In response to President Trump’s declaration that the COVID-19 pandemic has become a national emergency, Idaho National Laboratory’s Technology Deployment organization has launched the Rapid Technology Deployment Program.

This program supports national relief efforts by transitioning INL innovations to industry as expeditiously as possible and removing possible delays or burdens on partners. Following the model of Sandia National Laboratories, which announced earlier this month that it would open its portfolio of technology patents for free licensing, INL will open a substantial portion of its unencumbered patent portfolio to any U.S. company that can use available inventions to help solve the current national crisis and drive strong economic development.

Under this program, any U.S. company will be able to obtain a term-limited, nonnegotiable, royalty-free, nonexclusive license to any INL-owned U.S. patent not otherwise subject to a contractual obligation. The Rapid Technology Deployment Program initially makes nearly 140 pieces of intellectual property available for licensing, all of which would carry these favorable terms through the end of calendar year 2020.