SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT

Department of Commerce, Annual Budget Proposal, FY 2007 

Annual Report on Technology Transfer: 

Approach and Plans, FY 2005 Activities and Achievements 

U.S. Department of Commerce 

Report prepared by: 

Office of Technology Policy, Technology Administration; 

National Institute of Standards and Technology, Technology Administration; 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; 

Institute for Telecommunication Sciences, National Telecommunications and Information 

Administration 

In response to the: 

Technology Transfer and Commercialization Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-404) 

February 2006 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 1 
Foreword. This is the calendar year 2006 edition of a report series summarizing the 

technology transfer activities and achievements of the Department of Commerce’s federal 

laboratories. This report responds to the statutory requirement for an annual “agency report on 

utilization” [15 U.S.C. Section 3710 (f)] under the revised federal-wide reporting process 

established by the Technology Transfer Commercialization Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-404). All 

federal agencies that direct one or more federal laboratories or conduct other activities under 

Section 207 and 209 of Title 35, United States Code are subject to the requirements of this 

statute. 

At the Department of Commerce, technology transfer is a part of the mission and program 

activities of principally the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Technology 

Administration), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Institute for 

Telecommunication Sciences (National Telecommunications and Information Administration). 

Accordingly, this report focuses on the activities of these three departmental agencies. 

Each of the major sections of this report is organized to summarize the agency’s technology 

transfer approaches and plans and to provide specific information about the activities and 

accomplishments for FY 2005 and several earlier comparative years. The report begins with a 

summary of this information for the Department of Commerce as a whole. 

__________ 

This report has been organized and prepared by the Office of Technology Policy (Technology 

Administration), along with the joint participation of technology transfer personnel at the 

National Institute of Standards and Technology (Technology Administration), the National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences 

(National Telecommunications and Information Administration). 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 2 
Table of Contents 

I. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OVERVIEW...................................................................... 4 

■ Summary of Technology Transfer Activities and Achievements across the Department, FY 

2005 and Recent Years ............................................................................................................... 6 

II. TECHNOLOGY ADMINISTRATION -- NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND 

TECHNOLOGY ........................................................................................................................... 20 

1. Agency Approach and Plans for Technology Transfer......................................................... 20 

2. Performance in FY 2005: Activities and Achievements....................................................... 24 

Appendix................................................................................................................................... 40 

III. NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION............................... 41 

1. Agency Approach and Plans for Technology Transfer......................................................... 41 

2. Performance in FY 2005: Activities and Achievements....................................................... 43 

Appendix................................................................................................................................... 56 

IV. NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION -- 

INSTITUTE FOR TELECOMMUNICATION SCIENCES........................................................ 57 

I. Agency Approach and Plans for Technology Transfer ......................................................... 57 

II. Performance in FY 2005: Activities and Achievements...................................................... 59 

Appendix:.................................................................................................................................. 65 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 3 
I. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OVERVIEW 

Technology Transfer by the Department’s Federal Laboratories – Summary of 

Approaches and FY 2005 Activities/Achievements 

The Department of Commerce works in partnership with businesses, universities, communities, 

and workers to promote innovation and the Nation’s overall competitiveness in the global 

economy. The Department pursues this objective through a host of policy and program activities 

directed at strengthening the nation’s economic infrastructure, facilitating the development of 

cutting-edge science and technology, providing an information base, and managing national 

resources. 

At the Department, research and development (R&D) in numerous areas of contemporary 

science and technology is conducted at the federal laboratories of the Technology Administration 

(the National Institute of Standards and Technology -- NIST), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (various lab facilities across NOAA’s bureaus), and the National 

Telecommunications and Information Administration (Institute for Telecommunication Research 

– ITS). Technology transfer is a key part of the program activities at each of these agencies’ 

federal lab systems.1 

■ Agency Missions and Channels for Technology Transfer 

Mission Tech Transfer 

Technology Administration – National Institute of Standards 

and Technology 

NIST’s mission is to develop and promote measurement, 

standards, and technology to enhance productivity, facilitate 

trade, and improve the quality of life. NIST laboratories develop 

and disseminate measurement techniques, reference data, test 

methods, standards, and other infrastructural technologies and 

services that support U.S. industry, scientific research, and the 

activities of many federal agencies. In carrying out its mission, 

NIST works directly with industry partners (and consortia), 

universities, associations, and other government agencies. 

▪ The general focus of NIST’s technology 

transfer activities is the broad dissemination 

of research results to industry, rather than just 

the creation of patents and associated licenses. 

Accordingly, NIST draws on a diverse group 

of mechanisms to transfer the knowledge and 

technologies that result from its laboratory 

research. 

▪ Principal tech transfer mechanisms: 

CRADAs, 

Patents and licenses, 

Technical publications, 

Standard Reference Materials, 

Standard Reference Data, 

Calibration services, 

Documentary standards 

Conferences, workshops, and inquiries 

Guest researchers and facilities users. 

 

1

 In reviewing the technology transfer plans and activity statistics provided by this report, it is important to recognize 

there are significant differences among the three agencies in the level of resources available to support R&D 

activities. For NIST, budget authority for R&D (including conduct of R&D and R&D facilities) in FY 2005 totaled 

an estimated $446 million. For NOAA, the corresponding figure for R&D budget authority in FY 2005 is $574 

million. For ITS, the corresponding FY 2005 figure is $6 million. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 4 
Mission Tech Transfer 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the 

Earth’s environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine 

resources to meet the Nation’s economic, social, and 

environmental needs. This mission will become ever more critical 

in the 21st century as national needs intensify concerning climate 

change, freshwater supply, ecosystem management, and 

homeland security. 

▪ NOAA’s broad approach to tech transfer 

involves direct transfer, licensing intellectual 

property, and cooperative research 

relationships with industry. NOAA works 

with each of its laboratories based on its 

ability to provide the necessary resources. 

▪ Principal tech transfer mechanisms: 

Public dissemination 

CRADAs, 

Patents and licenses 

National Telecommunications and Information 

Administration -- Institute for Telecommunication Sciences 

NTIA’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) supports 

agency telecommunications objectives such as promoting 

advanced telecommunications and information infrastructure 

development in the United States, enhancing domestic 

competitiveness, improving foreign trade opportunities for U.S. 

telecommunications firms, and facilitating more efficient and 

effective use of the radio spectrum. ITS also serves as a principal 

federal resource for solving the telecommunications concerns of 

other federal agencies, state and local governments, private 

corporations and associations, and international organizations. 

 

▪ ITS participates in tech transfer and 

commercialization by fostering cooperative 

research with industry where benefits can 

directly facilitate U.S. competitiveness and 

market opportunities. 

▪ Principal tech transfer mechanisms: 

CRADAs, 

Patents and licenses, 

Telecommunications analysis services. 

Technical publications, 

Development of telecommunications 

standards. 

For a more detailed discussion, see the initial section of each of the agency chapters below. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 5 
■ Summary of Technology Transfer Activities and Achievements across the 

Department, FY 2005 and Recent Years 

Selected Activity Measures 

Collaborative Relationships for Research & Development 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● CRADAs, total active in the FY (1)

Department 190 141 92 67 80 

 NIST 174 125 76 51 65 

 NOAA 8 8 11 9 8 

▪ Traditional CRADAs (2)

 ITS 6 6 5 7 7 

Department 59 1,744 1,811 1,902 1,826 

 NIST 0 1,687 1,577 1,590 1,553 

 NOAA 0 0 0 0 0 

▪ Non-traditional CRADAs (3)

 ITS 59 57 234 312 273 

● Other types of collaborative R&D relationships (4)

▪ Facility use agreements NIST 372 391 511 590 588 

▪ Guest scientists and engineers NIST 1,200 1,300 1,300 1,700 2,115 

▪ Collaborative standards contributions ITS 3 3 2 11 11 

CRADA = Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. 

(1) “Active” = legally in force at any time during the FY. “Total active” is comprehensive of all agreements 

executed under CRADA authority (15 USC 3710a). 

(2) CRADAs involving collaborative research and development by a federal laboratory and non-federal partners. 

(3) CRADAs used for special purposes -- such as, material transfer or technical assistance that may result in 

protected information. 

(4) For details on these types of R&D relationships see the respective agency’s chapter later in this report. 

Invention Disclosure and Patenting 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

Department 26 17 21 25 23 

 NIST 24 16 16 23 19 

 NOAA 1 1 5 2 3 

● New inventions disclosed in the FY (1)

 ITS 1 0 0 0 1 

● Patent applications filed in the FY Department 12 12 5 8 6 (2)

 NIST 9 11 5 8 5 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 6 
FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY FY 

2004 2005

 NOAA 3 0 0 0 1 

 ITS 0 1 0 0 0 

Department 21 20 9 11 10 

 NIST 20 15 7 10 9 

 NOAA 1 5 1 1 1 

● Patents issued in the FY 

 ITS 0 0 0 0 0 

(1) Inventions arising at the federal lab. 

(2) Tally includes U.S. patent applications, foreign patent applications filed on cases for which no U.S. application 

was filed, divisional applications, and continuation-in-part applications. Excludes provisional, continuation, 

duplicate foreign, and Paris Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications. 

Licensing -- Profile of Active Licenses 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

All licenses, number total active in FY (1) Department 40 41 101 125 133 

▪ Invention licenses, total active in FY Department 40 41 101 125 133 

Department 40 41 101 125 133 

 NIST 36 35 39 22 26 

 NOAA 2 3 5 5 4 

 - Patent licenses (2) 

 ITS 2 3 57 3 3 

 - Material transfer licenses (inventions) 0 0 0 0 0 

Department 0 0 0 95 100 

 NIST 0 0 

 NOAA 0 0 

 - Other invention licenses 

 ITS 95 100 

▪ Other IP licenses, total active in FY Department 0 0 0 0 0 

 - Copyright licenses (fee bearing) 

 - Material transfer licenses (non-inventions) 

 - Other 

Multiple inventions in a single license are counted as one license. Licenses that include both patents and copyrights 

(hybrid licenses) are reported as patent licenses -- and not included in the count of copyright licenses. 

(1) “Active” = legally in force at any time during the FY. 

(2) Patent license tally includes patent applications which are licensed. 

Note: For simplicity, sub-departmental detail is suppressed in this table, where the appropriate disaggregated figures 

are straightforwardly evident from data listed in other rows. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 7 
Licensing Management 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● Elapsed execution time, (1) licenses granted in the FY 

 NIST 4.8 5.4 3.4 ** 1.0 

 NOAA 6.0 8.0 5.0   

▪ Invention licenses, average, months 

 ITS **  5.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 

● Licenses terminated for cause, number in the FY 

 NIST 7 3 1 0 1 

 NOAA 0 0 0 0 0 

▪ Invention licenses

 ITS 0 0 0 0 0 

** New licenses not executed in the FY 

For additional statistics on these metrics see the corresponding table the later agency chapters of this report. 

(1) Date of license application to the date of license execution. (Date of license application is the date the lab 

formally acknowledges the written request for a license from a prospective licensee and agrees to enter into 

negotiations.) 

Characteristics of Licenses Bearing Income 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● All income bearing licenses, number Department 22 39 37 23 25 

▪ Invention licenses, income bearing Department 22 39 37 23 25 

Department 22 39 37 23 25 

 NIST 19 33 29 15 17 

 NOAA 2 3 5 5 4 

 - Patent licenses (1) 

 ITS 1 3 3 3 4 

Department 13/5/4 19/2/18 20/0/17 11/0/12 12/0/13 

 NIST 12/5/2 18/2/13 19/0/10 10/0/5 11/0/6 

 NOAA 1/0/1 1/0/2 1/0/4 1/0/4 1/0/3 

 ▫ Exclusive/partially exclusive/ 

 non-exclusive 

 ITS 0/0/1 0/0/3 0/0/3 0/0/3 0/0/4 

▪ Other IP licenses, income bearing 0 0 0 0 0 

● All royalty bearing licenses, (2) number 22 36 34 23 25 

▪ Invention licenses, royalty bearing 22 36 34 23 25 

Department 22 36 34 23 25 

 NIST 19 33 29 15 17 

 NOAA 2 3 5 5 4 

 - Patent licenses (1)

 ITS 1 0 0 3 4 

▪ Other IP licenses, royalty bearing 0 0 0 0 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 8 
(1) Patent license tally includes patent applications which are licensed. 

(2) Note that royalties are one component of total license income. 

Note: For simplicity, sub-departmental detail is suppressed in this table, where the appropriate disaggregated figures 

are straightforwardly evident from data listed in other rows. 

Income from Licensing 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● Total income, all licenses active in FY (1) $268,568 $164,622 $127,566 $203,289 $146,660 

▪ Invention licenses $268,568 $164,622 $127,566 $203,289 $146,660 

Department $268,568 $164,622 $127,566 $203,289 $146,660 

 NIST $261,968 $89,750 $122,850 $144,828 $123,348 

 NOAA $1,600 $9,402 $4,716 $24,961 $16,100 

 - Patent licenses (2)

 ITS $5,000 $65,470 $0 $33,500 $7,212 

▪ Other IP licenses, total active in the FY $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 

● Total Earned Royalty Income (3) $263,568 $99,152 $127,566 $169,789 $139,448 

▪ Invention licenses $263,568 $99,152 $127,566 $169,789 $139,448 

Department $263,568 $99,152 $127,566 $169,789 $139,448 

 NIST $261,968 $89,750 $122,850 $144,828 $123,348 

 NOAA $1,600 $9,402 $4,716 $24,961 $16,100 

 - Patent licenses (2)

 ITS $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 

▪ Other IP licenses, total active in the FY $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 

(1) Total income includes license issue fees, earned royalties, minimum annual royalties, paid-up license fees, and 

reimbursement for full-cost recovery of goods and services provided by the lab to the licensee including patent 

costs. 

(2) Patent license tally includes patent applications which are licensed. 

(3) “Earned royalty” = royalty based upon use of a licensed invention (usually, a percentage of sales or of units 

sold). Not a license issue fee or a minimum royalty. 

Note: For simplicity, sub-departmental detail is suppressed in this table, where the appropriate disaggregated figures 

are straightforwardly evident from data listed in other rows. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 9 
Disposition of License Income 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● Income distributed (1)

Department $268,568 $164,622 $127,566 $203,289 $146,660 

 NIST $261,968 $89,750 $122,850 $144,828 $123,348 

 NOAA $1,600 $9,402 $4,716 $24,961 $16,100 

▪ Invention licenses 

 ITS $5,000 $65,470 $0 $33,500 $7,212 

Department $106,440

(40%) 

$67,387

(41%) 

$52,903 

(41%) 

$83,654

(41%) 

$60,112

(41%) 

 NIST $102,040

(39%) 

$45,650

(51%) 

$51,773 

(42%) 

$54,134

(37%) 

$48,148

(39%) 

 NOAA $1,500

(94%) 

$696

(7%) 

$1,130 

(24%) 

$11,070

(44%) 

$8,400

(52%) 

 - To inventor(s) 

 ITS $2,900

(58%) 

$21,041

(32%) 

$0 

(0%) 

$18,450

(55%) 

$3,564

(49%) 

Department $162,128

(60%) 

$97,235

(59%) 

$74,662 

(59%) 

$119,635

(59%) 

$86,547

(59%) 

 NIST $159,928

(61%) 

$44,100

(49%) 

$71,076 

(58%) 

$90,694

(63%) 

$75,199

(61%) 

 NOAA $100

(6%) 

$8,706

(93%) 

$3,586 

(76%) 

$13,891

(56%) 

$7,700

(48%) 

 - To other (2)

 ITS $2,100

(42%) 

$44,429

(68%) 

$0 

(0%) 

$15,050

(45%) 

$3,648

(51%) 

Invention licenses are the chief policy interest regarding disposition of income; content of table reflects this focus. 

(1) Income includes royalties and other payments received during the FY. 

(2) To internal purposes, in the case of each agency. 

Other Important Mechanisms for Technology and Knowledge Transfer (1)

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) available NIST 1,335 1,353 1,214 1,211 1,246 

Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) sold NIST 31,985 30,996 29,527 30,490 32,163 

Standard Reference Data (SRD) titles available NIST 65 90 106 95 110 

Number of items calibrated NIST 3,192 2,924 3,459 3,373 3,145 

Technical publications produced NIST 2,207 2,236 1,918 2,074 2,070 

Journal articles published NOAA 544 529 626 419 397 

Technical reports published NOAA 274 363 245 300 226 

Technical publications produced ITS 17 17 20 17 19 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 10 
(1) See the NIST, NOAA, and ITS chapters later in this report for definitions and further information on these 

measures. 

Further detail on the measures cited in the tables above, as well as additional activity statistics 

can be found in the individual agency chapters later in this report. 

□ Illustrative Outcomes from Technology Transfer Cited by the Agencies 

The following cases were selected and described by the agencies in their 2005 reports as 

examples of “downstream” outcomes resulting from agency technology transfer efforts: 

Agency Downstream Outcomes Listed 

Technology Administration -- National 

Institute of Standards and Technology 

▪ Compact system stabilizes laser frequency. Scientists at JILA, a joint 

research institute of NIST and the University of Colorado at Boulder, 

have demonstrated a new compact, inexpensive method for stabilizing 

lasers that reduces sensitivity to vibration and gravity 100 times better 

than similar approaches. The method stabilizes the laser to a single 

frequency so that it can be used as a reliable reference oscillator for 

technologies such as optical clocks and light-based radar (lidar). 

▪ New NIST tool measures silicon wafer thickness. The optics and 

materials for “printing” nanoscale circuit lines in microprocessors and 

other integrated circuits chips requires that the silicon wafers used be 

perfectly flat and of uniform thickness. To assist the industry in 

achieving this goal, NIST developed a new instrument that accurately 

measures differences in thickness across a 300 mm wafer with an 

repeatability of 5 nanometers. 

▪ New NIST method improves accuracy of spectrometers. 

Measurements of the intensity of light at different wavelengths can be 

made more accurately now, thanks to a new, simple method for 

correcting common instrument errors. The new method, developed by 

NIST researchers will benefit fields such as color measurement, 

lighting development, remote sensing, biotechnology and astronomy. 

▪ World's first UV 'ruler' sizes up atomic world. The world's most 

accurate "ruler" made with extreme ultraviolet light has been built and 

demonstrated with ultrafast laser pulses by scientists at NIST and the 

University of Colorado at Boulder. The new device consistently 

generates pulses of light lasting just femtoseconds (quadrillionths of a 

second, or millionths of a billionth of a second) in the ultraviolet 

region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The device is expected to 

become an important tool for ultraprecise measurements in many 

fields of science, including chemistry, physics and astronomy. 

▪ NIST method improves timing in oscilloscopes. A new method for 

correcting common timing errors in high-speed oscilloscopes was 

developed by researchers at NIST. The method improves the accuracy 

and clarity of measurements performed in the development and 

troubleshooting of components for wireless and optical 

communications, military radar and other technologies. 

▪ Light scattering method reveals details under skin. A new optical 

method, jointly demonstrated by NIST and Johns Hopkins University 

Applied Physics Laboratory can image structures under skin. The 

method relies on differences in the way surface and subsurface 

features of various materials scatter light. It was demonstrated with 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 11 
Agency Downstream Outcomes Listed 

small pieces of pigskin and inorganic materials and might eventually 

prove useful for imaging living tissues to help diagnose or determine 

the extent of various types of skin cancers. 

▪ Tiny, atom-based detector senses weak magnetic fields. A lowpower, magnetic sensor about the size of a grain of rice that can detect 

magnetic field changes a million times weaker than the Earth's 

magnetic field has been demonstrated by NIST researchers. The 

device can be powered with batteries and is about 100 times smaller 

than current atom-based sensors with similar sensitivities, which 

typically weigh several kilograms. The NIST miniature magnetometer 

is sensitive enough to detect a concealed rifle about 12 meters away or 

a six-inch-diameter steel pipeline up to 35 meters underground. 

▪ Innovative chiral separation breakthrough. NIST scientists have 

developed a chiral separation technique that will give pharmaceutical 

companies a new analytical tool that may help to prevent dangerous 

side effects of drugs in patients. NIST’s new chiral separation 

technique provides a combination of high resolving power and 

theoretically unlimited concentration enhancement for very low 

detection limits. Performing remarkably faster and with greater 

sensitivity than conventional methods, NIST’s new technique 

provides a valuable tool for drug development research. 

▪ New temperature and pressure standard. An innovative quasispherical cavity resonator has revolutionized temperature standards 

and may revolutionize pressure standards as well. The quasi-spherical 

cavity will enable users to have highly accurate standards of 

temperature and pressure in their own laboratories that they can use to 

calibrate the transducers they use for process control and for 

measuring temperature-dependencies of properties of materials. 

▪ New design developed for silicon nanowire transistors. Researchers 

at NIST demonstrated a new design for silicon nanowire transistors 

that both simplifies processing and allows the devices to be switched 

on and off more easily. Silicon nanowire devices have received 

considerable attention recently for possible use in integrated 

nanoscale electronics as well as for studying fundamental properties 

of structures and devices with very small dimensions. The NIST work 

overcomes some key difficulties in making reliable devices or test 

structures at nanoscale dimensions. The results also suggest that 

nanowire transistors made with conventional lithographic fabrication 

methods can improve performance in nanoscale electronics, while 

allowing industry to retain its existing silicon technology 

infrastructure. 

▪ Chip-scale refrigerators cool bulk objects. Chip-scale refrigerators 

capable of reaching temperatures as low as 100 milliKelvin have been 

used to cool bulk objects for the first time by NIST researchers. The 

solid-state refrigerators have applications such as cooling cryogenic 

sensors in highly sensitive instruments for semiconductor defect 

analysis and astronomical research. 

▪ Nano-sized chip features measured with atom 'ruler'. Device features 

on computer chips as small as 40 nanometers (nm) wide—less than 

one-thousandth the width of a human hair—now can be measured 

reliably thanks to new test structures developed by NIST with 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 12 
Agency Downstream Outcomes Listed 

SEMATECH and other collaborators. The test structures are 

replicated on reference materials that will allow better calibration of 

tools that monitor the manufacturing of microprocessors and similar 

integrated circuits. The new reference materials are now being 

evaluated by SEMATECH member companies. 

▪ Detecting anthrax proteins at ultralow concentrations. A new 

laboratory method for quickly detecting active anthrax proteins within 

an infected blood sample at extremely low levels has been developed 

by researchers at NIST, the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of 

Infectious Diseases, and the National Cancer Institute. Current 

detection methods rely on injecting live animals or cell cultures with 

samples for analysis and require up to several days before results are 

available. The new method produces unambiguous results in about an 

hour. 

▪ Chemical link indicated between alcohol and certain cancers. NIST 

developed a new chemical analysis method that has assisted 

researchers at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 

(NIAAA), National Institutes of Health in demonstrating a potentially 

important chemical link between alcohol consumption and cancer. 

Using this novel chemical assay, they uncovered a chain of chemical 

reactions that, under physiological conditions, may lead from alcohol 

to a known mutagen. 

▪ Study of RNA dynamics may help in drug design. NIST and 

University of Colorado biophysicists have developed a method for 

studying, in real time, a nanoscale “docking and undocking” 

interaction between small pieces of ribonucleic acid (RNA). The 

technique may be broadly useful in studying structural changes in 

RNA that affect its function with applications in the design of 

effective new drugs based on small RNA strands. 

▪ New NIST SRM. A new NIST reference standard was developed to 

help genetics labs develop improved methods of searching for a 

mutant needle in a DNA haystack. To help the research community 

develop and test more sensitive techniques for detecting lowfrequency mutations in heteroplasmic DNA, NIST researchers have 

developed a new Standard Reference Material, SRM 2394, 

“Heteroplasmic Mitochondrial DNA Mutation Detection Standard.” 

▪ New NIST SRM reinforces “fragile-X” screening. A new NIST 

Standard Reference Material will help clinical genetics labs improve 

the accuracy of their diagnostic tests for the most common cause of 

hereditary mental retardation. “Fragile X Syndrome” is a genetic 

mutation that has been linked to several physical abnormalities and to 

intellectual problems ranging from minor learning disabilities to 

severe mental retardation and autism. To assist clinical diagnostic and 

genetic testing laboratories in accurately counting fragile-X repeat 

sequences, NIST has developed a new reference material that can be 

used as a check on test procedures and for quality control. SRM 2399, 

“Fragile X Human DNA Triplet Repeat Standard” joins more than 50 

reference materials produced by NIST for quality control in clinical 

testing. 

▪ HIV database. An international plea for a standardized HIV database 

resource available to all pharmaceutical research scientists worldwide 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 13 
Agency Downstream Outcomes Listed 

has been answered by NIST researchers, in collaboration with 

scientists at the U.S.’ National Cancer Institute and Rutgers 

University. NIST’s HIV SRD 102 collects and classifies data from 

thousands of structures of HIV protease and its inhibitors, organizing 

drug inhibitors according to their chemical structure with 3-D 

animations allowing manipulation in all directions. It is easily 

accessible, reliable, and standardized. 

▪ Bioagent detector guide aids first responders. Ever since envelopes 

containing anthrax bacteria were mailed to Congressional and media 

offices in 2001 causing several deaths, many first responder 

departments have worked to improve their ability to quickly detect 

toxic biological agents. To help them make informed decisions about 

which biological agent detection devices best meet their needs, NIST 

recently developed a guide for the emergency responders that 

provides ways to compare and contrast commercially available 

biological detection equipment. 

▪ New system ‘sees’ crimes on audiotape. A real-time magnetic 

imaging system that enables criminal investigators to “see” signs of 

tampering in audiotapes -- erasing, overdubbing and other alterations -

- while listening to the tapes has been developed by NIST researchers. 

The new system, which permits faster screening and more accurate 

audiotape analysis than currently possible, was delivered to the 

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). 

▪ New software judges quality of scanned fingerprints. An improved 

suite of automated fingerprint analysis tools, including a new software 

program that judges the quality of a scanned fingerprint, is now 

available to U.S. law enforcement agencies, manufacturers and 

biometrics researchers as a result of work at NIST. The software can 

be used to help ensure that images collected with digital fingerprint 

scanners will be of high enough quality to produce good matches with 

fingerprints already on file. 

▪ Software advance helps computers act logically. A new software 

language, developed by NIST and colleagues in France, Germany, 

Japan and the United Kingdom, promises to enable computers to 

reason much more precisely and thus better reflect subtleties intended 

by commands from human operators. The software supports computer 

systems with this type of rudimentary understanding of contextspecific language and is especially suited for the exchange of process 

planning, validation, production scheduling and control information 

for guiding manufacturing processes. 

▪ Fluid mixture computer simulation innovation. Fluid mixtures are 

essential in an extremely wide range of practical applications and 

industrial processes. For example, heat pumps, air conditioners, 

refrigeration equipment and processes like, chemical (including fuel) 

production, purification, and separation, and environmental cleanup 

typically involve multiple coexisting fluids of differing composition 

(called phases). The amounts of each phase and their compositions 

change as conditions of temperature and/or pressure are varied - these 

changes also typically involve energy deposition or release by the 

fluid system. Accurate knowledge of this complex behavior is 

required for design, optimization, and control of these industrial 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 14 
Agency Downstream Outcomes Listed 

devices and processes. Because laboratory determination of these 

many mixture properties is very expensive and time-consuming, it is 

highly desirable to have a computational means to determine this 

information. With NIST’s innovation, results are far more accurate 

and are realized in less than a single day! This new method is 

beginning to be recognized by the chemicals industry as a major 

breakthrough. 

▪ Simulation models for refrigeration and air conditioning equipment. 

The U.S. air conditioning and refrigeration industry is under 

tremendous pressure from international competition to design and 

manufacture equipment and systems with increasing performance and 

decreasing costs. They must do also this in a climate where 

environmental concerns of customers are becoming increasingly 

demanding, particularly outside the U.S. Thus the products and 

systems must perform at an optimum, using working fluids that do not 

damage the atmosphere and have the highest possible efficiency to 

limit the impact on global warming. NIST has developed and 

disseminated a suite of simulation/design tools to the refrigeration and 

air conditioning industry that enables them to optimize the design of 

both whole systems as well as individual components that was never 

possible before. These tools are being used by over 60 companies and 

organizations in the U.S. that are searching for an optimum refrigerant 

or refrigerant mixture. 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration

▪ Tsunami warning system. National and international demand for 

tsunami forecasts soared after the December 26, 2004 tsunami in the 

Indian Ocean, which killed approximately 300,000 people and caused 

over $13B in damage. NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental 

Laboratory (PMEL) developed the tsunameter, which is positioned on 

the seafloor and measures water level data in real time and transmits 

the data to a surface buoy via satellite, which then relays the data to 

NOAA’s Tsunami Warning Centers. 

▪ Science On a Sphere. Science On a SphereTM uses computers 

coupled with projectors to display NOAA’s global science in an 

engaging three-dimensional representation of the Earth’s features, as 

if they were viewed from space. NOAA’s Forecast Systems 

Laboratory (FSL) is working cooperatively with industry, 

governments, and non-profit organizations to install and support 

Science On a Sphere systems at museums and science centers around 

the United States. 

▪ Solar calculator – a hot Web site. NOAA’s Air Resources 

Laboratory (ARL) Solar Radiation Research Branch has posted a solar 

calculator that received 66,000 Web hits from a variety of sources. 

The basic calculations are available in several published forms, but 

this site provides greater convenience of use. Users include research 

scientists, students, religious organizations, legal authorities, and the 

public for event planning. 

▪ CMAQ air quality modeling system. The Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) has identified the Community Multi-Scale Air Quality 

(CMAQ) model developed by staff at NOAA’s Air Resources 

Laboratory as the model of choice for regulatory purposes. The 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 15 
Agency Downstream Outcomes Listed 

CMAQ also serves as the basis for the operational air quality 

forecasting capability which is presently in final stages of 

development by NOAA and EPA. 

▪ Eta-CMAQ air quality model forecast system. The forecasting 

version of the CMAQ air quality modeling system was upgraded and 

transferred to NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) in March 

2005 for use in its operational ozone model forecast activities. The 

Eta-CMAQ system has also been transferred to state air pollution 

agencies (such as, New York) for use in issuing health advisory 

warnings. 

▪ CMAQ air quality modeling for environmental public health 

tracking. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is collecting health 

data for symptoms of specific environmental stressors as part of its 

Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (EPHTN) program. 

Simulations from NOAA’s CMAQ air quality modeling system are 

assisting by providing information about the spatial distribution of 

ozone and particulate matter. 

▪ FX-Net transferred to the EPA for state and local air quality 

forecasting. NOAA and EPA have agreed to provide the FX-Net 

weather forecasting system to state and local air quality forecasters 

nationwide. The FX-Net system is being offered to state, regional, and 

city air quality forecasters to supplement their current methods of 

real-time weather and air quality data gathering and analysis. Using 

FX-Net air quality, forecasters can now overlay a wind field on an air 

quality forecast or a visible satellite image and add real-time air 

quality observations in preparation for their air quality forecasting 

tasks. 

▪ RSA weather support team supporting the US Space and Missile 

Program. NOAA’s Forecast Systems Laboratory (FLC), Range 

Standardization and Automation (RSA) Team and the LockheedMartin Corporation (LMC) have jointly developed a cooperative 

Statement of Work to install a state-of-the-art weather analysis, 

forecast, product generation, and display system to support the United 

States Space and Missile Program at the Eastern Range (Cape 

Canaveral) and Western Range (Vandenberg AFB). This system, 

termed the RSA Weather System, is designed to collect all the unique 

meteorological data available at the ranges, rapidly update and display 

data, and generate analysis and forecast products of local to global 

scale. FLC received a NOAA Technology Transfer Award in FY 2005 

for its development and implementation of the RSA Weather System. 

▪ New software for satellite tropical cyclone analysis software 

transferred to Japan. Software embodying a new method for 

estimating tropical cyclone wind fields from the Advanced 

Microwave Sounder Unit (AMSU) on the NOAA polar-orbiting 

satellites was transferred to the Japan Meteorological 

Agency/Meteorological Research Institute (JMA/MRI). This software 

provides a new method to estimate the outer wind circulation in 

tropical cyclones, which is important for ship routing and in 

estimating the timing of the arrival of gale force winds during typhoon 

landfalls. The ability to monitor tropical cyclones from satellites is 

especially valuable in the eastern hemisphere, where aircraft 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 16 
Agency Downstream Outcomes Listed 

reconnaissance data is not routinely available. 

▪ Space and tropospheric weather models improve GPS positioning 

and navigation accuracy. The largest remaining source of Global 

Positioning System (GPS) positioning and navigation error comes 

from the Earth’s atmosphere. Atmospheric scientists at NOAA’s 

Space Environment Center are currently using ground based GPS 

observations to monitor the total electron content of the ionosphere 

and to improve predictions of geomagnetic storms. 

▪ GPS observations into operational NOAA weather models. Data 

from the network of ground based Global Positioning System (GPS) 

receivers located mostly over the Continental U.S. are also being used 

in operational NOAA weather forecast models. The network provides 

improved atmospheric water vapor measurements for weather 

forecasting, climate monitoring, and research. 

▪ Climate Modeling. NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics 

Laboratory (GFDL) team has developed timely, state-of-art model 

simulations of past, present, and future climates. This group has 

prepared over 7,000 years of climate simulations and enabled open 

access to the data sets through the Internet. Results from a recent 

international workshop support the conclusion that the GFDL climate 

model is among the best in the world. This work lays the basis for 

addressing a number of critical questions about the nation’s current 

and future environment. 

▪ Users of Scientific Graphics Toolkit and ncBrowse increase. These 

Java-based tools, developed by NOAA, which more easily visualize 

oceanographic (and other) data for both Web-based and desktop 

applications had increased users in 2005. Over 9,600 users from 76 

countries are now using the SG Toolkit, including users from 

Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland, Russian Federation, 

South Africa, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. ncBrowse now 

has over 7,400 users from 71 countries, including Australia, Canada, 

France, Germany, Japan, Norway, Poland, Russian Federation, 

Sweden, and the United Kingdom. 

▪ Web-based access to distributed data sets. The NOAA-developed 

Live Access Server (LAS) is used by other Federal Agencies (NASA, 

Navy, DOE); internationally in support of major collaborations 

(Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment, GODAE; Hybrid 

Coordinate Ocean Model, HYCOM; and the International Pacific 

Research Center, IPRC); and at individual ocean research institutions 

in Japan, France, Germany, Italy, and other nations. 

▪ Sonar processing algorithm. The Combined Uncertainty and 

Bathymetric Editor (CUBE) algorithm for processing multi-beam 

sonar data, developed by the University of New Hampshire (UNH) 

and NOAA Joint Hydrographic Center (JHC), was licensed to several 

major hydrographic software firms in 2004. It was also introduced for 

widespread use in commercial packages in 2005. This algorithm is 

rapidly becoming the standard worldwide for processing multi-beam 

sonar data. 

▪ Improving accessibility of integrated, quality controlled weather 

observations. NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory, Global 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 17 
Agency Downstream Outcomes Listed 

Systems Division (GSD), developed the Meteorological Assimilation 

Data Ingest System (MADIS) to make integrated, quality-controlled 

observations easily available and useable to the greater meteorological 

community. MADIS features access to both upper-air and surface 

datasets, including integrated automated aircraft reports and a unique, 

national collection of nearly 18,000 mesonet stations from local, state, 

federal agencies and private vendors. 

National Telecommunications and 

Information Administration -- Institute 

for Telecommunication Sciences 

▪ Video quality metric – ITS has developed a method of measuring 

video quality objectively by machine which closely predicts the 

quality that subjective human vision would perceive. This technology 

is covered by several patents owned by ITS/NTIA and became an 

international standard in 2004, with approval by the International 

Telecommunication Union (ITU). ITS received a national award in 

FY 2004 for its efforts to disseminate the technology nationally and 

internationally. 

▪ Ultrawideband study. ITS began a cooperative research program in 

2004 with private industry to investigate the interference potential of 

various ultrawideband waveforms. In FY 2005, measurement methods 

and procedures were developed to characterize the interference these 

UWB signals could cause for digital satellite television systems. 

Beneficiaries of this work included standards development 

organization, the FCC, the UWB industry, satellite television industry, 

and service providers. 

See the agency chapters below for further details on these cases. 

■ The Department’s Performance Metrics for Technology Transfer 

This year’s annual report again provides a comprehensive set of statistics on the technology 

transfer activities of each of the department’s agencies with federal lab operations. This 

information covers cooperative research and development relationships, invention 

disclosure/patenting, licensing, and other technology transfer mechanisms employed by the labs. 

There is also a new round of agency-selected case illustrations of downstream outcomes (e.g., 

commercially significant technologies, improved federal lab capabilities) resulting from these 

federal lab technology transfer activities. 

The content and format of this year’s performance report is consistent with guidelines issued for 

the annual performance reporting by the Office of Management and Budget in its July 2005 

edition of Circular A-11. (OMB’s guidelines draw closely from the performance reporting 

approach organized by the Interagency Working Group on Technology Transfer, which is 

coordinated by the Office of Technology Policy at the Department of Commerce’s Technology 

Administration. This approach has been the basis for the Department of Commerce’s and other 

agencies’ reporting over the last several years.) 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 18 
Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 19 

All of the agencies continue to indicate that their overall technology transfer effort involves a 

good deal more than cooperative R&D, patenting, and licensing. These “other” mechanisms 

include transfer through technical publications, development of industrial standards, other forms 

of public dissemination, and opportunities for guest scientists and engineers to participate in 

federal lab activities. Each of the agencies now includes yearly activity figures for such “other” 

mechanisms as they are a part of the agency’s technology transfer effort. 

Plans for technology transfer activities by the Department of Commerce’s federal labs generally 

continue to emphasize the development of better metrics for program performance. In general, a 

stable framework for this annual reporting has now been established and is comprehensive of the 

main technology transfer mechanisms used by Department of Commerce federal labs. The 

Department continues, however, to evaluate the effectiveness of its technology transfer activities 

and will consider including additional metrics as need arises. 

An appendix section at the end of each of the subsequent agency chapters discusses the specific 

initiatives currently underway. 
NIST/TA 

II. TECHNOLOGY ADMINISTRATION -- NATIONAL INSTITUTE 

OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY 

Technology Transfer at the Agency’s Federal Laboratories – Approach and 

Plans, FY 2005 Activities Achievements 

1. Agency Approach and Plans for Technology Transfer 

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an unusual federal agency. Its 

mission is broad – to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing 

measurement science, standards and technology in ways that enhance economic security and 

improve our quality of life. 

An essential part of NIST’s work is to anticipate the future measurement and standards needs of 

U.S. industry. Fast-moving sectors like nanotechnology, biotechnology, homeland security, 

information technology, and advanced manufacturing need sophisticated technical support 

systems to flourish and grow. NIST’s laboratories develop and disseminate measurement 

techniques, reference data, test methods, standards, and other infrastructural technologies and 

services that support U.S. industry, scientific research, and the activities of many federal 

agencies. In carrying out its mission, NIST works directly with industry partners (and consortia), 

universities, associations, and other government agencies. 

NIST’s technology transfer activities are designed to disseminate the Institute’s measurements 

and standards research results broadly to industry and other customers. Leading-edge scientific 

and technical work requires multiple disciplines, high levels of collaboration among 

organizations and people with diverse capabilities, and highly specialized facilities and tools. For 

more than a century, the NIST laboratories have successfully collaborated with industry and 

universities to provide the measurement techniques and technical tools needed by America’s 

innovators. NIST uses many mechanisms to collaborate with industry and to ensure that the 

resulting knowledge and infrastructural technologies are broadly disseminated. 

The principal technology mechanisms employed for transfer of NIST’s intellectual property and 

assets are, in rough order of significance: informal research and development collaboration with 

colleagues from industry, academia and other government agencies; peer-reviewed publications; 

dissemination of Standard Reference Materials, Standard Reference Data, and Documentary 

Standards; participation in development of industry “road maps”, conferences and workshops; 

hosting U.S. and international Guest Researchers from industry, academia and other government 

agencies; Facility Use Agreements; CRADAs; and patents/licenses. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 20 
NIST/TA 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 21 

Inputs 

Funding

Appropriated and 

reimbursable funds 

Staff

2800+ employees 

Guest 

researchers/year 

Facilities and 

Equipment

State-of-the-art 

measurement and 

standards 

laboratories (A

Activities 

Laboratory 

research 

Measurement 

services and 

product 

dissemination 

Conferences and 

workshops 

Participation in 

standards 

committees and 

working groups

Outputs 

Contributions to 

basic measurement 

science 

Measurement and 

test methods 

Standards 

development 

Calibration services 

Reference 

materials 

Evaluated 

Technical 

publications 

Advisory se

and other 

knowledge tra

Evaluation of Performance: Outputs 

Assessment of production and 

dissemination of key product and service 

outputs as indicators of progress along 

value chain; includes: 

Standard Reference Materials 

Standard Reference Databases 

Items calibrated 

Technical publications 

Evaluation of Performance: Quality, Relevance, and Effectiveness 

National Research Council (NRC) peer review: External assessment of Laboratory 

programs, focusing on: the technical quality relative to the state-of-the-art 

worldwide; the effectiveness with which the laboratory programs are carried out 

and the results disseminated to their customers; and the relevance of the 

laboratory programs to the needs of their customers.

Impacts on Primary 

Customers 

Facilitate new R&D 

and technical 

capabilities 

Increase R&D 

productivity 

Develop new 

products, processes & 

services 

Improve product or 

service quality and 

performance 

Improve process 

quality and efficiency 

Reduce technical 

barriers to trade 

Lower transaction 

costs

Outcomes 

Supply Chain 

Impacts 

Improvements in 

sales, profits, and 

employment 

Socioeconomic 

Impacts 

Productivity gains 

Increased market 

access and 

efficiency 

Public benefits: 

higher standard 

of living; better 

quality of life 

data 

rvices 

nsfer 

mechanisms 

CSL, 

AML) 

Evaluation of Performance: 

Long-term Impacts 

Economic impact studies: Projectlevel estimates of the net present 

value, benefit-cost ratio, and social 

rate-of-return 

The set of outputs that NIST uses to transfer its measurement capabilities and technologies to 

customers includes standard reference materials, calibration services, and other products and 

services that are described below.2 

● Standard Reference Materials 

Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) are one definitive source of measurement traceability in 

the United States. All measurements using SRMs can be traced to a common and recognized set 

of basic standards that provides the basis for compatibility of measurements among different 

laboratories. As economic exchange has become more global, customers increasingly use SRMs 

to achieve measurement quality and conformance to process requirements that address both 

national and international needs for commerce and trade. NIST produces and disseminates (sells) 

SRMs to a large and diverse group of customers, including private sector laboratories, 

 

2

 NIST’s authority to perform its technology/knowledge transfer activities does not rest solely in the Bayh-Dole Act, 

Stevenson-Wydler Act, Federal Technology Transfer Act (FTTA), and related legislation. It also resides in NIST’s 

Organic Act (15 USC 272) and the Standard Reference Data Act (15 USC 290). 
NIST/TA 

universities, and other federal agencies. NIST SRMs support industrial materials production and 

analysis, environmental analysis, health measurements, and basic measurements in science and 

metrology. 

The number of SRMs available for sale -- currently over 1,200 --illustrates the breadth of 

measurements supported by NIST. Over time, NIST expects slight growth in the number of 

SRMs available, given its current strategy of focusing on those SRMs that cannot be produced by 

secondary laboratories and which have broad and/or high downstream impact. In establishing its 

out-year projections, the NIST SRM Program monitors, among other things, trends in emerging 

technologies, new regulations that will depend on SRMs for enforcement, and the reference 

material needs of other federal agencies. Several microeconomic studies of NIST SRM programs 

have shown the technology transfer mechanisms built into these efforts to be effective with 

resulting high economic benefits delivered to industry. 

● Calibration Services 

The NIST laboratories provide physical measurement services for their customers, including 

calibration services, special tests, and measurement assurance programs (MAPs). Calibration 

services and special tests are characterizations of particular instruments, devices, and sets of 

standards with respect to international and national standards. MAPs are quality control 

programs for calibrating entire measurement systems. NIST’s calibration services are designed to 

help the makers and users of precision instruments achieve the highest possible levels of 

measurement quality and productivity. The services constitute the highest order of calibration 

services available in the United States. NIST offers more than 500 different types of physical 

calibrations covering the following measurement areas: dimensional; mechanical, including 

flow, acoustic, and ultrasonic; thermodynamic; optical radiation; ionizing radiation; 

electromagnetic; and time and frequency. 

Over the past several years, NIST has calibrated approximately 3,000 items annually. Over the 

next several years, NIST expects to realize a relatively high but slightly declining number of 

items calibrated. This is in keeping with a long-term trend, over the past several decades, of a 

decline in the number of items calibrated by NIST. Despite this overall trend, the number of 

calibrations in individual years may fluctuate slightly due to multi-year calibration cycles. NIST 

expects to provide fewer but more highly leveraged calibration services over time. NIST’s 

strategy is driven by the need to effectively manage trends in demand from its major industry and 

government customers for these services. NIST is pursuing three strategies: (1) performing only 

those calibrations that require a direct connection to the national standards; (2) improving 

calibration accuracy in those areas where new industry demands are emerging; and (3) 

accrediting primary and secondary calibration laboratories to meet on-going industry needs. In 

FY 2005, NIST accredited 6 new calibration laboratories (bringing the total to 84) in fields 

ranging from dimensional metrology to optical and chemical. NIST also assessed the 

performance of 43 calibration laboratories. Through this overall approach, NIST efficiently 

leverages its primary calibration services to support a broader base of secondary calibrations 

conducted within the private sector. Several microeconomic studies of NIST calibration 

programs have shown the technology transfer mechanisms built into these efforts to be effective 

with resulting high economic benefits delivered to industry. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 22 
NIST/TA 

● Standard Reference Data 

NIST produces and makes available (i.e., sells or distributes for free) many Standard Reference 

Data titles (SRDs). SRDs provide numeric data to scientists and engineers for use in technical 

problem solving, research, and development. These recommended values are based on data 

extracted from scientific and technical literature or on measurements done at NIST laboratories, 

which are then assessed for reliability and evaluated to select the preferred values. NIST’s SRD 

databases cover many areas of science, including analytical chemistry, atomic and molecular 

physics, biotechnology, and materials sciences. 

Historically, NIST has produced two new SRD titles per year. NIST also provides numerous 

upgrades to existing databases and eliminates some database titles from the NIST catalog each 

year. In FY 2005, an unusually large number of new titles were released for sale with seven new 

titles from the NIST Thermodynamics Research Center (TRC). Over time, NIST expects 

continued modest growth in the total number of SRD titles available. Of those titles currently 

available, about 50% are available for sale, and 50% are free online systems. 

● Technical Publications 

NIST uses publications as a key mechanism to transfer the results of its work to the U.S. private 

sector and to other government agencies that need cutting-edge measurements and standards. 

Many of these publications appear in prestigious scientific journals and withstand peer review by 

the scientific community. Others appear in technological forums where measurement standards 

and technologies developed by NIST staff (at times in collaboration with private sector partners) 

are disseminated. Of the technical publications produced annually, approximately 80% are 

approved for external publication (such as in scientific journals), while the remaining 20% are 

NIST reports and special publications. 

Over time, NIST expects a relatively constant level of high quality publications (2,000-2,300 per 

year) to be produced by its technical staff. 

● Informative Collaborative Research, Guest Researchers, and Facilities Users 

Each year hundreds of researchers visit NIST to participate in collaborative projects and/or to use 

NIST’s research facilities. NIST makes its facilities available for limited periods of time to 

domestic and foreign guest researchers to collaborate with NIST staff on research and 

development projects of mutual interest or to transfer NIST techniques, procedures, and best 

practices. NIST also sponsors several formal collaboration programs with universities, among 

them JILA, an interdisciplinary institute for research and graduate education in the physical 

sciences, located on the main campus of the University of Colorado (CU) in Boulder, and 

operated jointly by CU and NIST; and the Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology 

(CARB). CARB conducts research and provides interdisciplinary training in fundamental 

problems at the forefront of biotechnology through collaborations with scientists at its parent 

institutions, the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute and NIST. 

● Conferences, Workshops, and Inquiries 

NIST also transfers technology through the hosting of numerous conferences and workshops, as 

well as through answering inquiries. In FY 2005, NIST handled nearly 8,700 general inquiries. 

In addition, during FY 2005, NIST held 109 conferences with about 9,500 attendees. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 23 
NIST/TA 

● Participation in Documentary Standards Committees 

Still another means by which NIST transfers technology is through staff participation in the 

activities of documentary standards developing organizations, which develop consensus 

standards on a host of technologies. NIST participation enables NIST scientists and engineers to 

bring NIST technology directly into a standard, which could involve test methods and procedures 

for protecting health, safety, and/or the environment, or specifications for performance or 

interoperability, to name a few. During CY 2005, 370 NIST staff participated on 891 committees 

representing 92 standards developing organizations. NIST staff held 1,182 memberships on these 

committees including 384 in ASTM International, 88 in the American National Standards 

Institute (ANSI), 46 in the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineering (IEEE), and 90 in 

the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). These activities are also reported by 

NIST to the Office of Management and Budget and to Congress as required by the National 

Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995. 

2. Performance in FY 2005: Activities and Achievements 

The data below describe the many ways through which NIST transfers knowledge and 

technology to the private sector. 

In response to the reporting requirements of the Technology Transfer Commercialization Act of 

2000 and other relevant legislation, data are provided for collaborative relationships for research 

and development relationships (CRADAs and other kinds of relationships), invention disclosures 

and patenting, and licensing. In addition, in keeping with the previous discussion, data are also 

provided for some of the other technology transfer mechanisms utilized by the NIST 

laboratories, including Standard Reference Materials available, technical publications produced, 

items calibrated, and guest researcher collaborations. A number of examples of downstream 

outcomes from NIST technology transfer activities are also provided at the end. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 24 
NIST/TA 

■ Collaborative Relationships for Research & Development 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● CRADAs, total active in the FY (1) 174 1,812 1,653 1,641 1,618 

 - New, executed in the FY 22 1,712 1,589 1,605 1,579 

▪ Traditional CRADAs, (2) total active in the FY 174 *125 *76 *51 *65 

 - New, executed in the FY 22 25 12 15 26 

▪ Non-traditional CRADAs, (3) total active in the FY 0 1,687 1,577 1,590 1,553 

 - New, executed in the FY 0 **1,687 **1,577 **1,590 **1,553 

● Other types of collaborative R&D relationships

▪ Facility use agreements, total in effect, end of FY (4) 372 391 511 590 588 

 - New, executed in the FY 172 62 308 239 280 

▪ Guest scientists and engineers during the FY (5) 1,200a 1,300a 1,300a 1,700 2,115 

CRADA = Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. a = Figures are approximate. 

* Includes CRADAs associated with all NIST programs, including Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), 

Technology Services (TS), and the Director of Administration/Chief Financial Officer. 

** “non-traditional” CRADAs protect the results (under CRADA authority) of calibrated items from disclosure for 

a period of five years after development. Such “non-traditional” CRADAs are issued (and terminate) on an 

annual basis. 

(1) “Active” = legally in force at any time during the FY. “Total active” is comprehensive of all agreements 

executed under CRADA authority (15 USC 3710a). 

(2) CRADAs involving collaborative research and development by a federal laboratory and non-federal partners. 

(3) CRADAs used for special purposes -- such as, material transfer or technical assistance that may result in 

protected information. 

(4) NIST authorizes individuals to use designated facilities. The numbers reported here represent the Facility Use 

Agreements in effect for the NIST Center for Neutron Research. 

(5) “Guest scientists and engineers” includes foreign and domestic guest researchers, and researchers working at 

NIST under Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Agreements and CRADAs. 

■ Invention Disclosure and Patenting 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● New inventions disclosed in the FY (1) 24 16 16 23 19 

● Patent applications filed in the FY (2) 9 11 5 8 5 

● Patents issued in the FY 20 15 7 10 9 

● Active patents, end of the FY -- 199 198 143 106 

● Patents purposely dropped (triaged) during the FY -- .34 17 31 42 

-- = Data not requested from agency in reports of earlier years. 

(1) Inventions arising at the federal lab. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 25 
NIST/TA 

(2) Tally includes U.S. patent applications, foreign patent applications filed on cases for which no U.S. application 

was filed, divisional applications, and continuation-in-part applications. Excludes provisional, continuation, 

duplicate foreign, and PCT applications. 

■ Licensing 

Profile of Active Licenses 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● All licenses, number total active in the FY (1) 36 35 39 22 26 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 4 2 3 2 5 

▪ Invention licenses, total active in the FY 36 35 39 22 26 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 4 2 3 2 5 

 - Patent licenses, (2) total active in FY 36 35 39 22 26 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 4 2 3 2 5 

 - Material transfer licenses (inventions), total active 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 0 0 0 0 0 

 - Other invention licenses, total active in the FY 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 0 0 0 0 0 

▪ Other IP licenses, total active in the FY 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 0 0 0 0 0 

 - Copyright licenses (fee bearing) 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 

 - Material transfer licenses (non-inventions), total active 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 

 - Other, total active in the FY 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 

Multiple inventions in a single license are counted as one license. Licenses that include both patents and copyrights 

(hybrid licenses) are reported as patent licenses and not included in the count of copyright licenses. 

(1) “Active” = legally in force at any time during the FY. 

(2) Patent license tally includes patent applications which are licensed. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 26 
NIST/TA 

Licensing Management 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● Elapsed execution time, (1) licenses granted in the FY 

▪ Invention licenses

 ▫ Average, months 4.8 5.4 3.4 ** 1.0 

 ▫ Minimum 2.0 2.5 1.0 1.0 

 ▫ Maximum 5.0 5.0 10.0 1.0 

 - Patent licenses (2)

 ▫ Average, months 4.8 5.4 3.4 ** 1.0 

 ▫ Minimum 2.0 2.5 1.0 1.0 

 ▫ Maximum 5.0 5.0 10.0 1.0 

● Licenses terminated for cause, number in the FY

▪ Invention licenses 7 3 1 0 1 

 - Patent licenses (2) 7 *3 1 0 1 

Data included in this table (intentionally) addresses only invention licenses, with patent licenses distinguished as a 

subclass. 

* In addition to the 3 licenses cited here as terminated “for cause,” 4 licenses were terminated by mutual 

agreement and 4 expired with the end of their original term. 

** NIST processed no commercialization licenses in FY 2004. 

(1) Date of license application to the date of license execution. (Date of license application is the date the lab 

formally acknowledges the written request for a license from a prospective licensee and agrees to enter into 

negotiations.) 

(2) Patent license tally includes patent applications which are licensed. 

Characteristics of Licenses Bearing Income 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● All income bearing licenses, total number 19 33 29 15 17 

 ▫ Exclusive 12 18 19 10 11 

 ▫ Partially exclusive 5 2 0 0 0 

 ▫ Non-exclusive 2 13 10 5 6 

▪ Invention licenses, income bearing 19 33 29 15 17 

 ▫ Exclusive 12 18 19 10 11 

 ▫ Partially exclusive 5 2 0 0 0 

 ▫ Non-exclusive 2 13 10 5 6 

 - Patent licenses, (1) income bearing 19 33 29 15 17 

 ▫ Exclusive 12 18 19 10 11 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 27 
NIST/TA 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY FY 

2004 2005

 ▫ Partially exclusive 5 2 0 0 0 

 ▫ Non-exclusive 2 13 10 5 6 

▪ Other IP licenses, income bearing 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ Exclusive 

 ▫ Partially exclusive 

 ▫ Non-exclusive 

 - Copyright licenses (fee bearing) 

 ▫ Exclusive 

 ▫ Partially exclusive 

 ▫ Non-exclusive 

● All royalty bearing licenses, (2) total number 19 33 29 15 17 

▪ Invention licenses, royalty bearing 19 33 29 15 17 

 - Patent licenses, (1) royalty bearing 19 *33 29 15 17 

▪ Other IP licenses, royalty bearing 0 0 0 0 0 

 - Copyright licenses (fee bearing) 

* Of the 35 licenses active in FY 2002 (see earlier table), two were royalty-free research licenses. 

In general, license income can result from various sources: license issue fees, earned royalties, minimum annual 

royalties, paid-up license fees, and reimbursement for full-cost recovery of goods and services provided by the lab to 

the licensee including patent costs. 

(1) Patent license tally includes patent applications which are licensed. 

(2) Note that royalties are one component of total license income. 

Income from Licenses 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● Total income, all licenses active in FY (1) $261,968 $89,750 $122,850 $144,828 $123,348 

▪ Invention licenses $261,968 $89,750 $122,850 $144,828 $123,348 

 - Patent licenses (2) $261,968 $89,750 $122,850 $144,828 $123,348 

▪ Other IP licenses, total active in the FY 0 0 0 0 0 

 - Copyright licenses 

● Total Earned Royalty Income (ERI) (3) $261,968 $89,750 $122,850 $144,828 $123,348 

 ▫ Median ERI n/a $2,300 n/a n/a *$2,500 

 ▫ Minimum ERI $1,000 $700 $960 $640 $640 

 ▫ Maximum ERI $135,927 $20,000 $35,000 $54,072 $45,000 

 ▫ ERI from top 1% of licenses n/a $20,000 $35,000 dw dw 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 28 
NIST/TA 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY FY 

2004 2005

 ▫ ERI from top 5% of licenses n/a $20,000 $35,000 dw dw 

 ▫ ERI from top 20% of licenses n/a $50,000 $45,000 dw dw 

▪ Invention licenses $261,968 $89,750 $122,850 $144,828 $123,348 

 ▫ Median ERI n/a $2,300 n/a n/a *$2,500 

 ▫ Minimum ERI $1,000 $700 $960 $640 $640 

 ▫ Maximum ERI $135,927 $20,000 $35,000 $54,072 $45,000 

 ▫ ERI from top 1% of licenses n/a $20,000 $35,000 dw dw 

 ▫ ERI from top 5% of licenses n/a $20,000 $35,000 dw dw 

 ▫ ERI from top 20% of licenses n/a $50,000 $45,000 dw dw 

 - Patent licenses (2) $261,968 $89,750 $122,850 $144,828 $123,348 

 ▫ Median ERI n/a $2,300 n/a n/a *$2,500 

 ▫ Minimum ERI $1,000 $700 $960 $640 $640 

 ▫ Maximum ERI $135,927 $20,000 $35,000 $54,072 $45,000 

 ▫ ERI from top 1% of licenses n/a $20,000 $35,000 dw dw 

 ▫ ERI from top 5% of licenses n/a $20,000 $35,000 dw dw 

 ▫ ERI from top 20% of licenses n/a $50,000 $45,000 dw dw 

▪ Other IP licenses, total active in the FY 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ Median ERI 

 ▫ Minimum ERI 

 ▫ Maximum ERI 

 ▫ ERI from top 1% of licenses 

 ▫ ERI from top 5% of licenses 

 ▫ ERI from top 20% of licenses 

 - Copyright licenses 

 ▫ Median ERI 

 ▫ Minimum ERI 

 ▫ Maximum ERI 

 ▫ ERI from top 1% of licenses 

 ▫ ERI from top 5% of licenses 

 ▫ ERI from top 20% of licenses 

n/a = Data not available from agency at time of this report. 

dw = Data withheld to protect proprietary information. 

* The distribution of NIST’s annual license income is bimodal at the extremes. The median figure cited here is 

rather unrepresentative. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 29 
NIST/TA 

(1) Total income includes license issue fees, earned royalties, minimum annual royalties, paid-up license fees, and 

reimbursement for full-cost recovery of goods and services provided by the lab to the licensee including patent 

costs. 

(2) Patent license tally includes patent applications which are licensed. 

(3) “Earned royalty” = royalty based upon use of a licensed invention (usually, a percentage of sales or of units 

sold). Not a license issue fee or a minimum royalty. 

Disposition of License Income 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● Income distributed (1)

▪ Invention licenses, total distributed $261,968 $89,750 $122,850 $144,828 $123,348 

 - To inventor(s) $102,040

(39%) 

$45,650

(51%) 

$51,773 

(42%) 

$54,134

(37%) 

$48,148

(39%) 

 - To other (3) $159,928

(61%) 

$44,100

(49%) 

$71,076 

(58%) 

$90,694

(63%) 

$75,199

(61%) 

 - Patent licenses, (2) total distributed $261,968 $89,750 $122,850 $144,828 $123,348 

 - To inventor(s) $102,040

(39%) 

$45,650

(51%) 

$51,773 

(42%) 

$54,134

(37%) 

$48,148

(39%) 

 - To other (3) $159,928

(61%) 

$44,100

(49%) 

$71,076 

(58%) 

$90,694

(63%) 

$75,199

(61%) 

Invention licenses are the chief policy interest regarding disposition of income; content of table reflects this focus. 

(1) Income includes royalties and other payments received during the FY. 

(2) Patent license tally includes patent applications which are licensed. 

(3) NIST only in FY 2001-2004. In FY 2005, $1,500 to NIH and rest to NIST. 

■ Other Performance Measures Deemed Important by the Agency 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) available (1) 1,335 1,353 1,214 1,211 1,246 

Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) sold (2) 31,985 30,996 29,527 30,490 32,163 

Standard Reference Data (SRD) titles available (3) 65 90 106 95 110 

Number of items calibrated (4) 3,192 2,924 3,459 3,373 *3,145 

Technical publications produced (5) 2,207 2,236 1,918 2,074 2,070 

See Section I above for additional information about the measures listed here. See also the Department of 

Commerce’s annual reports under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) for detailed information 

about each of these measures, analysis of trends, and future-year performance projections 

http://www.osec.doc.gov/bmi/budget/FY2006APP.htm

* These 3,145 calibrated items were covered by 1,553 “non-traditional” CRADAs that protect the results from 

disclosure. 

(1) Direct and verifiable count of SRMs available to customers at the close of the fiscal year. The number of SRMs 

available for sale illustrates the breadth of measurements supported by NIST. Over time, NIST expects slight 

growth in the number of SRMs available. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 30 
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(2) Direct and verifiable count of NIST SRM units sold during the fiscal year. In recent years, NIST had been 

expecting a continuing slight decline in the number of SRM units sold, as NIST made greater use of highly 

leveraged SRM services over time, including accreditation of Nationally Traceable Reference Material 

producers. However, in FY 2005, the number of SRMs sold increased. Some possible contributing factors 

include the implementation of new EPA regulations, environmental activities, increased in construction 

projects, and the availability of previously out-of-stock SRMs. 

(3) Direct and verifiable count of SRD products developed and disseminated by NIST. NIST expects continued 

modest growth in the total number of SRD titles available. Of those titles currently available, about 50% are 

available for sale, and 50% are free online systems. Over time, a larger percentage of SRDs will be distributed 

via the Internet. New growth in online systems is anticipated for FY 2006 with the release of fee-based titles for 

the Internet. 

(4) Direct and verifiable count of items calibrated by the NIST laboratories. Over the next several years, NIST 

expects to realize a relatively high but slightly declining number of items calibrated. This is in keeping with a 

long-term trend, over the past several decades, of a decline in the number of items calibrated by NIST. NIST 

expects to provide fewer but more highly leveraged calibration services over time. 

(5) Annual number of technical publications generated by NIST’s technical staff. The number is a direct count of 

the number of technical publications cleared for publication by the NIST Editorial Review Boards at the 

Gaithersburg and Boulder sites. Over time, NIST expects a relatively constant level of high quality publications 

(2,000-2,200 per year) produced by its technical staff. Of the publications produced annually, approximately 

80% are approved for external publication (such as in scientific journals); the other 20% are NIST reports and 

special publications. 

■ Outcomes from Technology Transfer 

NIST develops and disseminates infrastructural technologies and services required by the U.S. 

private sector and other non-profit and government partners. The outputs of the NIST 

laboratories provide a foundation for industry in all stages of commerce -- research, 

development, testing, production, and marketing – and, in turn, enable socioeconomic impacts, 

such as productivity gains, increased market access and efficiency, and improved quality of life. 

These impacts are long-term, accruing years after the original infrastructural technologies have 

been developed by NIST (often in conjunction with industry partners). 

The examples below show how NIST’s various technology transfer mechanisms – CRADA’s, 

Standard Reference Materials, joint research facilities, software, and documentary standards – 

have, over the long term, produced outcomes that significantly raise productivity, benefit 

consumers, and improve the quality of life. 

Measurement Science 

 Compact system stabilizes laser frequency. A new compact, inexpensive method for 

stabilizing lasers that reduces sensitivity to vibration and gravity 100 times better than similar 

approaches has been demonstrated by scientists at JILA, a joint institute of NIST and the 

University of Colorado at Boulder. 

The method stabilizes the laser to a single frequency so that it can be used as a reliable reference 

oscillator for technologies such as optical clocks and light-based radar (lidar). The new stabilizer 

design performs better than similar systems of comparable size and is much smaller and less 

expensive than the best-performing systems. 

NIST’s method improves the reliability of GPS clocks. Widely used by the military, first 

responders, surveyors, and even consumers, the Global Positioning System is a navigation 

system consisting of ground-based monitors and a constellation of satellites that rely on atomic 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 31 
NIST/TA 

clocks to precisely locate positions on the earth. A statistical method developed by NIST, and 

tested and implemented with the help of several collaborators, has made the job of analyzing the 

accuracy and reliability of these satellite-borne time signals significantly faster and easier. The 

method helps ensure that GPS clocks produce accurate location and distance measurements and 

remain closely synchronized with official world time. 

The NIST method has been incorporated into the GPS clock analysis software system managed 

by the Naval Research Laboratory used in commercial software and instruments for various 

timing applications. 

 New NIST tool measures silicon wafer thickness. The optics and materials for “printing” 

nanoscale circuit lines in microprocessors and other integrated circuits chips require the silicon 

wafers used be perfectly flat and of uniform thickness. To assist the industry in achieving this 

goal, NIST developed a new instrument that accurately measures variability in thickness across a 

300 mm wafer with an repeatability of 5 nanometers. 

The instrument uses intersecting waves of light to create interference patterns, which in turn are 

used as a ruler to measure nanoscale dimensions. While most interferometers use red laser light, 

the NIST instrument uses infrared laser light. These much longer wavelengths pass right through 

a silicon wafer, with the result that the instrument can illuminate both the top and bottom of 

wafer, producing a detailed spatial map of differences in thickness in one pass. In contrast, 

conventional tools require spinning the wafer and measuring at multiple locations. Precision 

measurements of the wafer’s index of refraction—the amount that light is “bent” as it passes 

through the silicon— is a critical step in correctly interpreting the interference patterns. 

 New NIST method improves accuracy of spectrometers. Measurements of the intensity of 

light at different wavelengths can be made more accurately now, thanks to a new, simple method 

for correcting common instrument errors. The new method, developed by NIST researchers, will 

benefit fields such as color measurement, lighting development, remote sensing, biotechnology, 

and astronomy. 

The NIST method improves the measurement accuracy of spectrometers, devices that measure 

optical radiation at different wavelengths. Spectrometers are used widely in industry and 

research laboratories to analyze the emissions from lamps or other light sources, as well as to 

analyze optical properties of materials. The new NIST technique corrects errors arising from 

unwanted scattered radiation within an instrument, to a level less than 0.001 percent of the total 

signal, a desirable level for most industrial and scientific applications. This allows very accurate 

measurement of low-power components of radiation and accurate measurements across a large 

dynamic range of intensities. 

 World's first UV 'ruler' sizes up atomic world. The world's most accurate "ruler" made with 

extreme ultraviolet light has been built and demonstrated with ultrafast laser pulses by scientists 

at NIST and the University of Colorado at Boulder. The new device consistently generates pulses 

of light lasting just femtoseconds (quadrillionths of a second, or millionths of a billionth of a 

second) in the ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum. 

The device is expected to become an important tool for ultraprecise measurements in many fields 

of science, including chemistry, physics, and astronomy. A ruler made with shorter wavelengths 

of light makes it possible to “see” more precise differences than ever before in the energy levels 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 32 
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of light emissions that identify specific atoms, in the timing of chemical reactions, or, if 

additional applications are developed, in the dimensions of certain nanometer-scale objects. The 

new device also can be compared to a camera with ultrafast shutter speeds and consistent shotto-shot frame speed and stability, allowing scientists to take real-time “pictures” of finer 

structures and dynamics. By combining many such pictures at a high speed, scientists can gain a 

more detailed understanding of many phenomena. 

 NIST method improves timing in oscilloscopes. A new method for correcting common 

timing errors in high-speed oscilloscopes was developed by researchers at NIST. The method 

improves the accuracy and clarity of measurements performed in the development and 

troubleshooting of components for wireless and optical communications, military radar, and 

other technologies. 

The software analyzes an oscilloscope's measurements of both a signal of interest and two 

reference waves that are offset from each other. The reference waves are generated by an 

external device and are synchronized in time with the signal being measured. Measurements of 

the reference waves are compared with a calculation of an ideal wave to produce an estimate of 

total time errors due to distortion and jitter. These errors then can be corrected automatically for 

each measurement made by the oscilloscope. 

The NIST correction method can be applied to older standard equipment, can correct time 

records of almost any length, and can be applied to electromagnetic signals of almost any 

frequency. It also provides the user with an estimate of the residual timing error after the 

correction process has been completed. The Timebase Correction software package has been 

made available free of charge. 

 Light scattering method reveals details under skin. A new optical method, jointly 

demonstrated by NIST and Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory, can image 

structures under skin. The method relies on differences in the way surface and subsurface 

features of various materials scatter light. It was demonstrated with small pieces of pigskin and 

inorganic materials and might eventually prove useful for imaging living tissues to help diagnose 

or determine the extent of various types of skin cancers. 

The method was developed under a CRADA between the two institutions. The project adapted 

light scattering techniques originally developed by NIST researchers to image surface and 

subsurface features in inorganic materials such as silicon wafers, mirrors, and paint coatings. 

Research is continuing on making the new method faster and easier to use. 

 Tiny, atom-based detector senses weak magnetic fields. A low-power, magnetic sensor 

about the size of a grain of rice that can detect magnetic field changes a million times weaker 

than the Earth's magnetic field has been demonstrated by NIST researchers. The device can be 

powered with batteries and is about 100 times smaller than current atom-based sensors with 

similar sensitivities, which typically weigh several kilograms. 

The new magnetic sensor is based on the principles of the NIST chip-scale atomic clock, and 

expected applications for a commercialized version of the new sensor could include hand-held 

devices for sensing unexploded ordnance, precision navigation, and geophysical mapping to 

locate minerals or oil, and medical instruments. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 33 
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Like the NIST chip-scale clock, the new magnetic sensor can be fabricated and assembled on 

semiconductor wafers using existing techniques for making microelectronics and 

microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). This improvement offers the potential for low-cost 

mass production of sensors about the size of a computer chip. When packaged with associated 

electronics, the researchers believe the mini magnetometer will measure about 1 cubic centimeter 

or about the size of a sugar cube. 

Magnetic fields are produced by the motion of electrons either in the form of an electrical current 

or in certain metals such as iron, cobalt, and nickel. The NIST miniature magnetometer is 

sensitive enough to detect a concealed rifle about 12 meters away or a six-inch-diameter steel 

pipeline up to 35 meters underground. 

 Innovative chiral separation breakthrough. NIST scientists have developed a chiral 

separation technique that will give pharmaceutical companies a new analytical tool that may help 

to prevent dangerous side effects of drugs in patients. Many drugs on the market today, as well 

as those currently under development, are chiral, i.e., the active drug molecule has an inactive 

“twin” that is compositionally identical but structurally is a mirror image. As such they are 

commonly synthesized as mixtures. Because of their physical and chemical similarities, 

separation and quantitation of two conformations of a chiral drug can be very difficult, yet 

crucial in protecting patient welfare. 

The pharmacological activity and toxicity of the two conformations can be vastly different, 

sometimes causing serious side effects. Consequently, current FDA guidelines require the 

development of “quantitative assays for individual conformations in in vivo samples” as well as 

methods for assessing conformational purity and stability. 

NIST’s new chiral separation technique provides a combination of high resolving power and 

theoretically unlimited concentration enhancement for very low detection limits. Performing 

remarkably faster and with greater sensitivity than conventional methods, NIST’s new technique 

provides a valuable tool for drug development research. 

 New temperature and pressure standard. The innovation of a quasi-spherical cavity 

resonator has revolutionized temperature standards and it may revolutionize pressure standards 

as well. For a temperature standard, NIST researchers simultaneously measured microwave and 

acoustic resonances of a grapefruit-sized, copper-walled, helium-filled, quasi-spherical cavity 

with uncertainties of a few parts per million. The cavity is almost spherical, however it has small, 

deliberate distortions, hence the name “quasi-spherical.” The distortions prevent the microwave 

frequencies from overlapping each other, making accurate measurements possible. If the 

frequency uncertainties can be reduced to a few parts per billion, the results also will determine 

the helium pressure more accurately than existing piston and cylinder standards. One of NIST’s 

goals is to disseminate consistent standards for physical measurements to researchers, industry, 

and academia. The quasi-spherical cavity will enable users to have highly accurate standards of 

temperature and pressure in their own laboratories that they can use to calibrate the transducers 

they use for process control and for measuring temperature-dependencies of properties of 

materials. 

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Nanotechnology 

 New design developed for silicon nanowire transistors. In an advance for nanoscale 

electronics, researchers at NIST demonstrated a new design for silicon nanowire transistors that 

both simplifies processing and allows the devices to be switched on and off more easily. 

Silicon nanowire devices have received considerable attention recently for possible use in 

integrated nanoscale electronics as well as for studying fundamental properties of structures and 

devices with very small dimensions. The NIST work overcomes some key difficulties in making 

reliable devices or test structures at nanoscale dimensions. The results also suggest that nanowire 

transistors made with conventional lithographic fabrication methods can improve performance in 

nanoscale electronics, while allowing industry to retain its existing silicon technology 

infrastructure. 

The NIST design uses a simplified type of contact between the nanowire channel and the 

positive and negative electrodes of the transistor. The design allows more electrical current to 

flow in and out of the silicon. The researchers believe the design is the first to demonstrate a 

"Schottky barrier" type contact for a nanowire transistor built using a "top-down" approach. This 

barrier, an easily formed metal contact that electrons can tunnel through, requires much less 

doping with impurities than do conventional ohmic contacts, thereby simplifying processing 

requirements. 

 Chip-scale refrigerators cool bulk objects. Chip-scale refrigerators capable of reaching 

temperatures as low as 100 milliKelvin have been used to cool bulk objects for the first time by 

NIST researchers. The solid-state refrigerators have applications such as cooling cryogenic 

sensors in highly sensitive instruments for semiconductor defect analysis and astronomical 

research. 

NIST researchers used the chip-scale refrigerator to cool a cube of germanium about 11,000 

times larger than the volume of the chip. This is roughly equivalent to having a refrigerator the 

size of a person cool an object the size of the Statue of Liberty. 

The refrigerators are fabricated using common chip-making lithography methods, making 

production and integration with other microscale devices straightforward. The devices are much 

smaller and less expensive than conventional equipment used for cooling down to 100 mK, a 

target temperature for optimizing the performance of cryogenic sensors. 

 Nano-sized chip features measured with atom 'ruler'. Device features on computer chips as 

small as 40 nanometers (nm) wide—less than one-thousandth the width of a human hair—now 

can be measured reliably thanks to new test structures developed by NIST with SEMATECH and 

other collaborators. The test structures are replicated on reference materials that will allow better 

calibration of tools that monitor the manufacturing of microprocessors and similar integrated 

circuits. 

The NIST rulers are precisely etched lines of crystalline silicon ranging in width from 40 nm to 

275 nm. The spacing of atoms within the box-shaped silicon crystals is used like hash marks on a 

ruler to measure the dimensions of these test structures. Industry can use these reference 

materials to calibrate, for example, tools that can reliably measure microprocessor-device gates, 

which control the flow of electrical charges in chips. In the absence of reference materials such 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 35 
NIST/TA 

as these, companies have calibrated measurement tools using in-house standards, which may 

neither be accurate nor agree with one another. The new reference materials are now being 

evaluated by SEMATECH member companies. 

Biosciences and Health 

 Detecting anthrax proteins at ultralow concentrations. A new laboratory method for 

quickly detecting active anthrax proteins within an infected blood sample at extremely low levels 

has been developed by researchers at NIST, the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of 

Infectious Diseases, and the National Cancer Institute. Current detection methods rely on 

injecting live animals or cell cultures with samples for analysis and require up to several days 

before results are available. The new method produces unambiguous results in about an hour. 

 Chemical link indicated between alcohol and certain cancers. NIST developed a new 

chemical analysis method that has assisted researchers at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse 

and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Institutes of Health in demonstrating a potentially important 

chemical link between alcohol consumption and cancer. Using this novel chemical assay, they 

uncovered a chain of chemical reactions that, under physiological conditions, may lead from 

alcohol to a known mutagen. 

It has been known for years that there is a statistical relationship between excessive alcohol 

consumption and an increased risk of certain cancers, particularly upper gastrointestinal cancer. 

Alcohol itself is not a carcinogen, but is metabolized in the body to form a suspected carcinogen, 

acetaldehyde (AA). 

NIST and NIAAA researchers filled in the missing link, a class of chemicals called polyamines 

that are produced in cells and believed to be involved in cell growth. Using a sensitive chemical 

analysis technique developed at NIST, the team showed that AA reacts with polyamines to 

produce a compound that in turn reacts with DNA to produce a known mutagen. 

The work strongly suggests a pathway between alcohol consumption and cancer, and that certain 

specific mutations in genes could affect individual susceptibility to cancer for alcoholic beverage 

consumption. 

 Study of RNA dynamics may help in drug design. NIST and University of Colorado 

biophysicists have developed a method for studying, in real time, a nanoscale “docking and 

undocking” interaction between small pieces of ribonucleic acid (RNA). The technique may be 

broadly useful in studying structural changes in RNA that affect its function with applications in 

the design of effective new drugs based on small RNA strands. 

The group developed a simple model system for studying the reversible docking of a small piece 

of RNA at a receptor site in the same molecule. They used a technique called fluorescence 

resonance energy transfer, in which the two pieces of RNA are labeled with different dyes that 

have overlapping emission bands. One dye emits light of the same color that the other dye 

absorbs; the second dye then emits light of a different color. One piece of RNA is excited by a 

laser and, when the two pieces are close enough together to dock, passes energy to the other one, 

which then fluoresces. This method was used to measure the distance between the two pieces of 

RNA as it varied the docked state to the undocked state. 

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 New NIST SRM. A new NIST reference standard was developed to help genetics labs develop 

improved methods of searching for a mutant needle in a DNA haystack. To help the research 

community develop and test more sensitive techniques for detecting low-frequency mutations in 

heteroplasmic DNA, NIST researchers have developed a new Standard Reference Material, SRM 

2394, “Heteroplasmic Mitochondrial DNA Mutation Detection Standard.” The new material is a 

set of mixtures, at 10 different certified concentrations, of two DNA fragments that differ from 

each other at only one position. 

Accurate analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), either for forensic identification or for 

studying genetic-based diseases, often hinges on the ability to detect mutations that occur only 

infrequently, even in the same individual. Unlike the cell's nuclear DNA, a person's mtDNA is 

often heteroplasmic -- a mix of a dominant DNA sequence with fewer mutated sequences that 

differ from the dominant version by one or more nucleotides. There are hundreds or thousands of 

mitochondria in cells, and the exact percentage of the minority mtDNA in the mix can vary 

dramatically in an individual, from tissue to tissue, and even from cell to cell. In general, it can 

be very difficult to identify variants that make up less than 20 percent of the sample unless you 

already know they are there. 

 New NIST SRM reinforces “fragile-X” screening. A new NIST Standard Reference Material 

will help clinical genetics labs improve the accuracy of their diagnostic tests for the most 

common cause of hereditary mental retardation. 

“Fragile X Syndrome” is a genetic mutation affecting approximately one in 3,600 males and one 

in 4,000 to 6,000 females. It has been linked to several physical abnormalities and to intellectual 

problems ranging from minor learning disabilities to severe mental retardation and autism. The 

mutation is characterized by an excessive number of repeats of a sequence of three nucleotides 

(the chemical building blocks of DNA) within a particular gene on the human X chromosome. 

Proper diagnosis depends on accurate counts of the number of triplet repeats. 

To assist clinical diagnostic and genetic testing laboratories in accurately counting fragile-X 

repeat sequences, NIST has developed a new reference material that can be used as a check on 

test procedures and for quality control. SRM 2399, “Fragile X Human DNA Triplet Repeat 

Standard,” joins more than 50 reference materials produced by NIST for quality control in 

clinical testing. 

 HIV database. An international plea for a standardized HIV database resource available to all 

pharmaceutical research scientists worldwide has been received and answered by NIST 

researchers, in collaboration with scientists at NIH’s National Cancer Institute and Rutgers 

University. NIST’s HIV SRD 102 collects and classifies data from thousands of structures of 

HIV protease and its inhibitors, organizing drug inhibitors according to their chemical structure 

with 3-D animations allowing manipulation in all directions. It is easily accessible, reliable, and 

standardized. 

Each year millions of dollars of both public and private investments target AIDS research, 

seeking a cure for this deadly disease. Because so many scientists are involved in this endeavor 

worldwide, the NIST database provides a centrally located resource where all involved in AIDS 

research can exchange structural information for mutual benefit. The significant impact of 

NIST’s work was quickly recognized by the scientific community, as evidenced by the 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 37 
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extraordinary number of web-site hits, highlights in alternate publications, and hyperlinks that 

have appeared on numerous database websites. Since the public release of the new HIV SRD 102 

on July 16, 2004, its multi-million hits make it one of NIST’s most accessed databases. 

Public Safety and Homeland Security 

 Bioagent detector guide aids first responders. Ever since envelopes containing anthrax 

bacteria were mailed to Congressional and media offices in 2001 causing several deaths, many 

first responder departments have worked to improve their ability to quickly detect toxic 

biological agents. To help them make informed decisions about which biological agent detection 

devices best meet their needs, NIST recently developed a guide for the emergency responders 

that provides ways to compare and contrast commercially available biological detection 

equipment. 

To help first responders decide on appropriate equipment, the guide includes data on 19 selection 

factors, including sensitivity, specificity, start-up and response times, ease-of-use, alarm 

capability, power requirements, skill level, cost, durability, and portability. 

 New system ‘sees’ crimes on audiotape. A real-time magnetic imaging system that enables 

criminal investigators to “see” signs of tampering in audiotapes -- erasing, overdubbing and other 

alterations -- while listening to the tapes has been developed by NIST researchers. The new 

system, which permits faster screening and more accurate audiotape analysis than currently 

possible, was delivered to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). 

The FBI’s Forensic Audio Analysis Unit receives hundreds of audiotapes annually for analysis 

from a wide variety of devices, including answering machines, cassette recorders and digital 

audiotape recorders. At the heart of the NIST technology is a cassette player modified with an 

array of 64 customized magnetic sensors that detects and maps the microscopic magnetic fields 

on audiotapes as they are played. The array is connected to a desktop computer programmed to 

convert the magnetic data into a displayable image. Authentic, original tapes produce images 

with non-interrupted, predictable patterns, while erase and record functions produce 

characteristic “smudges” in an image that correlate to “pops” and “thumps” in the audio signal. 

An examiner can also use the new system to help determine the authenticity of a tape or if that 

tape is a copy. 

 New software judges quality of scanned fingerprints. An improved suite of automated 

fingerprint analysis tools, including a new software program that judges the quality of a scanned 

fingerprint, is now available to U.S. law enforcement agencies, manufacturers, and biometrics 

researchers as a result of work at NIST. 

The software can be used to help ensure that images collected with digital fingerprint scanners 

will be of high enough quality to produce good matches with fingerprints already on file. Ideally, 

a fingerprint image will have clear and distinct ridges and valleys. But problems, including dry 

skin, the size of the person’s fingers, or equipment issues such as dirty or damaged sensor plates, 

can result in poor images that could produce inaccurate matches. 

NIST software will for the first time allow users to compare directly the fingerprint image 

quality produced by scanners made by different manufacturers. The package also includes 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 38 
NIST/TA 

improved software for matching fingerprints, pattern classification, minutiae detection, 

fingerprint encoding and decoding, and segmenting four-finger “slaps” into individual prints. 

Information and Knowledge Management 

 Software advance helps computers act logically. A new software language, developed by 

NIST and colleagues in France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom, promises to enable 

computers to reason much more precisely and better reflect subtleties intended by commands 

from human operators. The process specification language should make computers much more 

useful in manufacturing. 

The software language uses artificial intelligence and mathematical logic to represent computer 

commands in the context of a manufacturing plan. Researchers have incorporated approximately 

300 concepts, such as “duration” and “sequence,” into its software structure. Computers using 

software with this feature can act on a word’s “meaning,” interpreting a command almost like a 

person. 

For instance, a person who hears the commands “paint it before shipping it” and “turn on the 

coolant before milling” understands that the word "before" has slightly different meanings in 

these two different contexts. In the first command, it is understood that painting and drying must 

be completed prior to the next action, shipping. In the second command, however, the first 

action, turning on the coolant, continues after the milling starts. The software supports computer 

systems with this type of rudimentary understanding of context-specific language and is 

especially suited for the exchange of process planning, validation, production scheduling, and 

control information for guiding manufacturing processes. 

 Fluid mixture computer simulation innovation. Fluid mixtures are essential in a wide range 

of practical applications and industrial processes. For example, heat pumps, air conditioners, 

refrigeration equipment, and processes like, chemical (including fuel) production, purification, 

and separation, and environmental cleanup typically involve multiple coexisting fluids of 

differing composition (called phases). The amounts of each phase and their compositions change 

as conditions of temperature and/or pressure are varied -- these changes also typically involve 

energy deposition or release by the fluid system. 

Accurate knowledge of this complex behavior is required for design, optimization, and control of 

these industrial devices and processes. Because laboratory determination of these many mixture 

properties is very expensive and time-consuming, it is highly desirable to have a computational 

means to determine this information. With NIST’s innovation, results are far more accurate and 

are realized in less than a single day. This new method is beginning to be recognized by the 

chemicals industry as major breakthrough. In addition, it has attracted the attention of biologists 

for modeling the onset of multiple coexisting phases of large biomolecules such as proteins in 

solution. 

 Simulation models for refrigeration and air conditioning equipment. The U.S. air 

conditioning and refrigeration industry is under tremendous pressure from international 

competition to design and manufacture equipment and systems with increasing performance and 

decreasing costs. They must do this in a climate where environmental concerns of customers are 

becoming increasingly demanding, particularly outside the U.S. Thus the products and systems 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 39 
NIST/TA 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 40 

must perform at their optimum, using working fluids that do not damage the atmosphere and 

have the highest possible efficiency to limit the impact on global warming. 

NIST has developed and disseminated a suite of simulation/design tools to the refrigeration and 

air conditioning industry that enables them to optimize the design of both whole systems as well 

as individual components that was never possible before. These tools are being used by over 60 

companies and organizations in the U.S. that are searching for the optimum refrigerant or 

refrigerant mixture. 

Appendix: 

Progress in Improving the Agency’s Performance Metrics for Tech Transfer 

The additional activity metrics included by NIST in FY 2002, 2003, and 2004 (notably, for nontraditional CRADAs to cover NIST calibration services; greater detail on licenses and license 

income; workshops, conferences, and publications; and participation by NIST staff in 

documentary standards committees) are now well integrated into the annual report process. The 

present array of metrics covers the wide variety of mechanisms that NIST employs for 

technology transfer. 

NIST continues, however, to evaluate the effectiveness of its technology transfer activities and 

will consider including additional metrics as the need arises. 
NOAA 

III. NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC 

ADMINISTRATION 

Technology Transfer at the Agency’s Federal Laboratories – Approach and 

Plans, FY 2005 Activities/Achievements 

1. Agency Approach and Plans for Technology Transfer 

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment and conserve 

and manage coastal and marine resources to meet the Nation’s economic, social, and 

environmental needs. This mission will become ever more critical in the 21st century as national 

needs intensify concerning climate change, freshwater supply, ecosystem management, and 

homeland security. 

NOAA is one of the nation’s premier scientific agencies. NOAA science and the technology 

impact the daily lives of the nation’s citizens and have a significant effect on the national 

economy. For example, about one-third of the U.S. economy (approximately $3 trillion) is 

weather sensitive -- such as agriculture, energy, construction, travel, and transportation. Weather 

data and forecasts play a critical role -- which are transferred to industry and the public through 

the media, internet, and NOAA Weather Radio. Governments and the public use weather 

warnings to save lives and prevent destruction of property. Television weathercasters and many 

weather related firms use weather data and forecasts in their daily operations. Industry uses 

NOAA data in home construction and design, crop selection, disease control, and fuel delivery 

and supply. Additionally, industry has applied weather data for deciding such things as 

automobile fuel delivery system design, the best time to market umbrellas, and even for when the 

conditions would be best for the mating of honeybees. Increasingly accurate and longer range 

weather forecasts depend on an ongoing program of research and development. 

Research by NOAA’s federal laboratories is aimed at assisting NOAA’s operational components. 

NOAA’s research is directed at such topic areas as weather forecasting, solar emission 

forecasting, estimating fish stocks, predicting water resources, warning of tsunamis, and charting 

ocean bottom topography. The results of such research are transferred to NOAA’s operational 

components to improve prediction, management, and other mission activities. 

NOAA’s web page at www.noaa.gov details the voluminous amount of research and technology 

data made available to the public in the form of information products and services, such as 

weather and climate forecast data, El Nino prediction and monitoring, tides and currents, satellite 

imagery and direct readout, fishery statistics and information on protected species, air quality, 

state of the coasts, beach temperatures, and nautical charts, as well as extensive databases on 

climate, oceans, ice, atmosphere, geophysics, and the sun. 

NOAA's primary technology transfer mechanism has historically been the open dissemination of 

scientific and technical information to individuals, industry, government, and universities. This 

transfer means is consistent with the agency’s mission and scientific tradition and has been found 

to be more efficient and economical than transfer through patenting and licensing. Even so, 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 41 
NOAA 

NOAA continues, where advantageous, to transfer intellectual property through licenses and 

CRADAs -- including to industry to benefit the competitiveness of U.S. companies. 

In FY 2005, NOAA conducted an extensive technology transfer program through applications of 

meteorological and oceanographic technologies and information, and through open 

dissemination to individuals, industry, government, and universities. In addition, NOAA 

provided daily weather forecasts and warnings through the media and NOAA Weather Radio. 

NOAA technology is transferred through presentations at scientific meetings, publication in 

peer-reviewed scientific journals, and through NOAA scientific and technical publications. For 

example, the NOAA laboratories in Boulder, Colorado published 397 articles in scientific 

journals and 226 papers in NOAA Tech Reports. NOAA Weather Radio has been integrated into 

the nation’s homeland security efforts and will be used to alert citizens to take precautions in 

response to chemical or nuclear spills and terrorist attacks. The system, called the all-hazards 

alert system, reaches more than 97 percent of U.S. territory on a 24/7 basis, through broadcasts in 

the 50 states and in U.S. territories. 

NOAA collaborates with other federal research agencies on science and technology development 

matters of joint interest. For example, NOAA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

teamed to provide new experimental air quality forecast guidance that enables state and local 

agencies to issue more accurate and geographically specific air quality warnings to the public. 

The annual cost of poor air quality to the U.S. from air pollution-related illnesses has been 

estimated at $150 billion. 

Furthermore, to ensure that the United States benefits from and fully exploits scientific research 

and technology developed abroad, NOAA collaborates and shares information with 

organizations in countries throughout the world. Through these international relationships, 

technology is transferred into NOAA for the eventual benefit of U.S. industry and public users. 

For instance, the understanding and forecasting of global phenomena that occur in the 

atmosphere, oceans, and on the sun requires worldwide collaboration and information sharing. 

This is accomplished through formal agreements with individual countries and participation in 

international organizations, such as the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the 

Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), and the International Astronomical Union 

(IAU). NOAA also participates in international scientific programs and shares technology and 

scientific data, such as in the Global Earth Observation System. This effort involves nearly 50 

other countries, the European Commission, and 29 international organizations. NOAA also 

provides technical assistance and training to individuals from other countries, and participates in 

a visiting scientist program. In addition, environmental data is shared through NOAA 

participation in the World Data Center program. 

In the future, NOAA will continue to direct its technology transfer and international 

collaboration activities toward four mission goals: 1. protect, restore, and manage the use of 

coastal and ocean resources through ecosystem-based management; 2. understand climate 

variability and change to enhance society’s ability to plan and respond; 3. serve society’s needs 

for weather and water information; and 4. support the Nation’s commerce with information for 

safe, efficient, and environmentally-sound transportation. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 42 
NOAA 

2. Performance in FY 2005: Activities and Achievements 

■ Collaborative Relationships for Research & Development 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● CRADAs, total active in the FY (1) 10 10 11 9 8 

 - New, executed in the FY 3 1 0 0 0 

▪ Traditional CRADAs, (2) total active in the FY 10 10 11 9 8 

 - New, executed in the FY 3 1 0 0 0 

▪ Non-traditional CRADAs, (3) total active in the FY 0 0 0 0 0 

 - New, executed in the FY 0 0 0 0 0 

● Other types of collaborative R&D relationships 0 0 0 0 0 

CRADA = Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. 

(1) “Active” = legally in force at any time during the FY. “Total active” is comprehensive of all agreements 

executed under CRADA authority (15 USC 3710a). 

(2) CRADAs involving collaborative research and development by a federal laboratory and non-federal partners. 

(3) CRADAs used for special purposes -- such as, material transfer or technical assistance that may result in 

protected information. 

■ Invention Disclosure and Patenting 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● New inventions disclosed in the FY (1) 1 1 5 2 1 

● Patent applications filed in the FY (2) 3 0 0 0 0 

● Patents issued in the FY 1 5 1 1 1 

(1) Inventions arising at the federal lab. 

(2) Tally includes U.S. patent applications, foreign patent applications filed on cases for which no U.S. application 

was filed, divisional applications, and continuation-in-part applications. Excludes provisional, continuation, 

duplicate foreign, and PCT applications. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 43 
NOAA 

■ Licensing 

Profile of Active Licenses 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● All licenses, number total active in the FY (1) 2 3 5 5 4 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 1 1 2 0 0 

▪ Invention licenses, total active in the FY 2 3 5 5 4 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 1 1 2 0 0 

 - Patent licenses, (2) total active in FY 2 3 5 5 4 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 1 1 2 0 0 

 - Material transfer licenses (inventions), total active 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 0 0 0 0 0 

 - Other invention licenses, total active in the FY 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 0 0 0 0 0 

▪ Other IP licenses, total active in the FY 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 0 0 0 0 0 

 - Copyright licenses (fee bearing) 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 

 - Material transfer licenses (non-inventions), total active 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 

 - Other, total active in the FY 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 

Multiple inventions in a single license are counted as one license. Licenses that include both patents and copyrights 

(hybrid licenses) are reported as patent licenses and are not included in the count of copyright licenses. 

(1) “Active” = legally in force at any time during the FY. 

(2) Patent license tally includes patent applications which are licensed. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 44 
NOAA 

Licensing Management 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● Elapsed execution time, (1) licenses granted in the FY 

▪ Invention licenses

 ▫ Average , months *6.0 *8.0 5.0 ** ** 

 ▫ Minimum 6.0 

 ▫ Maximum 7.0 

 - Patent licenses (2)

 ▫ Average , months *6.0 *8.0 5.0 ** ** 

 ▫ Minimum 6.0 

 ▫ Maximum 7.0 

● Licenses terminated for cause, number in the FY

▪ Invention licenses 0 0 0 0 0 

 - Patent licenses (2) 0 0 0 0 0 

Data included in this table (intentionally) addresses only invention licenses, with patent licenses distinguished as a 

sub-class. 

* Only a single new license was executed in FY 2001 and 2002. Thus, there is no range of execution times to 

report. 

** No new licenses were executed in FY 2004 or FY 2005. 

(1) Date of license application to the date of license execution. (Date of license application is the date the lab 

formally acknowledges the written request for a license from a prospective licensee and agrees to enter into 

negotiations.) 

(2) Patent license tally includes patent applications which are licensed. 

Characteristics of Licenses Bearing Income 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● All income bearing licenses, total number 2 3 5 5 4 

 ▫ Exclusive 1 1 1 1 1 

 ▫ Partially exclusive 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ Non-exclusive 1 2 4 4 3 

▪ Invention licenses, income bearing 2 3 5 5 4 

 ▫ Exclusive 1 1 1 1 1 

 ▫ Partially exclusive 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ Non-exclusive 1 2 4 4 3 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 45 
NOAA 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY FY 

2004 2005

 - Patent licenses, (1) income bearing 2 3 5 5 4 

 ▫ Exclusive 1 1 1 1 1 

 ▫ Partially exclusive 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ Non-exclusive 1 2 4 4 3 

▪ Other IP licenses, income bearing 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ Exclusive 

 ▫ Partially exclusive 

 ▫ Non-exclusive 

 - Copyright licenses (fee bearing) 

 ▫ Exclusive 

 ▫ Partially exclusive 

 ▫ Non-exclusive 

● All royalty bearing licenses, (2) total number 2 3 5 5 4 

▪ Invention licenses, royalty bearing 2 3 5 5 4 

 - Patent licenses, (1) royalty bearing 2 3 5 5 4 

▪ Other IP licenses, royalty bearing 0 0 0 0 0 

 - Copyright licenses (fee bearing) 

In general, license income can result from various sources: license issue fees, earned royalties, minimum annual 

royalties, paid-up license fees, and reimbursement for full-cost recovery of goods and services provided by the lab to 

the licensee including patent costs. 

(1) Patent license tally includes patent applications which are licensed. 

(2) Note that royalties are one component of total license income. 

Income from Licenses 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● Total income, all licenses active in the FY (1) $1,600 $9,402 $4,716 $24,961 $16,100 

▪ Invention licenses $1,600 $9,402 $4,716 $24,961 $16,100 

 - Patent licenses (2) $1,600 $9,402 $4,716 $24,961 $16,100 

▪ Other IP licenses, total active in the FY 0 0 0 0 0 

 - Copyright licenses 

● Total Earned Royalty Income (ERI) (3) $1,600 $9,402 $4,716 $24,961 $16,100 

 ▫ Median ERI $800 $1,333 $696 $1,923 $1,000 

 ▫ Minimum ERI $100 $100 $100 $116 $100 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 46 
NOAA 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY FY 

2004 2005

 ▫ Maximum ERI $1,500 $7,969 $1,920 $21,000 $9,000 

 ▫ ERI from top 1% of licenses $1,500 $7,969 $1,920 $21,000 $9,000 

 ▫ ERI from top 5% of licenses $1,500 $7,969 $1,920 $21,000 $9,000 

 ▫ ERI from top 20% of licenses $1,500 $7,969 $1,920 $21,000 $9,000 

▪ Invention licenses $1,600 $9,402 $4,716 $24,961 $16,100 

 ▫ Median ERI $800 $1,333 $696 $1,923 $1,000 

 ▫ Minimum ERI $100 $100 $100 $116 $100 

 ▫ Maximum ERI $1,500 $7,969 $1,920 $21,000 $9,000 

 ▫ ERI from top 1% of licenses $1,500 $7,969 $1,920 $21,000 $9,000 

 ▫ ERI from top 5% of licenses $1,500 $7,969 $1,920 $21,000 $9,000 

 ▫ ERI from top 20% of licenses $1,500 $7,969 $1,920 $21,000 $9,000 

 - Patent licenses (2) $1,600 $9,402 $4,716 $24,961 $16,100 

 ▫ Median ERI $800 $1,333 $696 $1,923 $1,000 

 ▫ Minimum ERI $100 $100 $100 $116 $100 

 ▫ Maximum ERI $1,500 $7,969 $1,920 $21,000 $9,000 

 ▫ ERI from top 1% of licenses $1,500 $7,969 $1,920 $21,000 $9,000 

 ▫ ERI from top 5% of licenses $1,500 $7,969 $1,920 $21,000 $9,000 

 ▫ ERI from top 20% of licenses $1,500 $7,969 $1,920 $21,000 $9,000 

▪ Other IP licenses, total active in the FY 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ Median ERI 

 ▫ Minimum ERI 

 ▫ Maximum ERI 

 ▫ ERI from top 1% of licenses 

 ▫ ERI from top 5% of licenses 

 ▫ ERI from top 20% of licenses 

 - Copyright licenses 

 ▫ Median ERI 

 ▫ Minimum ERI 

 ▫ Maximum ERI 

 ▫ ERI from top 1% of licenses 

 ▫ ERI from top 5% of licenses 

 ▫ ERI from top 20% of licenses 

(1) Total income includes license issue fees, earned royalties, minimum annual royalties, paid-up license fees, and 

reimbursement for full-cost recovery of goods and services provided by the lab to the licensee including patent 

costs. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 47 
NOAA 

(2) Patent license tally includes patent applications which are licensed. 

(3) “Earned royalty” = royalty based upon use of a licensed invention (usually, a percentage of sales or of units 

sold). Not a license issue fee or a minimum royalty. 

Disposition of License Income 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● Income distributed (1)

 ▪ Invention licenses, total distributed $1,600 $9,402 $4,716 $24,961 $16,100 

 - To inventor(s) $1,500

(94%) 

$696

(7%) 

$1,130 

(24%) 

$11,070

(44%) 

$8,400

(52%) 

 - To other $100

(6%) 

$8,706

(93%) 

$3,586 

(76%) 

$13,891

(56%) 

$7,700

(48%) 

 - Patent licenses, (2) total distributed $1,600 $9,402 $4,716 $24,961 $16,100 

$1,500

(94%) 

$696

(7%) 

$1,130 

(24%) 

$11,070

(44%) 

$8,400

(52%) 

$100

(6%) 

$8,706

(93%) 

$3,586 

(76%) 

$13,891

(56%) 

$7,700

(48%) 

Invention licenses are the chief policy interest regarding disposition of income; content of table reflects this focus. 

(1) Income includes royalties and other payments received during the FY. 

(2) Patent license tally includes patent applications which are licensed. 

■ Other Performance Measures Deemed Important by the Agency 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

Journal articles published 544 529 626 419 397 

Technical reports published 274 363 245 300 226 

Represents publications by NOAA laboratories in Boulder, Colorado. 

■ Outcomes from Technology Transfer 

For this year’s annual report, the cases described below are provided as examples of the 

downstream outcomes being achieved by NOAA technology transfer efforts: 

 Tsunami warning system. National and international demand for tsunami forecasts soared 

after the December 26, 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, which killed approximately 300,000 

people and caused over $13B in damage. NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory 

(PMEL) developed the tsunameter, which is positioned on the seafloor and measures water level 

data in real time and transmits the data to a surface buoy, which then relays the data to NOAA’s 

Tsunami Warning Centers. PMEL tsunami scientists developed forecast models to interpret the 

measurements and predict trans-oceanic tsunami propagation and the site-specific inundation of 

coastal communities. Together, these two new capabilities produce a fast, accurate, reliable 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 48 
NOAA 

forecast of the tsunami impact on coastal communities and reduce costly and dangerous false 

alarms. 

The tsunameter was incorporated into the Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis 

(DART) system. Each DART system consists of a tsunameter that rests on the seafloor and a 

surface buoy. The tsunameter continuously determines the height of the water column above it 

through high-precision pressure measurements. Software onboard the tsunameter searches the 

most recent measurements for a tsunami wave signature. When a tsunami wave is detected, the 

tsunameter begins to send high frequency time and water column height data to the surface buoy, 

using acoustic telemetry, through the water column. The buoy relays the data by satellite to 

tsunami warning centers. Once activated by a tsunami wave, the high frequency data continues to 

be transmitted for several hours so that forecasters can observe the progress of the tsunami wave 

energy as it passes the tsunameter. 

PMEL has had numerous international inquiries regarding DART capabilities. Representatives 

from Australia will visit PMEL for training, and an international DART workshop is anticipated 

in early calendar 2006 to provide DART technical information to the international community. 

The Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) delivered and deployed a tsunami 

mooring system (DART) and spares to the Chilean government in support of their national 

tsunami warning program. In addition to the system hardware and software, PMEL provided 

training and expertise in the initial deployment of the package. This system is compatible with 

U.S. systems and the information is available to NOAA Tsunami Warning Centers. NOAA’s 

PMEL received the FY 2005 DOC Gold Metal for Scientific and Engineering Achievement 

Associated with the Development of a Tsunami Forecasting Capability for NOAA. 

 Science On a Sphere. Science On a SphereTM uses computers coupled with projectors to 

display NOAA’s global science in an engaging three-dimensional representation of the Earth’s 

features, as if they were viewed from space. NOAA is working cooperatively with industry, 

governments, and non-profit organizations to install and support Science On a Sphere systems at 

museums and science centers around the United States. NOAA’s Forecast Systems Laboratory 

(FSL) was awarded a patent for Science On a Sphere in 2005. 

In June 2005, NOAA and Nauticus officials transferred NOAA’s Science On a Sphere 

technology to the National Maritime Center in Norfolk, Virginia. This new technology, in 

partnership with NOAA’s teacher research center at Nauticus, will give the National Maritime 

Center a teaching tool to enhance the learning experience for local school classes and visitors to 

this facility. Science On a Sphere is, in essence, a large, computer generated globe which gives 

the viewer an animated view of a planet's oceans, atmosphere, and land. It is typically installed in 

a large room in a way that allows viewers to walk around the sphere. 

In 2005, NOAA provided a grant opportunity, available to nearly any applicant, to help pay 

for the hardware pieces required to build a Science On a Sphere system. As a result, four other 

museums and science centers (in addition to Nauticus) received grant funding to obtain a Science 

On a Sphere system. NOAA's roles include providing the core software, assisting setup, and 

assistance in managing the system. Commercial vendors provide the hardware and components 

for the system. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 49 
NOAA 

A key NOAA contribution is to providing rich data sets for the sphere that help teach some 

aspect of planetary science. Examples are near real time weather data, ocean simulations, and 

visualization showing climate change. NOAA's ultimate goal is to increase public understanding 

of the environment and earth system processes. 

A representative of Czarnowski Exhibit Service Specialists (an $80 million company) visited 

NOAA to view the Science On a Sphere system. Discussions took place and the firm is now 

analyzing how they might be able to use Science On a Sphere in its business. 

 Solar calculator – a hot Web site. NOAA’s Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) Solar Radiation 

Research Branch has posted a solar calculator that received 66,000 Web hits from a variety of 

sources (www.srrb.noaa.gov/highlights/sunrise/gen.html. Calculations in the NOAA 

Sunrise/Sunset and Solar Position Calculators are based on equations from Astronomical 

Algorithms, by Jean Meeus. The basic calculations are available in several published forms, but 

this site provides greater convenience of use. 

Sunrise and sunset results have been verified to be accurate to within a minute for locations 

between +/- 72° latitude, and within 10 minutes outside of those latitudes. The website includes a 

.pdf file covering low accuracy solar position equations, as well as higher accuracy JavaScript 

routines used in the new and improved calculators. These calculators are based on the current 

Gregorian calendar, extrapolated backward through time. The approximations used in these 

programs are very good for years between 1800 and 2100 and, typically, are sufficiently accurate 

for the range from -1000 to 3000. Outside this range, results are provided, but the potential for 

error is higher. 

Of the 66,000 Web hits, known users include research scientists, students, religious 

organizations, legal authorities, and the public for event planning. Often there seems to be an 

interest in sunrise and sunset for the purpose of planning events. There is some, but minimal 

commercial use. Some anecdotal uses include: scientists calculating expected incoming solar 

radiation, architects planning solar lighting and heating in new buildings, movie shots planned 

for a sunset scene, car accident investigations, the National Transportation Safety Board 

investigating a plane crash, and sports fishing planning. 

 CMAQ air quality modeling system. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has 

identified the Community Multi-Scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model developed by staff at 

NOAA’s Air Resources Laboratory as the model of choice for regulatory purposes. The CMAQ 

also serves as the basis for the operational air quality forecasting capability which is presently in 

final stages of development by NOAA and EPA. 

There is a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between EPA and the Department of 

Commerce under which NOAA collaborates with EPA on the development and application of air 

quality models (e.g., CMAQ). EPA uses the CMAQ model to develop national policies for 

meeting and maintaining the relevant ambient air quality standards. The MOU also facilitates 

technology transfer to EPA's regulatory office. 

Updates to the CMAQ modeling system were introduced in 2005. This revised system was 

provided to EPA’s Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) for use in several 

national rulemaking actions and also to the Community Modeling and Analysis System center 

for public access, including to states and local areas for their air quality management activities 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 50 
NOAA 

(State Implementation Plans). The model revisions included improvements to its aerosol and 

chemistry algorithms, including the addition of sea salt aerosols, twenty air toxics species, and a 

new version of the Carbon Bond gas-phase chemical mechanism. Improvements were also made 

to the physical simulation processes of cloud mixing, vertical diffusion, and mass continuity. An 

annual simulation of the model covering all of 2001, for the continental U.S. and for the Eastern 

U.S. at a higher (12km ×12km) grid resolution, was run to test the accuracy and reliability of the 

revised model. EPA’s OAQPS also made use of this latest model version (CMAQv4.5) in its 

analyses of potential impacts of the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR). 

 Eta-CMAQ air quality model forecast system. In preparation for the 2005 ozone forecast 

season, the forecasting version of the CMAQ air quality modeling system was upgraded and 

transferred to NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) in March 2005 for use in its 

operational ozone model forecast activities. 

Major changes introduced as part of this upgrade included testing with a revised mesoscale Eta 

meteorological model, revisions to the cloud mixing scheme, adaptation of surface radiation 

values from the Eta model for chemistry calculations, and preparation of a suite of 2005 source 

emissions for the modeling system. 

Extensive testing on retrospective and real-time periods was performed in advance of the transfer 

of this forecast model to NWS. The new Eta-CMAQ model system has performed quite well 

throughout the 2005 ozone forecast season for the northeastern United States, with reduced 

biases as compared to its performance during the 2004 season. 

The Eta-CMAQ system has also been transferred to state air pollution agencies (e.g, New York) 

for use in issuing health advisory warnings. In addition, NOAA has been working with other 

federal agencies (e.g., EPA, USFS, NASA) and academics with interest in the modeling system. 

 CMAQ air quality modeling for environmental public health tracking. The Centers for 

Disease Control (CDC) is collecting health data for symptoms of specific environmental 

stressors as part of its Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (EPHTN) program. The 

States involved in this program need information about local air quality conditions, but the 

existing observational networks are too sparse to adequately provide this information. As such, 

simulations from NOAA’s CMAQ air quality modeling system are assisting by providing 

information about the spatial distribution of ozone and particulate matter (PM2.5). 

Based on advanced statistical methods, ozone spatial fields and PM2.5 surfaces are generated 

using observed values and interpolations based on model predictions. These CMAQ results for 

the year 2001 have been provided to the states involved in the CDC’s EPHTN for analysis, while 

these states continue to build their health datasets. 

As part of a pilot project wit EPA and CDC, this CMAQ output has been transferred to a number 

of state agencies (including New York, Wisconsin, Maine) to examine the relationships between 

air quality and human health. NOAA is also currently exploring ways to enhance collaboration 

among EPA, NOAA, CDC, and state agencies and make the CMAQ output available to all state 

agencies on a routine basis as part of the EPHTN. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 51 
NOAA 

 FX-Net transferred to the EPA for state and local air quality forecasting. NOAA and EPA 

have agreed to provide the FX-Net weather forecasting system to state and local air quality 

forecasters nationwide. 

The FX-Net system is being offered to state, regional and city air quality forecasters to 

supplement their current methods of real-time weather and air quality data gathering and 

analysis. EPA air quality observations and the NOAA/EPA real-time air quality model, CMAQ, 

have been added to the real-time NOAAPort data distributed and displayed by FX-Net. This time 

and special matching of air quality and atmospheric data give forecasters real-time capabilities 

not available to them previously when data were gathered from web sites and displayed using a 

variety of web-based data manipulators. Using FX-Net air quality, forecasters can now overlay a 

wind field on an air quality forecast or a visible satellite image and add real-time air quality 

observations in preparation for their air quality forecasting tasks. 

 RSA weather support team supporting the US Space and Missile Program. NOAA’s Forecast 

Systems Laboratory (FLC), Range Standardization and Automation (RSA) Team and the 

Lockheed-Martin Corporation (LMC) have jointly developed a cooperative Statement of Work 

to install a state-of-the-art weather analysis, forecast, product generation, and display system to 

support the United States Space and Missile Program at the Eastern Range (Cape Canaveral) and 

Western Range (Vandenberg AFB). This system, termed the RSA Weather System, is designed 

to collect all the unique meteorological data available at the ranges, rapidly update and display 

data, and generate analysis and forecast products of local to global scale. FLC received a NOAA 

Technology Transfer Award in FY 2005 for its development and implementation of the RSA 

Weather System. 

Data management, processing, and display by the RSA Weather System are based on the 

National Weather Service’s Advanced Weather Interactive and Processing System (AWIPS), 

developed within the NOAA laboratory system. This required substantial reconfiguration of 

AWIPS for new datasets, analysis, and modeling displays. The RSA system also includes a 

sophisticated local weather analysis and prediction system, consisting of LAPS (the Local 

Analysis and Prediction System, also developed in NOAA laboratories), and the Mesomodel5, 

(MM5, developed and supported at the National Center for Atmospheric Research). The 

LAPS/MM5 system has three nested domains with horizontal grid resolutions of 10, 3.3, and 1.1 

km. This modeling system is one of the highest-resolution weather prediction systems in the 

nation that is routinely running in support of a U.S. government operation. 

The agreement with Lockheed-Martin provided for transfer of NOAA technology to the end 

customers, the Eastern and Western launch ranges. Lockheed-Martin, as prime contractor to the 

USAF, was responsible for integration of the weather component with the many other system 

components at these sites. Through the joint efforts with FSL, Lockheed-Martin has gained the 

expertise to install and support the weather component at these ranges. While some expert 

support from FSL may continue to be needed, Lockheed-Martin has sufficient knowledge to be 

the integrator and prime contractor of this technology for other customers – and is in a position 

to propose the RSA Weather System for other government and commercial applications. 

Government agencies, such as FAA, NWS, and USAF, increasingly depend on the private sector 

to provide and support mission-critical systems. On the commercial side, potential customers of 

this technology include the major airlines, who particularly depend on weather information for 

safe and efficient routing of flights. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 52 
NOAA 

 New software for satellite tropical cyclone analysis software transferred to Japan. 

Software embodying a new method for estimating tropical cyclone wind fields from the 

Advanced Microwave Sounder Unit (AMSU) on the NOAA polar-orbiting satellites was 

transferred to the Japan Meteorological Agency/Meteorological Research Institute (JMA/MRI). 

This software provides a new method to estimate the outer wind circulation in tropical cyclones, 

which is important for ship routing and in estimating the timing of the arrival of gale force winds 

during typhoon landfalls. The ability to monitor tropical cyclones from satellites is especially 

valuable in the eastern hemisphere, where aircraft reconnaissance data is not routinely available. 

The software was originally developed by NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data and 

Information Service scientists and was improved during a year long visit to NOAA by a 

JMA/MRI researcher. Benefits of the transfer include: (1) providing a potential new monitoring 

capability to JMA for their typhoon warning program, (2) fostering continued collaboration 

between JMA and NOAA, and (3) providing test data for the algorithm in an ocean basin (the 

western Pacific) with different tropical cyclone characteristics than the one in which the 

algorithm was developed (the Atlantic). 

 Space and tropospheric weather models improve GPS positioning and navigation 

accuracy. Now that “selective availability,” the policy of denying the full accuracy of the Global 

Positioning System (GPS) to non-military users has ended, the largest source of GPS positioning 

and navigation error comes from the Earth’s atmosphere. Atmospheric scientists at NOAA’s 

Space Environment Center are currently using ground based GPS observations to monitor the 

total electron content of the ionosphere and to improve predictions of geomagnetic storms. 

Geomagnetic storms can seriously damage the power grid, impact spacecraft operations, and 

other systems such as pipelines, high frequency radio propagation, and low frequency radio 

navigation. They can also impact the health and safety of astronauts and passengers in high 

altitude aircraft traveling near the poles. Similarly, scientists at the NOAA Environmental 

System Research Laboratory’s Global Systems Division are using ground based GPS 

observations for weather forecasting, climate monitoring research, and other applications. These 

observations are assimilated into space and tropospheric weather models that can be inverted to 

estimate the magnitude of the impact that the ionosphere and troposphere will have on GPS 

positioning and navigation accuracy. Armed with this knowledge, users of GPS can make 

significant improvements in their real-time measurement accuracy. 

Applications of this new technology include: 

 Reducing the amount of time needed to achieve a desired level of positional accuracy for 

engineering surveys; 

 Providing real-time decimeter level positioning accuracy for applications such as 

autonomous vehicle navigation, determining the amount of water under the keel of 

heavily loaded ships entering port, and positive train control in freight yards and depots; 

 Improving aircraft navigation and safety, intelligent transportation systems, homeland 

security and national defense. 

The tropospheric delay model is currently being evaluated by two commercial companies and 

several universities. NASA is also considering use of the model. 

 GPS observations into operational NOAA weather models. Data from the network of 

ground based Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers located mostly over the Continental 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 53 
NOAA 

U.S. are also being used in operational NOAA weather forecast models. The network provides 

improved atmospheric water vapor measurements for weather forecasting, climate monitoring, 

and research. Other applications for GPS meteorology include Space Weather forecasting, 

quality controlling global radiosonde moisture measurements, calibrating and validating satellite 

moisture and temperature measurements, and providing atmospheric correctors for high accuracy 

GPS positioning and navigation. Data and operational experience from this network are also 

being used by other nations, most notably Canada, to evaluate and develop a GPS observing 

system of their own. Under the provisions of the Global Earth Observing System of Systems 

(GEOSS) agreement signed by the U.S., Canada, and approximately 60 other nations, GPS-Met 

observations will be freely shared in near real-time to provide all-weather global coverage in 

support of atmospheric science, geodesy and geophysics, high accuracy positioning and 

navigation, and land, sea, and air transportation. An overview of this activity is available in the 

Federal Laboratory Consortium’s NewsLink of September 2005 issue (page 2) (see 

www.federallabs.org/ContentObjects/News/NewsLink/NewsLinkSeptember2005.pdf ) 

 Climate Modeling. NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) team has 

developed timely, state-of-art model simulations of past, present, and future climates. This group 

has prepared over 7,000 years of climate simulations and enabled open access to the data sets. 

Results from a recent international workshop support the conclusion that the GFDL climate 

model is among the best in the world. This work lays the basis for addressing a number of 

critical questions about the nation’s current and future environment: will the droughts in the west 

continue; will there be a change in the fisheries in the Pacific NW; will temperatures over the 

U.S. continue to get warmer and by how much; are El Nino impacts getting stronger; what are 

the environmental benefits and unintended consequences of new energy techniques? 

This output is easily available through the Internet. A large amount of data has been shipped to 

the repository of the Dept. of Energy’s Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and 

Intercomparison (PCMDI); the information is also available locally from a dedicated GFDL Web 

portal. Extensive data manipulation efforts were needed to enable easy access and use by outside 

users. GFDL was one of the first centers to store data in the PCMDI archive. Over 500 users 

have downloaded data from GFDL; 293 users have accessed the PCMDI site. Over 8000 

gigabytes of data (enough to completely fill the disks of 100 PCs) has been distributed. A broad 

cross section of international and national researchers has been served by these actions. 

The GFDL Modeling Team received a Department of Commerce Silver Medal for establishing 

NOAA as a leading source of credible, model-based, scientific information about the past and 

future climate for national and international climate assessments. 

 Users of Scientific Graphics Toolkit and ncBrowse increase. These Java-based tools, 

developed by NOAA, which more easily visualize oceanographic (and other) data for both Webbased and desktop applications had increased users in 2005. 

The Scientific Graphics Toolkit (SGT) is designed to aid developers in producing scientific 

graphics applications. SGT Beans can be used with several Java integrated development 

environments (NetBeans, JBuilder, etc.) and provides a graphical environment to configure and 

develop SGT applications. Over 9,600 users from 76 countries are now using the toolkit, 

including users from Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland, Russian Federation, 

South Africa, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 54 
NOAA 

ncBrowse is a general purpose Java desktop application designed to enable users to interactively 

browse and visualize data from netCDF files and OPeNDAP resources. netCDF is a file format 

commonly used by the oceanographic community to store both observations and model results. 

ncBrowse now has over 7,400 users from 71 countries, including Australia, Canada, France, 

Germany, Japan, Norway, Poland, Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. 

 Web-based access to distributed data sets. The NOAA-developed Live Access Server (LAS) 

is used by other Federal Agencies (NASA, Navy, DOE); internationally in support of major 

collaborations (Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment, GODAE; Hybrid Coordinate 

Ocean Model, HYCOM; and the International Pacific Research Center, IPRC); and at individual 

ocean research institutions in Japan, France, Germany, Italy, and other nations. In 2005, the 

number of estimated users has increased to 50-75 LAS systems. These are supported by a 

vigorous email users’ network. LAS is also a named component of the plan for Data 

Management and Communications (DMAC) within the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System 

(IOOS), in which NOAA is the designated lead agency. 

 Sonar processing algorithm. The Combined Uncertainty and Bathymetric Editor (CUBE) 

algorithm for processing multi-beam sonar data, developed by the University of New Hampshire 

(UNH) and NOAA Joint Hydrographic Center (JHC), was licensed to several major 

hydrographic software firms in 2004. It was also introduced for widespread use in commercial 

packages in 2005. This algorithm is rapidly becoming the standard worldwise for processing 

multi-beam sonar data. In parallel, the Navigation Surface algorithm for managing multi-beam 

data processed by CUBE, developed by a NOAA employee, was released for commercial 

application and has been incorporated into most of the same software packages. No license was 

involved; this technology is now open-source and being managed world-wide through an open 

navigation surface working group made up of representatives from government, academia, and 

industry. 

 Improving accessibility of integrated, quality controlled weather observations. NOAA's 

Earth System Research Laboratory, Global Systems Division (GSD), developed the 

Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System (MADIS) to make integrated, quality-controlled 

observations easily available and useable to the greater meteorological community. MADIS 

features access to both upper-air and surface datasets, including integrated automated aircraft 

reports and a unique, national collection of nearly 18,000 mesonet stations from local, state, 

federal agencies and private vendors. 

MADIS datasets have proven to be extremely useful to the meteorological community. The 

Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration views MADIS as the primary 

data management system to integrate data from more than 2,500 State Road Weather Information 

System (RWIS) platforms. GSD now supports hundreds of MADIS users, including the majority 

of NWS forecast offices, NCDC, NCEP, and many universities and major private companies. 

Additionally, MADIS supplies surface data providers with Quality Control (QC) and station 

monitoring information, which has proven very valuable in their maintenance activities. 

 Marketing Study. NOAA’s ORTA contracted for a three month marketing survey, to improve 

the transfer of NOAA technology to external entities, during which the contractor interviewed 

NOAA Laboratory personnel and small businessmen and developed a list of potential 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 55 
NOAA 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 56 

technologies to transfer to external entities. The contractor also identified companies interested 

in NOAA’s innovations. In addition to commercialization of NOAA research innovations, the 

contractor considered spin-off applications to other areas of technology. A technology called 

Windstopper was developed to address wind noise affecting microphones used to make 

measurement of winds aloft in tornados. The contractor came up with the idea of using the 

technology as a windstopper for backpacking and tailgate camping stoves. He contacted two 

potential licensees: MSR (www.msrcorp.com) and Brunton (www.brunton.com) both of whom 

expressed interest. NOAA obtained a signed nondisclosure agreement from the product 

development manager at Brunton. Cascade Designs, Inc., also signed a nondisclosure agreement. 

The contractor also contacted Czarnowski Exhibit Service Specialists, an $80 million company, 

to invite them to NOAA to see Science on a SphereTM. The firm is now analyzing how they 

might use Science on a SphereTM. 

Appendix: 

Progress in Improving the Agency’s Performance Metrics for Tech Transfer 

In future reports, the agency will list mission-related data that addresses NOAA's primary 

technology transfer mechanism, which is the open dissemination of its products and services. 

Presentations at scientific meetings, collaborative research (other than CRADAs), visiting 

scientists, data exchange agreements, numbers of data requests received by NOAA’s 

environmental data centers, and external agency studies are being investigated as metrics for 

reporting this aspect of NOAA's technology transfer activities. Annual figures for the number of 

publications in scientific journals and NOAA technical reports are already included. 
ITS/NTIA 

IV. NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION 

ADMINISTRATION -- INSTITUTE FOR TELECOMMUNICATION 

SCIENCES 

Technology Transfer at the Agency’s Federal Laboratories – Approach and 

Plans, FY 2005 Activities/Achievements 

I. Agency Approach and Plans for Technology Transfer 

The Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) is the chief research and engineering arm of 

the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). 

ITS supports such NTIA telecommunications objectives as promotion of advanced 

telecommunications and information infrastructure development in the United States, 

enhancement of domestic competitiveness, improvement of foreign trade opportunities for U.S. 

telecommunications firms, and facilitation of more efficient and effective use of the radio 

spectrum. ITS also serves as a principal federal resource for solving the telecommunications 

concerns of other federal agencies, state and local governments, private corporations and 

associations, and international organizations. 

ITS employs three principal means for achieving technology transfer: cooperative research and 

development, technical publications, and leadership and technical contributions in developing 

telecommunications standards. 

Cooperative research and development. Cooperative research and development agreements 

(CRADAs), based upon the Federal Technology Transfer Act (FTTA) of 1986, are a principal 

means through which ITS aids the private sector. The FTTA both provides a legal basis for and 

encourages shared use of government facilities and resources with the private sector in advanced 

telecommunications technologies. 

These CRADA partnerships aid in commercialization of new products and service; they also 

enhance the capabilities of ITS laboratories. In addition, they are the source of insight into 

industry’s needs for improved productivity and competitiveness; such information helps ITS 

adjust the focus and direction of its programs for greatest effectiveness and value. Private 

industry partners benefit through such cooperative relationships in that they are able to undertake 

research in commercially important areas that would not otherwise be feasible. 

In FY 2005, ITS fostered cooperative telecommunications research with industry where benefits 

can directly facilitate U.S. competitiveness and market opportunities. ITS also participated (as it 

has for a number of years) in CRADAs with private sector organizations to design, develop, test, 

and evaluate advanced telecommunication concepts. These efforts at technology transfer and 

commercialization will continue in future years. 

These CRADAs, to date, have enabled major contributions to technologies for personal 

communication services (PCS), local multipoint distribution service (LMDS), ultrawideband 

(UWB), Broadband over Power Line (BPL). These relationships have also aided U.S. efforts to 

rapidly introduce new, socially-beneficial, communications technologies. Most recently, 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 57 
ITS/NTIA 

CRADAs in the areas of objective audio and video quality and advanced antennas for wireless 

systems have enabled ITS to contribute to the development of new products and services. 

In addition, ITS continues to use the patent process to secure intellectual property rights in 

laboratory innovations with commercial promise. ITS plans to advance its mission and benefit 

the competitiveness of U.S. industry by pursuing opportunities to commercially license patents to 

CRADA partners and other interested parties. As an example, ITS is targeting software for 

implementing a video quality metric for commercial development. This software incorporates 

technology covered by two patents. Evaluation software has been requested by 100 parties in FY 

2005 for testing purposes and four commercial licensing agreements are currently being 

negotiated with U.S. corporations. 

Technical publications. Historically, technical publication has been the main channel through 

which ITS has transferred research results to other researchers, to the commercial sector, and to 

government agencies. Many of these publications – internal reports and monographs, and 

external, peer reviewed, scientific journal articles – have become standard references in several 

telecommunications areas. 

At present, technical publication remains a principal means for ITS technology transfer. Most of 

these technical publications are released only after going through an internal peer review process 

managed by the ITS Editorial Review Board (ERB). Of the publications released through the 

ERB process in recent years, approximately one half was approved for external publication in the 

scientific literature; a third was NTIA reports. 

Development of telecommunication standards. This third principal avenue for ITS technology 

transfer directly addresses U.S. competitiveness in telecommunications. For several decades, ITS 

has provided leadership and technical contributions to organizations, both national and 

international, that are responsible for developing telecommunication standards. For example, a 

plurality of the technical recommendations of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU 

– a treaty organization) are based on research conducted at ITS. Also, key national quality of 

service standards, developed under the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) T1 

committee for video, audio, and digital data incorporate research results obtained at ITS. 

In addition, ITS continues to chair numerous committees and working groups in the ITU, ANSI 

T1, and other telecommunication standards organizations, where it provides technical leadership 

that is trusted by the commercial sector participants. ITS technical inputs are relied upon as 

technically advanced, sound, and unbiased by commercial interests. 

In FY 2005, ITS continued its technical leadership and contributions to communications 

standards for public safety, particularly for first responders. The primary area of ITS contribution 

has been interoperability standards and testing procedures. Also, ITS’ objective video quality 

measurement method has been established as a national standard by ANSI. And, in testing by the 

ITU, this ITS method was identified as the best performing metric compared to others around the 

world. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 58 
ITS/NTIA 

II. Performance in FY 2005: Activities and Achievements 

■ Collaborative Relationships for Research & Development 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● CRADAs, total active in the FY (1) 65 63 239 319 280 

 - New, executed in the FY -- 6 178 185 185 

▪ Traditional CRADAs, (2) total active in the FY 6 6 5 7 7 

 - New, executed in the FY 1 0 0 3 5 

▪ Non-traditional CRADAs, (3, 4) total active in FY 59 57 234 312 273 

 - New, executed in the FY -- 6 178 182 180 

● Other types of collaborative R&D relationships 

▪ Collaborative standards contributions, (5)

 total active in FY 

3 3 2 11 11 

 - New, executed in the FY 3 0 1 0 0 

CRADA = Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. 

-- = Data not requested from agency in reports of last years. 

(1) “Active” = legally in force at any time during the FY. “Total active” is comprehensive of all agreements 

executed under CRADA authority (15 USC 3710a). 

(2) CRADAs involving collaborative research and development by a federal laboratory and non-federal partners. 

(3) CRADAs used for special purposes, such as material transfer or technical assistance that may result in protected 

information. (For example, CRADAs for Video Quality Software Evaluation.) 

(4) ITS’ Telecommunications Analysis Services (TA Services) is Internet accessible through Web-based electronic 

CRADAs. TA Services provides analysis support to private industry and public agencies in the areas of wireless 

system design and evaluation, and site selection. The service is provided on a cost-reimbursable basis, 24 hours 

a day/7 days a week throughout the year. TA Services currently reaches numerous government and private 

sector users across the nation, providing the latest versions of ITS-developed telecommunications models, 

databases, and tools. Use of the CRADA makes TA Services available to users in a short time and on a cost 

reimbursable basis. Additionally, CRADA partners provide useful evaluations of the ITS software used. This 

information aids ITS to improve existing software tools for wireless system design and analysis and to develop 

new ones – benefiting both ITS’ own research capabilities and the resources that outside users can draw upon. 

The CRADA agreement also allows ITS to gain valuable insights from users’ feedback about the rapidly 

changing needs of industry and government in telecommunications technology. 

(5) ITS works with industry, through a number of standards fora, to apply research results to the development of 

telecommunication performance standards and guidelines. In FY 2004, ITS worked collaboratively with the 

International Telecommunication Union, the Telecommunications Industry Association, the Alliance for 

Telecommunications Industry Solutions, and various Federal Public Safety groups to interpret and analyze 

standards and regulations. 

■ Invention Disclosure and Patenting 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● New inventions disclosed in the FY (1) 1 0 0 0 1 

● Patent applications filed in the FY (2) 0 1 0 0 0 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 59 
ITS/NTIA 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY FY 

2004 2005

● Patents issued in the FY 0 0 1 0 0 

● Active patents, end of the FY 5 6 6 6 6 

(1) Inventions arising at the federal lab. 

(2) Tally includes U.S. patent applications, foreign patent applications filed on cases for which no U.S. application 

was filed, divisional applications, and continuation-in-part applications. Excludes provisional, continuation, 

duplicate foreign, and PCT applications. 

■ Licensing 

Profile of Active Licenses 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● All licenses, number total active in the FY (1) 2 3 57 98 103 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 0 2 54 98 100 

▪ Invention licenses, total active in the FY 2 3 57 98 103 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 0 2 54 98 100 

 - Patent licenses, (2) total active in FY 2 3 57 3 3 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 0 2 54 3 0 

 - Material transfer licenses (inventions), total active 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 0 0 0 0 0 

 - Other invention licenses, (3) total active in the FY 0 0 0 95 100 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 0 0 0 95 100 

▪ Other IP licenses, total active in the FY 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 0 0 0 0 0 

 - Copyright licenses (fee bearing) 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 

 - Material transfer licenses (non-inventions), total active 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 

 - Other, total active in the FY 

 ▫ New, executed in the FY 

Multiple inventions in a single license are counted as one license. Licenses that include both patents and copyrights 

(hybrid licenses) are reported as patent licenses and not included in the count of copyright licenses. 

(1) “Active” = legally in force at any time during the FY. 

(2) Patent license tally includes patent applications which are licensed. 

(3) International copyright licenses (non fee bearing) for VQM technology 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 60 
ITS/NTIA 

Licensing Management 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● Elapsed execution time, (1) licenses granted in the FY 

▪ Invention licenses

 ▫ Average, months ** 5.0* 1.0 2.0 2.0 

 ▫ Minimum 1.0 1.0 1.0 

 ▫ Maximum 1.0 3.0 3.9 

 - Patent licenses (2)

 ▫ Average, months ** 5.0* 1.0 2.0 2.0 

 ▫ Minimum 1.0 1.0 1.0 

 ▫ Maximum 1.0 3.0 3.0 

● Licenses terminated for cause, number in the FY 

▪ Invention licenses 0 0 0 0 0 

 - Patent licenses (2) 0 0 0 0 0 

Data included in this table (intentionally) addresses only invention licenses, with patent licenses distinguished as a 

sub-class. 

* Only a single new license was executed in FY 2002. Therefore, there are no distributional statistics for elapsed 

execution time to report. 

** No new licenses were executed in FY 2001. 

(1) Date of license application to the date of license execution. (Date of license application is the date the lab 

formally acknowledges the written request for a license from a prospective licensee and agrees to enter into 

negotiations.) 

(2) Patent license tally includes patent applications which are licensed. 

Characteristics of Licenses Bearing Income 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● All income bearing licenses, total number 1 3 3 3 4 

 ▫ Exclusive 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ Partially exclusive 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ Non-exclusive 1 3 3 3 4 

▪ Invention licenses, income bearing 1 3 3 3 4 

 ▫ Exclusive 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ Partially exclusive 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ Non-exclusive 1 3 3 3 4 

 - Patent licenses, (1) income bearing 1 3 3 3 4 

 ▫ Exclusive 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ Partially exclusive 0 0 0 0 0 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 61 
ITS/NTIA 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY FY 

2004 2005

 ▫ Non-exclusive 1 3 3 3 4 

▪ Other IP licenses, income bearing 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ Exclusive 

 ▫ Partially exclusive 

 ▫ Non-exclusive 

- Copyright licenses (fee bearing) 0 0 0 0 0 

 ▫ Exclusive 

 ▫ Partially exclusive 

 ▫ Non-exclusive 

● All royalty bearing licenses, (2) total number 1 0 0 3 4 

▪ Invention licenses, royalty bearing 1 0 0 3 4 

 - Patent licenses, (1) royalty bearing 1 0 0 3 4 

▪ Other IP licenses, royalty bearing 0 0 0 0 0 

 - Copyright licenses (fee bearing) 

In general, license income can result from various sources: license issue fees, earned royalties, minimum annual 

royalties, paid-up license fees, and reimbursement for full-cost recovery of goods and services provided by the lab to 

the licensee including patent costs. 

(1) Patent license tally includes patent applications which are licensed. 

(2) Note that royalties are one component of total license income. 

Income from Licenses 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● Total income, all licenses active in the FY (1) $5,000 $65,470 $0 $33,500 $7,212 

▪ Invention licenses $5,000 $65,470 $0 $33,500 $7,212 

 - Patent licenses (2) $5,000 $65,470 $0 $33,500 $7,212 

▪ Other IP licenses, all active licenses in FY $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 

 - Copyright licenses 

● Total Earned Royalty Income (ERI) (3) $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 

 ▫ Median ERI 

 ▫ Minimum ERI 

 ▫ Maximum ERI 

 ▫ ERI from top 1% of licenses 

 ▫ ERI from top 5% of licenses 

 ▫ ERI from top 20% of licenses 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 62 
ITS/NTIA 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY FY 

2004 2005

▪ Invention licenses $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 

 ▫ Median ERI 

 ▫ Minimum ERI 

 ▫ Maximum ERI 

 ▫ ERI from top 1% of licenses 

 ▫ ERI from top 5% of licenses 

 ▫ ERI from top 20% of licenses 

- Patent licenses (2) $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 

 ▫ Median ERI 

 ▫ Minimum ERI 

 ▫ Maximum ERI 

 ▫ ERI from top 1% of licenses 

 ▫ ERI from top 5% of licenses 

 ▫ ERI from top 20% of licenses 

▪ Other IP licenses, total active in the FY $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 

 ▫ Median ERI 

 ▫ Minimum ERI 

 ▫ Maximum ERI 

 ▫ ERI from top 1% of licenses 

 ▫ ERI from top 5% of licenses 

 ▫ ERI from top 20% of licenses 

 - Copyright licenses 

 ▫ Median ERI 

 ▫ Minimum ERI 

 ▫ Maximum ERI 

 ▫ ERI from top 1% of licenses 

 ▫ ERI from top 5% of licenses 

 ▫ ERI from top 20% of licenses 

(1) Total income includes license issue fees, earned royalties, minimum annual royalties, paid-up license fees, and 

reimbursement for full-cost recovery of goods and services provided by the lab to the licensee including patent 

costs. 

(2) Patent license tally includes patent applications which are licensed. 

(3) “Earned royalty” = royalty based upon use of a licensed invention (usually, a percentage of sales or of units 

sold). Not a license issue fee or a minimum royalty. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 63 
ITS/NTIA 

Disposition of License Income 

FY 

2001

FY 

2002

FY 

2003

FY 

2004

FY 

2005

● Income distributed (1)

▪ Invention licenses, total distributed $5,000 $65,470 $0 $33,500 $7,212 

 - To inventor(s) $2,900

(58%) 

$21,041

(32%) 

$0 $18,450

(55%) 

$3,564

(49%) 

 - To other (3) $2,100

(42%) 

$44,429

(68%) 

$0 $15,050

(45%) 

$3,648

(51%) 

 - Patent licenses, (2) total distributed $5,000 $65,470 $0 $33,500 $7,212 

 - To inventor(s) $2,900

(58%) 

$21,041

(32%) 

$0 $18,450

(55%) 

$3,564

(49%) 

 - To other (3) $2,100

(42%) 

$44,429

(68%) 

$0 $15,050

(45%) 

$3,648

(51%) 

Invention licenses are the chief policy interest regarding disposition of income; the content of this table reflects this 

focus. 

(1) Income includes royalties and other payments received during the FY. 

(2) Patent license tally includes patent applications which are licensed. 

(3) To ITS/NTIA 

■ Other Performance Measures Deemed Important by the Agency 

FY 

2001 

FY 

2002 

FY 

2003 

FY 

2004 

FY 

2005 

Technical publications produced 17 17 20 17 19 

See “Technical Publications” above in the first section of this report for additional information on this topic. 

■ Outcomes from Technology Transfer 

For this year’s annual report, the cases described below are provided as examples of the 

downstream outcomes being achieved by ITS technology transfer efforts: 

 Video quality metric. ITS developed a superior method for measuring video quality 

objectively by machine that closely predicts the quality perceived by human subjects. This 

technology is covered by three patents owned by ITS/NTIA. In FY 2003, the ITS method was 

adopted by the ANSI as a U.S. national standard. In addition, the International 

Telecommunications Union (ITU) tested a number of proposed video quality metrics from 

around the world and found the ITS method superior. This ITS method became an international 

standard in 2004, as approved by the ITU. In FY 2004, ITS received an award from the Federal 

Laboratory Consortium (FLC) for its efforts to disseminate this technology both nationally and 

internationally. 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 64 
ITS/NTIA 

Annual Report on DoC Federal Lab Technology Transfer, FY 2005 edition (February 2006) Page 65 

ITS has targeted this technology for commercial development, perceiving potential of producing 

a royalty income for the laboratory within one year. To date, three commercial licenses and one 

CRADA have been negotiated with U.S. corporations -- with royalty and CRADA funding 

exceeding $100,000. Four new royalty bearing licenses are currently being negotiated. More than 

100 copies of software implementing the method were requested in FY 2005 for purposes of 

evaluation. 

 Ultra-wideband Study with Motorola. In 2004, ITS begun a cooperative research program 

with Motorola/Freescale Inc., to investigate the interference potential of various ultra-wideband 

(UWB) waveforms. The FCC permitted low power UWB emissions between 3.1 and 10.6 GHz 

in February 2003. And since then, a number of companies have developed UWB technologies 

for application in wireless personal area networking (WPAN), to achieve high data rates at short 

distances (less than 10 meters). In FY 2005, ITS developed measurement methods and 

procedures for characterizing these newest UWB signals in a way that enables accurate 

determination of the interference they could cause to digital satellite television systems. This 

work was of value to many beneficiaries, including standards development organizations, NTIA, 

FCC, the UWB industry, and the satellite television industry and service providers. It is also 

being used by many other countries. 

Appendix: 

Progress in Improving the Agency’s Performance Metrics for Tech Transfer 

ITS’ annual reporting on its technology transfer activities has been revised over last several years 

to conform to the Department of Commerce’s current guidelines. 

Starting in 2003, ITS added a new metric under the “Other Performance Measures” heading: the 

number of publications approved through the Editorial Review Board (ERB) process. Despite a 

few limitations, this metric provides a useful, working indication of the number of quality 

publications released to the public. Also, in 2004, ITS added another measure: participation on 

standards committees. 

In 2006, ITS plans to add another metric -- one that more directly provides an indication of 

ultimate benefit to the public. This new metric will be the total number of hits on the publications 

listed on the "ITS Online Documents."