Welcome back to The Pulse! As a reminder: The Pulse is your monthly guide to exciting technology transfer opportunities from federal labs. The innovations we share here are available now for your business to license and use as you develop new products and services.
Today, we're exploring patent license agreements, several impressive inventions from Navy researchers, and how tech transfer has served as the backbone of so many long-standing inventions.
A patent license agreement is your ticket to new product development. Here's how:
Army, Air Force, and Navy laboratories, as well as health care researchers at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, are regularly performing research that leads to novel inventions with military and commercial value.
Once those inventions are protected, they're available for businesses to license. By securing rights to a patent from a federal laboratory, you can manufacture or use their invention in your products. Often, you'll also receive supporting materials, such as software code, drawings, test and trials data, use cases, prototypes, and even access to the technology's inventors.
Others who don't have a license don't have that access. Patent license agreements are a fast-track to getting products out into the world that help improve your customers' lives.
Did you know the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is a leading force in researching and developing glioblastoma treatments? Only 10% of people diagnosed with the cancer survive after five years, with the average survival time lasting only about 15 to 18 months.
The VA is looking for commercial partners for three recent discoveries:
If you've ever jumped into a body of frigid water, you know what a shock to the system it can be. Severe cold is a risk for divers. Inadequate thermal protection can raise the risks of hypothermia, decompression sickness, and central nervous system oxygen toxicity, all of which can be fatal.
Navy researchers are working to address these risks and have already developed a diver hood prototype out of a material called DEEP (Diver Extreme Environmental Prototype). DEEP has outperformed foam neoprene by up to five times in tests of thermal resistance and is three times more stretchy, giving wearers superior fit, comfort, and mobility.
The Navy is now looking to build an entire DEEP wetsuit. They need support from an industry partner to help develop this suit, ideally a company with experience in technical garment manufacturing or advanced textile integration who is ready to move quickly. Does this sound like you? Dive into more details below.
The Navy previously patented a combination LED and sensor that marks when military or police forces have cleared a room and alerts when a potentially hostile person has entered a cleared area.
Now, the Navy has a second related patent to help transport, power, and deploy the LED and sensor technology.
These devices are smaller, more lightweight, and more impactful than colored chemical light sticks, which are commonly used today.
With the help of technology transfer, businesses can take this R&D work and integrate it into their own products and services. Click below to see if your company is the perfect fit.
U.S. businesses have the unique opportunity to license and commercialize inventions developed in federal labs. Companies can bring world-changing technologies from government scientists and engineers into the marketplace. That creates jobs, stimulates the economy, and supports national security.
This process is known as technology transfer. It's behind many classic American products, including GPS, memory foam, the internet, cochlear implants, ultra-high-performance concrete, and so much more.
We've got plenty of great stories of lab research moving into real world impact. Click below to see successful license agreements—and find your next opportunity.
You may have heard Mark Zuckerberg and Meta are working on mixed reality headsets to help the warfighter with drone detection and enhanced hearing and vision.
Did you know the DOD is already working on VR, AR, and MR solutions to help troops better prepare for the battlefield, monitor human performance, and receive critical real-time alerts—all without distracting from the mission?
