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Appendix GUniversity Participation in the Advanced Technology ProgramThe Advanced Technology Program places special emphasis on working directly with industry, in contrast to other federal funding programs that provide primary support for R&D at universities and federal labs. By law only for-profit companies and industry-led joint ventures are allowed to receive ATP awards. But universities, a traditional source of research excellence in the United States, play a significant role in many ATP projects, either as subcontractors to private companies or as members of industry-led joint ventures. Out of the 280 projects selected by the ATP since its inception, 157 of the proposals included plans to involve one or more universities as either subcontractors or joint-venture members. In many of these cases, more than one academic institution was involved. There are over 260 individual instances of university participation in ATP projects all told. As some of the leading research institutions in the country, universities also are a valuable source of ideas for new ATP focused program areas. The ATP goal is to have a constantly changing portfolio of focused programs, with some programs drawing to a close and new programs starting. This requires a continuing supply of new, high-quality program ideas. Universities, federal labs, and independent research organizations are urged to participate in this process. The ATP offers a vehicle to help move ground-breaking academic research with the potential for revolutionary change from the laboratory into the nation's industries.
Modes of ParticipationThere are two ways that universities, federal labs, and non-profit independent research organizations can participate in ATP projects:
Any of these three types of organizations can serve as the catalyst to organize a joint venture; however, of these three organizations, only an IRO may submit the proposal and administer the project provided that the following conditions are met:
ATP Funding and Cost-SharingA university, federal lab, or IRO, if subcontracting to a single applicant, can recover both direct and indirect costs from the ATP, since the cost of the subcontract is considered a direct cost to the ATP applicant, and direct costs of ATP single applicants are 100 percent reimbursable up to $2 million. (The ATP does not pay for tuition for students participating in university subcontracts, however.) A university, federal lab, or IRO participating as a partner in a joint venture may share costs if it wishes, but it is not required to do so. The industry partners may cover university, federal lab, or IRO's share of the costs.
Intellectual PropertyAn important provision of the ATP legislation regarding intellectual property rights affects universities, federal labs, and IROs-patents resulting from ATP awards must be vested in a company or companies incorporated in the United States. Thus, unless an organization participating in an ATP project is a for-profit company, it cannot retain title to patents resulting from ATP-sponsored R&D, although such an organization can receive mutually agreeable payments (either one time or continuing) from the company or companies holding title to the patent. The Clinton Administration has supported, and the Congress has considered, legislation that would change this provision; however, with the law as currently written, ATP cannot waive this legislatively mandated provision.
University Participants The following is a partial
list of universities and other academic institutions participating in
ATP projects, assembled from project proposals. (The ATP is not always
informed of every incidence of university participation in projects as
subcontractors or consultants.)
Return to main page. Date created: April
16, 1996 |
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