A Department of Energy-funded initiative involving Y-12 National Security Complex, Nevada National Security Site and Kansas City National Security Campus aims to create a new pathway for transferring niche technologies to smaller businesses that can support national security missions.
The two-year project, known as Bolstering Underutilized Industry by Leveraging Technology Transfer, or BUILTT, is funded through DOE’s Office of Technology Commercialization and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), according to the press release by Y-12 prime contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security. Project managers say the effort seeks to address a gap in the traditional technology transfer model, which has largely focused on moving federally developed technologies into broad commercial markets.
Daniel Riddick, Y-12’s Technology Transfer program manager, said the project will “flip the script” by partnering with businesses capable of scaling specialized technologies needed across the DOE complex rather than prioritizing technologies with large commercial markets.
Officials said the initiative will focus on niche, high-impact technologies, including advanced sensors, air-sampling systems and high-speed imaging applications. While such technologies can provide significant mission benefits, demand is often too limited to attract large commercial suppliers.
The project will be led by Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), with Matthew Fritz, manager of Technology Partnership and Intellectual Property at NNSS, serving as principal investigator. Program partners also include the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Office of Economic Development and the East Tennessee Economic Council, which will help identify businesses capable of manufacturing technologies for DOE sites.
A key feature of the pilot is the development of a “Cost Reduction License,” a new technology transfer mechanism intended to lower barriers to licensing and government contracting for smaller firms.Project leaders said the pilot is intended to create a scalable model that could eventually be adopted across DOE laboratories, production plants and other federal agencies.