The challenges that confront our global community demand that we invest in new technologies to better understand and navigate the ocean environment. The need for innovation is driven by heightened security concerns, increased pressure for sustainable use of the ocean, understanding climate change, new shipping routes, and the search for hydrocarbon resources in increasingly deep and hostile environments. Innovation is often spawned by technology transfer partnerships such as commercialization of knowledge or inventions developed at government or university research laboratories, collaborative R&D between organizations, joint ventures, sub-contracting and development of dual-use technologies.

Technology transfer has become increasingly global. This is particularly the case in the ocean technology sector, due to the very nature of the oceanic medium in which we work spanning distances between continents and providing physical and commercial connections between nations and markets. Currently, international technology transfer largely is passive, as technology transfer officers often may not know how to leverage cross-border networks and identify potential commercialization partners.  In addition, there are unique challenges, opportunities and legal issues associated with working international industry and research partners.

This seminar will bring together government, industry and academic members from multiple countries to explore the following topics:

• The current state of government funded technology transfer, including the types of national and regional technology transfer related offices and programs.
• Partnering and funding mechanisms used in international technology transfer
• Industry views on the value of technology transfer
• Economic development due to government-funded technology transfer
• Legal issues and challenges associated with cross-border technology transfer, partnerships and commercialization

 This session will comprise three panel discussions and presentations:

“International Partnerships: Ocean Technology Collaborations with Government, Academia, and Industry”
Michael Larkin
Technology Transfer Manager
U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center

“Economic Development Results of Public Private Partnerships and Technology Commercialization”
Dr. Theresa A. Baus
Head, Technology Partnerships Office
U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center

“Marine Industry Technology Transfer:  Leveraging Challenges into Opportunities
Harlan Doliner
Attorney, Head of Maritime Practice, Verrill Dana LLP
President, The Marine & Oceanographic Technology Network