DOE Establishes Office of Technology Transitions

The Department of Energy has created an Office of Technology Transitions designed to help better commercialize research efforts at DOE laboratories, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said yesterday. The office will coordinate the commercialization across DOE, managing the $20 million Energy Technology Commercialization Fund, which aims to promote applied energy research and development efforts that can be translated and marketed by industry. Solid state lighting, vehicle batteries and solar panels all originated at DOE’s national laboratories, the Department noted. “Through technology transfer, commercialization, and deployment activities, the Department of Energy has made significant contributions to economic growth in the United States,” Moniz said in a statement. “The Office of Technology Transitions will give the Department the opportunity to increase the American people’s return on investment in federally-funded science and energy research.” Jetta Wong, the director of the Lab Impact Initiative in the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, will serve as acting director of the office until a permanent leader is selected.