Industrial users add a vital entrepreneurial energy to the Foundry’s research community and directly reflect the dramatic impact that the national laboratory system can have on the nation’s economy. The Foundry works proudly with industry users to advance innovative nanoscience, develop new products and manufacturing methods, and provide economic benefits and jobs.
What happens to my intellectual property?
- Generally speaking, any intellectual property that you own prior to becoming a Foundry user is yours. Anything that is developed in part or in whole at the Foundry is a shared invention between the user and Berkeley Lab.
- You are required to disclose to the Foundry and Berkeley Lab’s Intellectual Property Office (ipo@lbl.gov) any inventions resulting in part or in whole from your work at the Foundry. Your inventions and any patent applications filed on them are also subject to overriding obligations to the US Government.
Please carefully review and comply with the Patent Rights article of your User Agreement to maximize the value of, and minimize the risk to, your intellectual property. The sample NPUA and PUA have a representative article (VIII. Patent Rights) for reference.
Contact Sebastian Ainslie with questions.
Can I keep my work proprietary?
- Proprietary projects require execution of a Proprietary User Agreement and the user must pay for the full costs of use of the facility and staff assistance ($427/hr). Contact the User Office for the current rate.
- Most types of user proposals can be designated as proprietary, enabling the user to withhold research results from publication for up to 5 years. Users wishing to do proprietary work at the Foundry should notify the User Office of their intent to submit a proposal. Although the proposed work may be proprietary, sufficient information must be included in the proposal for it to be evaluated for scientific merit, as proprietary proposals undergo the same review process as regular non-proprietary proposals. Learn more about proposals for proprietary work.
How do I apply to become an industry user?
- All users, regardless of affiliation or home institution, go through the same proposal process. Review the proposal process and submit your proposal through the User Portal.
How soon can I start work?
- There are two proposal calls per year in March and September for Standard proposals. The review process for Standard proposals is typically completed 6 weeks after the submission deadline.
Standard proposals must be activated within a year of approval and can remain active for up to one year from the date of activation. Continuation of the work requires a follow-on proposal. - Rapid Access proposals can be submitted at any time except during the Standard proposal submission and review periods, and undergo an accelerated review, typically completed in 2-4 weeks.
A successful Rapid Access proposal must be activated within a month of approval and may remain active until the end of the following review cycle for Standard proposals. Continuation of the work past that date requires that the users submit a Follow-on proposal during the call for Standard proposals. Learn more about proposal types.
We need more time on an instrument than allowed by a standard proposal.
- Partner User Proposals are designed to accommodate special partnership projects with broader scope and/or longer time frames than Standard projects, and include user-contributed resources to the User Program. Partner User proposals should be developed with substantial input from Foundry scientists and require a letter of support from the Lead Facility Director. Learn more about partner user proposals.
What are other ways my company can interface with the Foundry outside of the User Program?
- Common methods include Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs), and grants through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. For more information about these and other opportunities, contact Berkeley Lab’s Strategic Partnerships Office.
Have a question that’s not answered here? Contact the Foundry User Office.
