplier Cor-Tuf used technology transfer to sharpen its edge in a traditional materials category. The company licensed a high-performance concrete formulation from the U.S. Army, gaining access to a stronger, longer-lasting material ideal for military and civilian infrastructure projects alike.
The license helped Cor-Tuf move fast and stand out in the well-established construction materials market. With testing already completed by the Army, the company was able to de-risk development, differentiate its offering and secure commercial partnerships sooner than it otherwise could have.
necoTECH approached technology transfer as a platform for growth in both product development and public-sector engagement. By licensing an Army-designed asphalt patching system, the company expanded into new areas of pavement technology while also gaining traction with government buyers.
That license led to pilot deployments with the U.S. Air Force and opened doors to long-term collaboration with federal labs. For necoTECH, the advantage wasn’t just the technology, but the credibility and access that came with it.
Each of these companies had different goals. Enzinc needed a technical foundation to enter a high-stakes emerging market. Cor-Tuf sought a way to improve its competitiveness in an existing one. necoTECH used licensing to broaden its capabilities and strengthen its ties to federal buyers.
Technology transfer supported all three — not with a one-size-fits-all solution, but with tailored strategies, partnerships and technologies suited to address each organization’s specific goals.
How to Get Started
You don’t need prior experience to tap into federal technology transfer – just a clear view of a business or technical challenge and openness to an alternative path to develop new products. Here are steps to help your company unlock federally developed innovation:
- Explore the vast research and patented technologies from federal labs to align solutions to your R&D goals. Many federal developments apply across sectors, resulting in R&D of interest to manufacturers of all shapes and sizes. There are several resources that can be useful to get started. The Federal Laboratory Consortium enables federal labs and research centers to share opportunity listings. TechLink hosts a technology marketplace of developments and partnership opportunities with the DOD and VA.
- Seek guidance from technology transfer experts versed in licensing and integrated into federal labs’ technology transfer function. Choosing strategic partners in technology transfer ensures quick insights into the process and critical details like Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of an invention, inventor status and the licensing landscape. Understanding these important factors early can help your company navigate opportunities and derisk the earliest, most resource intensive stages of R&D.
- Be prepared to discuss your goals and commercialization capabilities. Companies pursuing commercial rights through licensing or a partnership through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) will be asked to demonstrate development plans and intended outcomes.
Whether exploring a new product offering or improving an existing one, these insights can help open new, efficient paths to innovation.
Technology transfer is a powerful, underutilized lever for growth hiding in plain sight. In times of uncertainty, successful companies will seize diverse strategies to reduce risk, accelerate innovation and unlock new markets. Looking to federal R&D for innovation inspiration can help companies move faster, spend less on development and bring new products and services to market.
There’s no shortage of technical talent or breakthrough ideas in the U.S. The key is knowing where to find them.
Austin Leach is the associate director of TechLink, the authorized technology transfer partnership intermediary for the U.S. Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs.