Department Of Energy Laboratory Modernization And Technology Transfer Act Of 2015 PDF Download

The Department of Energy (DOE)spends billions of dollars each yearat its national laboratories onadvanced science, energy, andother research. To maximize thepublic's investment and to fostereconomic growth, federal laws andpolicies have encouraged thetransfer of federally developedtechnologies to private firms,universities, and others to use orcommercialize. The AmericanRecovery and Reinvestment Act of2009 further emphasized the role ofsuch technologies for addressingthe nation's energy, economic, andother challenges.Congress requested GAO toexamine (1) the nature and extentof technology transfer at DOE'slaboratories; (2) the extent towhich DOE can measure theeffectiveness of its technologytransfer efforts; and (3) factorsaffecting, and approaches forimproving, DOE's efforts. GAOanalyzed documents and data andspoke with officials at DOEheadquarters and all 17 DOEnational laboratories.GAO is recommending a number ofactions, including that DOEarticulate departmental prioritiesand a definition for technologytransfer, improve its performance