Ivy Tech Bloomington and NSWC Crane See Early Success from Recently Launched Online Course

The course is free and designed to help small businesses and entrepreneurs learn more about how to work with patented technology from federal labs

Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington (Ivy Tech Bloomington) in partnership with Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane), today reported that dozens of individuals have signed up for an online course aimed at giving them a better understanding of how to work with Federal Laboratories and Technology Transfer Offices to develop and grow their small businesses.

The free, online course entitled Federal Lab Technology Transfer for Beginners was launched in April. It is designed to show users how to work with Federal Laboratories and Technology Transfer Offices to develop and grow their small businesses.

“The course was incredibly informative in teaching how to work with patented technology from federal labs.” Explained Janet Anamary Namutebi, founder of EcoGrains, a startup focused on developing cost-competitive bio-based synthetic biofuels to compete with non-bio alternatives and promote sustainability. She said the course, “addressed my concerns about tech development and innovation, empowering me to negotiate better license terms and secure long-term support from federal labs. Moreover, it made me realize the several potential revenue opportunities that can be leveraged for patented technologies, especially with the shared success stories and podcasts.”

“This is exactly the feedback we were hoping for,” said Maria Duran, director of technology transfer (T2) at NSWC Crane. “Our goal remains making government-developed technology more accessible for use and licensing by the private sector, and I feel like we’re accomplishing that.”

The course is a beginner’s guide to understanding the many benefits of utilizing Technology Transfer in a business or startup. Participants are learning about licensing federally developed patented technology as well as learning the process of collaborating with a Federal Lab’s scientists and engineers.

“We’re off to a great start,” explained Steve Bryant, executive director of the Gayle & Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship at Ivy Tech Community College. “We hope many more small business owners and entrepreneurs take advantage of this free course.”

NSWC Crane selected Ivy Tech Bloomington to partner on this effort due to the college’s vast experience creating and implementing online learning modules. Ivy Tech is the nation’s largest community college system and has been offering online courses for more than two decades. Additionally, the Cook Center for Entrepreneurship at Ivy Tech Bloomington has a track record of working closely with small businesses in the Indiana Uplands region by providing a suite of free services to bolster their ability to succeed.

The learning modules were made possible with a grant from the Office of Naval Research (ONR).

View video: Overview of Federal Lab Technology for Beginners
​
To register for the free, online course: Click Here