Technical Collaboration Program
The MDF Technical Collaboration program engages industry partners in short-term, collaborative projects with ORNL staff to accelerate the development and deployment of new energy efficient manufacturing technologies, materials, or processes for the benefit of US manufacturing.
Accelerating Technical Solutions
Since 2012, MDF has executed more than 270 collaborative projects with industry and other national laboratories. Projects use an affordable cost shared model to collaboratively investigate, improve, and scale process methodology to reduce risks and accelerate development and deployment.
MDF’s impact on economic development and industrial progress is immense, with more than 200 patents and applications, about 60 technologies licensed to industry, and more than 20 startups based on ORNL-developed technologies.
Leveraging ORNL’s expertise in additive manufacturing, we’re able to test and make adjustments quickly, which reduces our cost and lead time in designing and making components. This can be critical to the success of fabricating a new energy system.
Emily Morris, Emrgy founder and CEO
Leverage ORNL’s vast capabilities, experts, and facilities
Through MDF, ORNL offers distinctive world-leading capabilities in manufacturing and materials research technologies and characterization facilities. MDF provides a collaborative, shared infrastructure to help industry adopt energy efficient, rapid, and flexible manufacturing technologies to lower production cost, and create new products and opportunities for high-paying jobs.
ORNL’s expertise in material synthesis, characterization, and process technology will assist manufacturing industries in conducting assessments of new fabrication concepts and methods for improving existing technologies. The materials and processing technologies developed are expected to be deployed in new or existing manufacturing facilities.
Benefits of the TCP
Helps reduce industry risk in adopting energy efficient, rapid, and flexible manufacturing technologies to lower production cost and create new products and opportunities for high-paying jobs.
Accelerates industry’s development and deployment of innovative energy efficient manufacturing and materials technologies.
The nature of TCP’s cost-share requirements means that no money changes hands. Both ORNL and the company contribute equal amounts.
Industry partners retain rights to subject inventions they generate in performing their tasks.
TCP has a fast-track CRADA approval process or User Agreement process to help the program move at the speed of industry.
MDF leverages cross-functional, interdisciplinary teams from across ORNL in materials, imaging, and computation to deepen the expertise and capabilities present for every project.
How TCP Works
Project Development/Agreement: 3–4 months*
- A company engages ORNL through MDF (contact Bob Slattery)
- ORNL and the industry partner co-develop a project proposal
- The proposal is submitted to the Department of Energy (rolling cycle every two weeks)
- A project agreement is established
Project Execution: six months to two years
- Project scope is executed
- A final project report is created
*Agreement processing times for international companies is about twice as long due to additional DOE reviews.
Contact
Bob Slattery
Industrial Collaborations Manager
Manufacturing Demonstration Facility