OMB-OSTP budget memo underscores importance of T2 for nation's future

A Budget Priorities Memorandum issued August 14 by the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Science and Technology (S&T) Policy underscores the importance of commercializing federally funded research for the nation's future economic health.

The memo lists five research and development (R&D) budgetary priorities and four Priority Crosscutting Actions, or strategies for achieving those priorities with maximum return on investment. One of the strategic recommendations is to "facilitate multisector partnerships and technology transfer."

The memo notes:

* America's continued economic growth and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is strongly rooted in securing and reinforcing multisector partnerships in science and technology. The commercialization of federally-funded research and outcomes of lab to market strategies are substantially increased through partnership agreements, licensing, and successful startups. Departments and agencies should develop the skills and prioritize the resources to "improve transfer of federally-funded technologies from lab-to-market" by further advancing this objective of the President's Management Agenda (PMA) Cross-Agency Priority (CAP) Goal 14.

* Departments and agencies should consider initiatives to ease administrative and regulatory burdens for Federal technology transfer to increase private sector investment in research and development and innovative processes and services to support Industries of the Future. These industries include artificial intelligence, quantum information sciences, advanced communication networks, advanced manufacturing, and biotechnology. Additionally, effective partnering tools, resources and technology transfer mechanisms for departments and agencies should be developed, clarified, and released for public consumption to stakeholders. Departments and agencies should prioritize funding for cooperative projects that align organizational incentives and advance new external partnership opportunities through multisector engagement.

* Departments and agencies should facilitate increased interagency collaboration and transparency to strengthen coordination of existing and new partnerships that improve place-based and national-level collaboration for innovation economies. Those innovation economies include Opportunity Zones (areas struggling with high unemployment and low wages), underrepresented populations, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and minority serving institutions. The memo encourages multisector engagement that accelerates entrepreneurship and innovation to support the next generation of industry leaders.

Other Priority Crosscutting Actions in the memo include:

* Build the S&T workforce of the future

* Optimize research environments and results, and

* Leverage the power of data.

Read more: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/M-20-29.pdf

Learn more about the PMA Cross-Agency Partnership Goal: https://www.performance.gov/CAP/lab-to-market/