Staff Reports
NS&D Monitor
4/24/2015
Consolidated Nuclear Security is combining the technology-transfer functions at the Y-12 and Pantex nuclear weapons plants into a single organization. CNS took over management of the two plants under a single management contract, effective July 1, 2014. The contractor said the central office for technology transfer should stimulate growth in the overall program and help leverage resources at the two plants, even though they’re 1,000 miles apart in two states.
Jeremy Benton of the CNS technology commercialization and partnerships organization explained the rationale in a statement released by the contractor. “Although the core work at Pantex and Y?12 is centered on weapon components, the two plants also offer broadly different technologies that can be used in other environments. This provides new areas for potential intellectual property and an expansion of the patent portfolio, which, in turn, provides increased opportunity for partnerships with outside companies and organizations,” Benton said. Tom Berg, the technology transfer leader, said CNS is working on partnerships with universities in Texas that are similar to a memorandum of understanding that Y-12 recently signed with the University of Tennessee.