• Laboratory Representative of the Year - Given to an FLC Laboratory Representative or Alternate for significant contributions to technology transfer, outreach to communities, and/or outreach and assistance to other laboratory representatives.
• Outstanding Technology Development - Given to a laboratory and staff for a promising technology development to: solve problems; satisfy markets and consumers; create patents and awards; or any area related to the above. The technology does not have to be transferred to be eligible for nomination.
• Outstanding Partnership - Can be any entity that has been germane in a successful partnership working with federal laboratories and technology transfer in the region. Examples can be universities, state/local economic development organizations, SBDCs, and partnership intermediaries.
• Outstanding Commercialization Success - A technology transfer success story that has resulted in the commercialization of a laboratory technology. This includes licensing agreements and other mechanisms that have help to bring a laboratory technology to market and help create jobs and stimulate the economy.

Click on the link below to download the 2009 Award Submission Form.

For additional information contact Rick Shindell at our FLC Far West Support Office (360) 582-9106 or rick@zyn.com

2009 FLC Far West / Mid-Continent Regional Conference
The FLC Far West and Mid-Continent regions are holding their joint 2009 Fall meeting August 31 - September 2, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport Hotel, located minutes away from SFO in Burlingame, CA. The meeting site is perfectly located on San Francisco Bay between the excitement of downtown San Francisco and technology corridor of Silicon Valley.

This year the conference will focus on the changing federal landscapes in energy and high technology projects. Various Perspectives on these changes will be presented by DOE, DoD and NASA. We will also explore the challenges and opportunities brought about by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 and its effect on the FY-2010 R&D programs and budgets.

An in-depth discussion will take place on changes to the Federal Technology Landscape imposed by the new Administration and what these changes will mean to our federal laboratories and programs.

Tapping into the local resources of the of Silicon Valley, we will also present an agenda filled with Energy and High Technology topics.

There will also be updates on S&T Programs and Education will presented from SBIR to STEM, and from ARPA-E to TIP.

Complete details and registration is available on the conference web site at www.flc-fw.org/meeting

Far West National Labs looking for Potential ARPA-E Research Partners
The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) has released it's first ever "Recovery Act" Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0000065 (CFDA Number: 81.135) with an opening date for acceptance of concept papers of May 12, 2009 and a closing date June 2, 2009 (8:00p edt).

Many of the U.S. National Laboratories are interested in partnering with qualified companies and/or research institutions with expertise to address ARPA-E's FOA mission of to foster research and development (R&D) of transformational energy-related technologies. Transformational technologies are by definition technologies that disrupt the status quo. They are not merely better than current technologies, they are significantly better. Often, a technology is considered transformational when it so outperforms current approaches that it causes an industry to shift its technology base to the new technology. The Nation needs transformational energy-related technologies to overcome the threats posed by climate change and energy security, arising from its reliance on traditional uses of fossil fuels and the dominant use of oil in transportation.

For more information on ARPA-E and their Funding Opportunity Announcement, please visit their web site at arpa-e.energy.gov/keydocs.html.  For information about National Laboratories in the FLC Far West Region please call the Far West Support Office at 360-582-9106 or send email to info@flc-fw.org

Far West Laboratories Garner 7 National FLC Awards
The FLC Far West Regional Laboratories received a total of seven National FLC Awards including Laboratory Director of the Year award to Dr. S. Peter Worden from NASA Ames Research Laboratory, and Outstanding Technology Transfer Professional Award to Dr. Stephen Lieberman of he Naval SPAWAR Systems Center, San Diego. Dr. Lieberman is the former Far West Regional Coordinator and currently serves as the Deputy Coordinator.

For 2009 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory received top honors for the most awards earned by one lab (3).

Nominations will be opening in early June for the Far West Regional Awards which will be presented September 2, 2009 at the Far West Regional Meeting in San Francisco, August 31 - September 2, 2009.

LLNL Detection instrument can sniff out airborne terrorist threats
Security and law enforcement officials may some day have a new ally – a universal detection system that can monitor the air for virtually all of the major threat agents that could be used by terrorists.

This type of system is under development by a team of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and engineers, and has already been tested in laboratory and field experiments.

In their latest advance, the team has conceptually shown that they can almost simultaneously detect four potential threat materials – biological, chemical, explosives and radiological – along with illicit drugs.

Details are available on Livermore's web site at publicaffairs.llnl.gov/news/news_releases/2008/NR-08-06-05.html

FLC National Election Results
The FLC announced the results of its National Elections. J. Scott Deiter has been re-elected as FLC Chair. Theresa Baus has been elected as the new FLC Vice Chair, and will succeed Susan Spake who served two terms in that position. J. Susan Sprake was elected Mid-Continent Regional Coordinator and will succeed Mike Crane who chose not to run.

Navy's SSC San Diego Signs License for QwikLite 200^TM Technology
The Office of Research and Technology Applications (Navy SSC San Diego Technology Transfer Office), directed by Dr. Stephen Lieberman, announced the signing of an exclusive license with Assure Bioassay Controls, Incorporated, a Carlsbad Company specializing in the measurement and reporting of toxicity for civilian and military requirements. The new products from the company will use technology from Dr. Dave Lapota, Environmental Sciences and Applied Systems Branch (Code 2375), who invented the first laboratory instrument and patented the technique. [More...]

Spotlight on Available Technologies - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Berkeley Lab is seeking an industry partner(s) interested in licensing or collaboratively researching these technologies:

• Improved Procedure for Refolding Insoluble Proteins - Berkeley Lab researchers have developed an improved method for refolding insoluble proteins from inclusion bodies. This method is less time-consuming, does not require filtration or concentration, is compatible with a wide range of proteins, and is easily adaptable for high-throughput processing. The method is used in protein preparation for x-ray crystallography and NMR. [More...]

• Optimum Protein Solubility Screen - Sung-Hou Kim and colleagues at Berkeley Lab have developed a novel method that increases protein solubility. The method improves the success rate of both solubility and crystallization, critical steps in x-ray crystallography and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). [More...]

Berkeley Lab is a DOE national laboratory located in Berkeley, California. Their mission includes working with industry to commercialize Lab inventions. For information on other cutting edge biotechnology and medical technologies from Berkeley Lab, please visit their Technology Transfer web site at www.lbl.gov/tt

PNNL on Fast Track for Hydrogen Fuel Reformer
How do you “gas up” a hydrogen car? - Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are developing a system to rapidly produce hydrogen from gasoline in your car. “This brings fuel cell-powered cars one step closer to the mass market,” said Larry Pederson, project leader at PNNL. [ More... ]

Navy License Enhances Homeland Port Security and Protects Queen Mary 2
NFESC licenses and helps commercialize its Port Security System - The Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center (NFESC) at Port Hueneme, CA has licensed its Port Security Barrier technology to Harbor Offshore, Inc. (HOI), a Ventura CA based marine contractor. Less than two weeks after signing the licensing agreement, HOI had their first customer, Port Everglades, FL. [ More... ]

Navy CRADA Leads to Mini Refinery
From Used Cooking Oil to Biodiesel Fuel - More than 100 people attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Navy's first mini refinery that converts used restaurant oil into biodiesel fuel. "If successful, mini-refineries could begin popping up on Navy bases across the country to help the military meet tougher smog rules," said Kurt Buehler, project engineer at the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center (NFESC) in Port Hueneme, CA. Buehler presided over the October 30, 2003 dedication of the biodiesel refinery - the first ever to be located at a U.S. military installation. [ More... ]

NFESC Awards License for NoFoam Technology
The Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center has licensed their NoFoam technology to JR Thomas International Inc., of Ventura California. [ More... ]