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The Center |
Staff
Members Membership RSS Feeds CIFT Video Library News Archive Contact Us |
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The Center |
Staff
Members Membership RSS Feeds CIFT Video Library News Archive Contact Us |
Special Programs...
Our City in a GardenOur City in a Garden is an urban, Toledo-based system to produce, prepare, distribute, process, and preserve healthy food products in the community, and to accomplish these ends in a manner that stresses environmental sustainability.
CIFT MembershipSince 1995, CIFT has organized and managed a membership-based consortium of food industry companies, their suppliers, and academic institutions. The goal of the consortium is to enhance the economic viability of Ohio's food and agricultural sector through technology.
Energy & Environmental ManagementEnergy and environmental management initiatives can improve the bottom line for businesses through cost reduction and alternative revenue pathways, essentially enhancing market competitiveness.
Food SafetyThis page covers food safety issues ranging from safety recalls and safe food handling practices to regulatory guidelines.
Local InitiativesCIFT Local Initiatives include the Farm to School Program, Local Food Manufacturers Program, Agritourism and the Farm to Chef Program.
NOCKThe Agricultural Incubator Foundation's Northwest Ohio Cooperative Kitchen (NOCK) is a nonprofit kitchen facility designed to assist entrepreneurial efforts and expand current food-related businesses by providing access to a commercially licensed kithchen.
Northwest Ohio Energy Crop CenterThe mission of the Northern Ohio Energy Crop Center is the identification and evaluation of opportunities to involve regional growers, processors and other entrepreneurs in biofuel production.
Northwest Ohio Green Products CenterThe Northwest Ohio Green Products Center is a collaborative effort among several partnering organizations to provide the resources, technical assistance and business expertise to regional entrepreneurs or established manufacturers who currently produce, or plan to produce, green or biobased products.
USDA-ARS Technology Transfer ProgramUSDA-ARS technology transfer provides a means for moving promising technologies discovered through federal and university research into the public arena where they are developed into marketable products. USDA-ARS accomplishes this by forming partnerships with universities and private sector businesses.
In the CIFT Spotlight...
CIFT 2008 Report to IndustryA report of CIFT's 2008 programs, projects and activities Hoop HousesA CIFT hoop house feasibility study that will determine what plants are appropriate to plant and when these plants will generate the greatest economic return. Ohio Federal Stimulus Bill WebsiteAn Ohio website where parties interested in federal stimulus dollars can submit ideas. Ohio MarketMakerAn interactive mapping system that locates businesses and markets of agricultural products in Ohio, providing an important link between producers and consumers. USDA Releases Beginning Farmers and Ranchers PublicationUSDA-ERS Economic Information Bulletin EIB-53 (32 pp, May 2009) draws on data from annual surveys and the Census of Agriculture to provide policymakers with a better understanding of beginning farmers and ranchers, including how they contribute to U.S. agricultural production. Vertical Hydroponic Growing SystemsA high density vertical growing system designed for non-traditional production locations. The system enables plants to grow in significantly smaller spaces and in varying ground covers from concrete to parking lots.
CIFT Resources...
CIFT News ArchiveA repository of past CIFT news stories... CIFT RSS FeedsSubscribe to CIFT RSS feeds... CIFT Video LibraryA collection of CIFT event videos... Contact UsThe CIFT contact page with phone numbers, email addresses and directions... Privacy PolicyThe CIFT website privacy policy...Other Resources...
Current FDA RecallsThe Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has jurisdiction over recalls involving food and pet & farm animal feed. This page is a list of the latest FDA food recall notices. Current USDA RecallsThe Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspects and regulates meat, poultry products and eggs. This page is a list of the latest USDA food recall notices. FoodSafety.govFoodSafety.gov is your source for the latest news and information on food safety issues. Grants.govGrants.gov is your source to FIND and APPLY for federal government grants. Quick Reference Guide to Growth FinancingThis MEP guide provides information on general financing options, programs, and techniques available to small and medium-sized enterprises and companies pursuing growth oriented strategies.
USDA-ARS Technology Transfer Program***
USDA-ARS technology transfer provides a means for moving promising technologies discovered through federal and university research into the public arena where they are developed into marketable products. USDA-ARS accomplishes this by forming partnerships with universities and private sector businesses.
ARS continually looks for opportunities to partner with businesses, other federal agencies, state and local governments, and universities. These partnerships are designed to augment research programs, expedite research results to the private sector, exchange information and knowledge, stimulate new business and economic development, enhance U.S. trade, preserve the environment, and improve the quality of life for all Americans. The overarching purpose of this activity is to develop and transfer technologies to the private sector.
ARS can partner with the above parties in three ways, Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA), Research partnerships, and licensing.
The Federal Technolgy Act of 1986 authizes federal laboratories to enter into Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA) with business entities.
In the CRADA model, ARS and private business entities go through a series of steps to bring a technology to market. A corporate research need is identified. Then the ARS scientist(s) involved with the research and the business entities seeking to develop and market the technology negotiate the CRADA under the auspices of the USDA-ARS Office of Technology Transfer.
Once a CRADA is signed, technology development begins. If successful and a patentable technology is developed, the Office of Technology Transfer will prepare, file and obtain a patent for the technology.
The business entities involved in the CRADA have first right of refusal to negotiate an exclusive license for the technology. ARS and the business entities negotiate the licensing of the technology. The licensing agreement can include provisions to maintain confidentiality for up to five years. Once a license is obtained, the business can manufacture and market the technology.
CRADA agreements can also work in tandem with Small Business Administration Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) grants. There is a measure of flexibility in the CRADA/SBIR timetable; a business entity can:
Secure an SBIR grant and then enter into a CRADA,
Secure a CRADA to support an existing SBIR grant, or
Secure a CRADA and then apply for an SBIR grant.
Although ARS maintains four regional research centers for most of its research and development capability, ARS also enters into research partnerships with universities and other research entities. These partnerships may operate under the provisions of the Baye-Dole ACt of 1980 which allows small businesses, universities and not-for-profits to obtain title to inventions developed with federal funds.
Licensing is a way for ARS to offer intellectual property to the private sector. It uses the patent system to facilitate technology transfer, provide private sector investment incentives, support small business enterprises and entrepreneurs, and support U.S. business investments in international markets.
Like CRADA, the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986, authorizes federal laboratoires to negotiate patented invention licenses with business entities.
The ARS protects intellectual property only when necessary to facilitate technology transfer. It prefers the public release of plant varieties and does not patent animals or research tools.
There are two types of intellectual property licensed by ARS, backgound inventions and CRADA-subject inventions. Background inventions are intellectual property developed by federal researchers. If a business entity requests an exclusive license for background inventions, the ARS publishes a licensing notice of intention in the Federal Register and addresses all objections.
With CRADA-subject inventions, the invention may be jointly or solely owned by the U.S. government. The business entity has first right of refusal to negotiate an exclusive license. A confidentiality agreement up to five years may be negotiated as part of the license.
The ARS Office of Technology Transfer has four responsibilities. It:
Manages USDA intellectual property issues
Licenses USDA-developed inventions
Develops and signs Cooperative Reseaerch & Development Agreements (CRADA)
Coordinates all ARS technlology transfer activities
The Office of Technology Transfer carries out these responsibilities by patenting inventions, licensing inventions, marketing and coordinating technical transfer.
Patent agents located in Beltsville, Maryland, Peoria, Illinois, and Albany, California handle patent activities for ARS. Licensing activities are handled by licensing specialists at the Beltsville, Maryland headquarters. Marketing activities include publishing information on available technologies, partnership opportunities, and licensing information. Technical tranfer activities such as CRADA negotiation and management are coordinated through specialists in every geographical region of the country.
Technology Transfer in ARS: Federal/Private Sector, Partnerships to Commercialization Strategies, Presentation by Ron Buckhalt, Special Projects Coordinator, ARS/Technology Transfer, June, 2006.
Structure, Function, and Metrics of a GOGO Office of Technology Transfer: The Case of the USDA, Presentation to Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer by Richard C. Brenner, USDA, Agricultural Research Service.
For additional information on ARS available technologies, partnership opportunities, licensing information and research news, please click the appropriate link on the right-hand menu.
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