David McFeeters-Krone has been exemplary in his service to the FLC over the past three years. During this time he has introduced firms to FLC laboratories and other federal facilities from coast to coast, including closed deals at Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center – San Diego, Naval Medical Research Center, Naval Medical Center – San Diego, Rome Labs, Naval Undersea Warfare Center, and the Air Force Academy; as well as several other metrics counted by the Department of Defense (DOD) Office of Technology Transfer and Department of Homeland Security. These agreements have spanned many technical disciplines, including alternative energy, medical devices, robotic power systems, and simulation software.

McFeeters-Krone has been a staunch advocate of the advantages of partnering with the FLC. He was passionate about selecting Portland as the location for the 2007 FLC annual meeting as a way to introduce the Portland metro area to the federal laboratory system. On his own time he contacted nearly all of the major professional organizations in the tri-county area to gather as much publicity as possible for an industry-focused event designed to spur FLC interactions. He also presented and moderated two sessions at the meeting. The final session attracted over 60 local attendees, including representatives for Senator Ron Wyden and Congressmen David Wu and Earl Blumenauer. Since Portland, McFeeters-Krone has institutionalized the concept of an industry day at the FLC annual meeting, which has provided a forum for business (mostly local) to learn about the FLC, introduced Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA) representatives from around the country, and reviewed award-winning technology posters.

McFeeters-Krone continues to seek innovative ways to help private clients while serving the laboratories’ missions. Last year he kicked off a fundraising effort for FedLab Investment Partners, a seed fund that seeks federally funded innovations and advances them with an eye to acquisition. In addition, he also sought and received funding for two new Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) focused programs. The first stemmed from his recognition that some of the best federal laboratory assets may be facilities and capabilities rather than patents. He will be working with the Naval Surface Warfare Center to review previous revenue-yielding CRADAs to remarket these capabilities to industry. The second is an extension of his work with the DOD Partnership intermediary network. Dubbed CRADA Harbor Pilot, this program connects new potential CRADA partners with McFeeters-Krone, with him helping the process to completion.