Q. What are some reasons that Lab researchers partner with industry?

There are many reasons! Of course, our mission is “creating science solutions for the world.” For translational research, partnering with industry ensures that our research does not stray too far from what is feasible. A lot of our applied research can benefit from this real-world input, including research on microelectronics, quantum technology, energy storage and efficiency, industrial materials and polymers, and biosynthesis, among others.

Collaborations with industry can speed up research in rapidly advancing fields like quantum information science and technology. For example, the Advanced Quantum Testbed (AQT) offers access to an advanced superconducting platform for full-stack quantum computing to academics, national labs, and industry, exploring and testing algorithms, simulations, hardware control, software, and quantum processor designs. AQT Director Irfan Siddiqi, together with researchers Akel Hashim, Ravi Naik, John Mark Kreikebaum (now at Google Quantum AI), and David Santiago from the Applied Mathematics and Computational Research Division, teamed up with the Chicago-based startup Super.tech (acquired by Infleqtion). Their collaboration resulted in the addition of more pathways to implement quantum algorithms using gate-based quantum computing, as well as an improvement of up to 88% in the performance accuracy of Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA). The experimental data from this partnership was published in July 2022 in Physical Review Research.

Funding is another reason. Many Lab researchers seek industry partnerships because it helps build credibility with research sponsors and other stakeholders. Some researchers can even access additional research funding through the federal SBIR-STTR programs (SBIR stands for Small Business Innovation Research and STTR stands for Small Business Technology Transfer), which require collaboration with an industry partner. For example, Molecular Foundry scientist Brett Helms and Sepion co-founder Peter Frischmann received a $150,000 grant in 2016, followed by a $1,000,000 grant in 2017 (the second grant included Argonne National Lab) from SBIR-STTR for research to develop a prototype of their advanced polymer separator technology for lithium batteries. Sepion, in partnership with 24M, also received two grants from ARPA-E to integrate its separators with technology initially developed in the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR), the DOE energy storage Hub. This early-stage funding was critical in the development of the technology and the startup; today Sepion has a 25,000 square foot pilot-scale facility in Alameda, and plans to build another lithium-ion battery separator manufacturing facility in Sacramento.

Partnerships often lead to a synergistic combination of resources and expertise. Dawn Chiniquy, a research scientist in the Biosciences Area, is collaborating with NewLeaf Symbiotics, an agricultural biotech company that develops products containing Pink Pigmented Facultative Methylotroph (PPFM) microbes. These microbes could serve as replacements for chemical fertilizers by promoting plant growth, as well as potentially reducing methane emissions. Dawn and NewLeaf are working together to study the use of these PPFMs in rice crops, utilizing the fabricated ecosystems (EcoFABs) developed in the Biosciences Area for controlled plant-microbe studies. The partnership enabled Dawn and her team to deliver quantifiable insights for these strains, which could make a major impact on rice production in the future.

Q. What are some types of partnerships?

There are various types of partnerships at the Lab. One type is called a Strategic Partnership Project (SPP). It used to be called “Work for Others,” and it enables Lab personnel to perform a defined scope of work funded by and on behalf of a non-DOE entity (including industry players) using the Lab’s unique facilities, equipment, and personnel.

CRADAs, short for Cooperative Research and Development Agreements, are another. They enable collaborative research by LBNL and one or more non-Federal parties. The partner or partners collaborate on the research and may also provide access to their facilities, equipment, intellectual property, and other resources.

Of course, our many national user facilities and other facilities and centers represent important ways for Lab researchers to work with industry. Access to national user facilities is facilitated by proprietary agreements (where users pay a fee to access the facility and own the data generated during research) or non-proprietary user agreements (where the data is non-confidential and expected to be published in open scientific literature). Access to other facilities and centers typically use SPPs or CRADAs.

Q. What are some tips for researchers to facilitate effective industry partnerships?

It takes time and effort to meet with potential industry partners. To make these interactions more fruitful, we have found that it is helpful to identify the collaboration sweet spot early. This could be achieved by developing the agenda together with the potential partner for a balanced exchange, developing ideas together for how a collaboration might actually be built, or jointly brainstorming specific research questions to solve for. SPO has a lot of experience with industry relationships; just reach out to me or complete our Partnership Intake Form if you’d like some support.

It is important to remember that working with industry means you should pay attention to intellectual property (IP) and business-sensitive information. This includes working with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) to generate non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and material transfer agreements (MTAs), as well as disclosing potential new inventions and software to IPO. Understanding how to protect the Lab’s IP is important; protected IP is more valuable to industry. IPO staff are available to help with NDAs, MTAs, and disclosures of inventions and software.

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