LOS ALAMOS, N.M., August 1, 2013—With the launch of a new “Express Licensing” program, access to innovative technology invented at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has gotten easier. The new licensing alternative was announced today by David Pesiri, director of LANL’s Technology Transfer Division.

“The Express License program offers an additional licensing resource for local entrepreneurs as well as national collaborators,” Pesiri said. “Our licensing and software teams have worked very hard to offer this specialized model for those wanting to quickly license Los Alamos technology.”

The Express Licensing program at LANL is the first of several new initiatives under development by the Technology Transfer Division (TT) at Los Alamos that should streamline access to LANL innovations by potential partners and customers.

This sequence shows the formation of nanoFOAM technology developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory. NanoFOAMs are self-supporting nanoporous metal foams that have potential applications in oil-refining processes, filtration of liquid or airborne germs, rocket fuels or catalytic production of a range of products from ammonia to plastics. NanoFOAM is just one of many licensable technologies available at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Images courtesy of Los Alamos National Laboratory

“The primary goal of our first new commercialization initiative, the Express Licensing program, is to provide easy access to Los Alamos technologies and expedite the licensing process,” said Laura Barber, licensing manager at LANL. “This program will provide an accelerated, streamlined process for non-exclusive licensing of patents and software at LANL, with favorable, pre-established terms that eliminate time-consuming negotiations. Many of the software packages are freely available as either executable downloads or open-source software and may be accessed online with the click of a mouse.”

“By making access to LANL technologies faster, easier and more valuable to our partners, this initiative moves us closer to our broader goal of getting Los Alamos innovations into the hands of the experts in the marketplace and elsewhere who can make an impact,” Pesiri said.

How to Use Express Licensing at Los Alamos

For more information regarding the Express Licensing program, how it works and the list of Available Technologies, please visit the LANL Technology Transfer website. Although preference goes to U.S. companies and there is a requirement for substantial manufacturing of licensed products and methods within the U.S., LANL is not precluded from working with foreign entities.

Pilot Program Underway

The first pilot program of 20 issued patents and 15 software packages offered through the Express Licensing program are also available through new partnerships established by LANL with online intellectual property clearinghouses, such as Flintbox and AutoHarvest, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Innovation Portal.

The Energy Innovation Portal is a one-stop resource for Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) technologies. This application enables users to locate technologies developed with DOE funding that are available for licensing.

In addition to patents, potential licensees may also access a wealth of copyright-protected software developed at LANL through our website, as well as GitHub.com for LANL’s open-source software offerings.