From Bench to Mission: Designing Internal Innovation Programs in Federal Labs

In many federal labs, groundbreaking research often stops short of realizing its full mission or commercial potential. Internal innovation and intrapreneurship programs bridge this gap by equipping scientists and engineers with the tools, context, and confidence to engage markets and partners directly.  

This session explores proven models for designing and scaling innovation programs that empower researchers, improve technology transfer outcomes, and strengthen mission alignment. Drawing from FedTech’s experience leading intrapreneurship and commercialization accelerators across defense and civilian agencies, participants will gain a framework to build impactful, sustainable programs that shift lab culture toward innovation and engagement.  

Participants will leave with:  

1. A roadmap to design and implement lab innovation programs  

2. Templates and examples for researcher engagement frameworks  

3. Lessons from federal labs that have launched successful intrapreneurship initiatives  

4. Practical guidance on aligning innovation efforts with lab missions 

Anne Marie Lyons, Technology Transfer Specialist, FedTech

Anne Marie Lyons is a Technology Transfer Specialist on FedTech’s Technology and Commercialization Strategy Team, where she works with federal agencies, universities, and industry partners to identify promising technologies and connect them with high-potential commercialization opportunities.

She brings more than 20 years of experience in technology transfer and business development across the pharmaceutical industry, private technology transfer firms, and the NIH and NIAID Technology Transfer Office. Her career has focused on moving scientific and engineering innovations from research environments into real-world applications through licensing, partnerships, and venture development.

Anne Marie holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from West Chester University of Pennsylvania.

Anh-Dung Le, Technology and Venture Consultant, FedTech

Anh-Dung Le is a Technology and Venture Consultant at FedTech, where he supports technology scouting, IP evaluation, and partnership development across federal laboratories and research institutions. He works with lab researchers, startups, and corporate partners to identify high-potential technologies and translate them into viable commercialization pathways.

His background spans federal technology transfer, regulatory science, and venture formation. As an FDA ORISE Postdoctoral Fellow, he conducted pharmacokinetic modeling and supported regulatory pathways for biosimilar and therapeutic protein approvals. At Sandia National Laboratories, he worked on IP portfolio development, licensing strategies, and patent landscape analysis. He has also founded companies in biotechnology and bioinformatics.

Anh-Dung holds a Ph.D. in Nanoscience and Microsystems Engineering from the University of New Mexico, bringing deep technical and regulatory expertise to the commercialization of emerging technologies.