Technology Transfer

In September, around 300 attendees participated in the sixth annual Technology Showcase, a unique event that brings together entrepreneurs, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry representatives, development organizations, and scientists. Some attended from their laptops while others donned their business suits and enjoyed Caribbean-style food as they networked and listened to the presentations in person at the Frederick National Laboratory’s Advanced Technology Research Facility.

The National Cancer Institute and Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research will hold the annual Technology Showcase on Wednesday, Sept. 7 in a hybrid format to welcome in-person attendees as well as remote participants from around the United States and the world. The event is scheduled from noon to 5:30 pm ET at the FNL’s Advanced Technology Research Facility in Frederick, Md.

NCI and Frederick National Laboratory investigators make important scientific discoveries every day. Sometimes those discoveries lead to an invention. While competitive science can make it tempting to report the findings right away, that might not be the best idea. Instead, it’s time to talk with a technology transfer manager.

There are times where opportunities are not present in our environment, so sometimes it’s necessary to make them. Like the famous paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson said, “one must take initiative in life to achieve what he or she wants.” That is exactly what Laura Prestia, Ph.D., and her colleagues, Robert Sons, Ph.D., and Alan Alfano, Ph.D., did in 2016 when they started the Technology Transfer Ambassadors Program (TTAP).

They say two heads are better than one. Two detectives can close a case quicker, and twice the alarms means double the chance of making it to work on time. This is the exact logic that contractor Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (cCRADAs) embody.

Block off the afternoon of September 1, 2021, in your calendar because the Technology Showcase is returning for its fifth year. The event will be fully virtual and, as always, feature exciting biomedical technologies, panels on important topics for industry stakeholders, and various poster pitches. New this year is an increased focus on the patient’s voice.

The Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer recently awarded the Frederick National Laboratory and National Cancer Institute Technology Showcase a 2021 State and Local Economic Development Award. The FLC is a nationwide network of more than 300 federal laboratories, agencies, and research centers that promotes federal technology transfer.

The 2020 Technology Showcase welcomed more than 300 viewers for half a day of presentations and panels on technology commercialization and collaboration. The annual event once again highlighted the capabilities of the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, and greater Frederick region—but this year, with its novel virtual format, it reached new audiences.

A broadly based team from Frederick National Laboratory, NCI’s Technology Transfer Center, and NCI’s Office of Scientific Operations has been recognized with a 2020 NCI Director’s Award. The award, from the “Making an Impact” category, recognizes the team’s work to establish the annual Technology Showcase, an event that fosters scientific collaboration as well as licensing of NCI technologies.

The fourth annual Technology Showcase is making a big pivot this year, moving to an entirely virtual event on September 9, 2020. Although the move was made out of necessity, it also offers exciting new opportunities to reach more partners and licensees beyond Frederick, Md.