INNOVATION
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ew Reports of Invention and New Software Disclosures
kick off a significant and coordinated effort by IPO
to move Berkeley Lab technologies out of the lab
and into the hands of a society seeking innovation.
A technology commercialization associate (TCA) and patent
attorney assess disclosures, with input from the inventors/
developers, for patentability and commercial potential. If a
patent application is filed, the TCA seeks out likely markets and
industry partners for the invention. The TCA can also suggest
developments to prove commercial potential and training in
customer discovery through programs such as the National
Science Foundation’s I-Corps™ or DOE’s Energy I-Corps
(formerly Lab-Corps).
hen Berkeley Lab Molecular Foundry researchers co-invented hydrogen storage and thermo-
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electric technologies with scientists from other institutions, IPO’s Energy, Physical and Environmental
Sciences Area team developed inter-institutional agreements to protect Berkeley Lab’s right to
license the clean energy inventions so they could one day be developed to benefit society.
Believing current industry standards inadequate for the long-term market, Joint BioEnergy Institute
(JBEI) researchers have proposed using ionic liquids (ILs) for breaking down plant-based biomass to
create green fuels and chemicals. Although met with skepticism due to the high cost of ILs, the IPO
Biosciences Team protected the intellectual property in JBEI’s ever-expanding portfolio