Newswise — LOS ALAMOS, N.M., August 28, 2020—New Mexico companies seeking to develop new technology products may qualify for technical assistance from the state’s two national laboratories. Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories are offering up to $150,000 in free technical assistance per business per year, allowing collaboration with lab scientists and engineers in activities such as prototyping, field demonstrations, technical validation, and testing. 

“This partnership between New Mexico’s businesses and Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories will strengthen our economy and bring important technologies to commercialization,” said Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Thom Mason. “Collaborations like these are essential for advancing both science and business.”

New Mexico companies are eligible to participate if they have a license for technology or intellectual property from either laboratory or if they are participants in a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA). 

This first call for proposals begins with Statements of Intent due September 3, 2020. Download and complete the one-page Statement of Intent worksheet here: https://www.nmsbaprogram.org/the-technology-readiness-gross-receipts-initiative-trgr

If funds remain, Statements of Intent will be accepted on a rolling basis thereafter. 

This assistance comes at no cost to the companies themselves and is made possible by the State of New Mexico’s Technology Readiness Gross Receipts Tax Credit. The tax credit goes to the laboratories, who repurpose these savings to fund technical staff collaborating with New Mexico businesses developing products and services rooted in laboratory technologies. 

“We’re lowering the barriers and moving R&D from the labs into New Mexico-based technologies,” said Duncan McBranch, program director of Entrepreneurship for Mission Innovation at Los Alamos. “This matters because 99 percent of companies in New Mexico are small businesses with limited budgets for new product development. Access to the expertise and technologies at Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories can make a huge difference for these companies.”

“Sandia is looking forward to engaging with New Mexico companies in a new way,” said Mary Monson, Sandia senior manager of Technology Partnerships and Business Development. “The labs are dedicated to transferring technology and partnering with industry, and this program will help businesses use licensed lab technologies in new commercial applications.”

For companies that do not yet have a license or Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA), Los Alamos and Sandia will be hosting a virtual symposium September 23, 2020 to learn more. Visithttps://www.nmsbaprogram.org/ for details. 

About Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is managed by Triad, a public service oriented, national security science organization equally owned by its three founding members: Battelle Memorial Institute (Battelle), the Texas A&M University System (TAMUS), and the Regents of the University of California (UC) for the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. 

Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.