DOE program reviewers discuss new management approach

On March 22-24, 1994 the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Technology Development (OTD) held a mid-year program review for its Office of Technology Integration and Environmental Education Development (EM-52) in Washington, D.C. Approximately 80 attendees represented DOE headquarters, DOE laboratories, DOE contractors, the Environmental Protection Agency, universities, and private sector industries. The meeting reviewed issues related to the OTD new approach, the EM-52 program, technology transfer, and the environmental education programs.

Deputy Assistant Secretary for OTD, Clyde Frank, presented A New Approach to Environmental Research and Technology Development at the U.S. Department of Energy, Action Plan. This plan described a new way to manage DOE's environmental research and technology development activities. The goal is to conduct a research and technology development program focused on overcoming major obstacles in remediating DOE sites. The plan outlined the following major steps.

• Evaluate the current situation in environmental research and technology development;
• Focus all efforts on five major problem areas (see areas defined in Purdy interview) and the cross-cutting activities, such as characterization and robotics;
• Implement a new approach to address specific problems (multi-organizational team focusing on the major problem areas);
• Form essential partnerships by involving stakeholders more actively in planning, program formulation, and implementation of environmental research and technology development at the local level through site-specific advisory boards and solicit stakeholder participation in conjunction with the work of the management team in each focus area;
• Apply a method to track success of the environmental research and technology development programs;
• Review the five focus areas' organized teams' milestones.

The review focused on the past year's accomplishments which included the following.

• Technology transfer of two companies from Idaho National Engineering Laboratory's Center for Applied Development of Environmental Technologies in the area of solvent substitution and rapid geophysical survey.
• Fourteen commercial licenses for using horizontal well technology.
• An introductory course for EM-50 program managers in transferring EM's technologies available soon.
• Biocube Biofilter technology transfer—nine months from cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) to product and recipient of an R&D award (see story in premier issue of Initiatives).
• ProTech, a stakeholder computer communication software describing innovative technologies with baseline technologies (see Initiatives story ).
• Fiscal year 1993 technology catalogue featuring 43 successfully demonstrated field technologies sufficiently mature to be used in the near-term.
• Toll free number (1-800-845-2096) for DOE environmental technology development activities, procurement information, and cooperative research information. Receives approximately 150 calls per month.
• Second edition Guide to Technology Development Business Opportunities.
• Stakeholder Participation Model: Technology Regulatory Integration Plan/Model process report completed 01/94.
• Co-funded projects with other federal agencies, industry or universities including 31 CRADAS, industrial contracts with 18.2% cost share, and 45% EM-50 funding to external DOE sources.
• Developed intellectual property rights video to inform and protect patent owners and determine which entity owns the property rights. For information on obtaining this video call 1-800-845-2096.
• South Carolina Universities Research and Education Foundation developed and released three 30-minute Innovative Technologies videos with Turner Broadcast System showcasing technologies on Public Broadcasting System.
• Current activities within the EM-52 program include the following.
• Assignment of personnel to implement technology transfer: domestic, Joe Paladino; international, David Geiser.
• Developing a commercial strategy and technology transfer plan to be included in technical task plans (TTP) before funding.
• Aligning EM-52 technology transfer mechanisms with Technology Development Programs, e.g., assisted development of a commercial strategy for the Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration program.
• Publishing a commercialization guide.
• Developing a database to track the success of programs in meeting their objectives.
• Developing small business program.
• Developing partnerships with other agencies, e.g., EPA, Department of Defense, and the Western Governors Association.
• Assisting stakeholders, sites, remediation contractors and regulators with liability and indemnification issues.
• Simplifying contracting language and terms in Research Opportunity Announcements, Program Research & Development Announcements, CRADAs, and other funding arrangements.
• Conducting joint industrial information exchange meeting with the Office of Environmental Restoration and OTD.
• Incorporating set of criteria into TTPs for technology transfer criteria.
• Advising universities and community colleges on DOE technology transfer infrastructure.
• Assessing technologies for commercialization.