June 28, 2012 
Resource is for academic, government and industry researchers
RICHLAND, Wash. - A team of contributors from universities, industry and national labs has created a publication aimed at helping industrial and institutional researchers work together more effectively.
"The Researcher Guidebook - A Guide for Successful Institutional-Industry Collaborations" is now accessible online as a resource for active researchers from academia, government labs and industry.
"As the pace of innovation has accelerated, so has the interest in forming collaborative partnerships for scientific research," said John McEntire, a commercialization manager at the D.O.E.'s Pacific Northwest National Lab and leader of the team that prepared the guidebook. "Unfortunately, collaborations between industry and institutions such as universities and government labs are sometimes impeded by long, convoluted processes that can slow down or even derail potential research partnerships. This guidebook is designed to assist researchers in these collaborations so they can enable scientific and technical advances."
The practical manual was prepared by a working group of in excess of 30 organizations and institutions that belong to the University-Industry Demonstration Partnership. The UIDP is an organization of universities, government labs and companies convened by the National Academies to enhance the environment for institutional-industrial partnerships in the United States. PNNL was the 1st national Lab to join the UIDP in 2007.
The Researcher Guidebook targets active researchers at all career stages. It is written from 2 perspectives: the first, for active industrial researchers who wish to work with non-profit institutions such as universities, national labs and other research institutes; and the second, for institutional researchers looking to partner with industry.
"This guide contains answers to central questions that face researchers aiming to achieve healthy, productive collaborations, while at the same time identifying pitfalls and caveats that are unique to working in this diverse collaborative environment," said McEntire. "Reading this guidebook should enable the researcher to ask the right questions, both of the organization and of the potential collaborator, to determine whether to proceed with a particular collaboration."
McEntire was assisted by co-chairs Dudley Sharp from Arizona State University (recently retired); and Rebecca Silveston-Keith from Lexmark International in Lexington, Kentucky. Georgia Tech Research Corporation holds the copyright for the guidebook and is helping the UIDP manage public access.
To download the guidebook, go to the pdf or the UIDP website.
The UIDP exists for Industry, Academia and other research and innovation organizations, such as national labs, hospitals and non-profit research labs, to work together to enhance the environment for university-industry partnerships and research collaboration in the United States. UIDP provides a forum for university and industry representatives to meet and discuss contracting and intellectual property policy, publication and technology transfer preferences, and other issues. To learn more: www.uidp.org.
Tags: Technology Transfer and Commercialization, Commercial Partnerships
Interdisciplinary teams at Pacific Northwest National Lab address many of America's most pressing issues in energy, the environment and national security through advances in basic and applied science. PNNL employs 4,700 staff, has an yearly budget of nearly $1.1 billion, and has been managed for the D.O.E. by Ohio-based Battelle since the laboratory's inception in 1965. For more, visit the PNNL's News Center, or follow PNNL on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
