[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 114 (Friday, August 2, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1244]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 THE TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH ACCELERATING NATIONAL SECURITY AND FUTURE 
               ECONOMIC RESILIENCY (TRANSFER) ACT OF 2013

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 2, 2013

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of 
the Technology and Research Accelerating National Security and Future 
Economic Resiliency Act of 2013--or the TRANSFER Act, and yield myself 
such time as I may consume.
  I am proud to be an original co-sponsor of this legislation. It is a 
good bill that represents a bi-partisan effort to accelerate the 
transfer of technology from our universities and federal laboratories 
to the market--creating jobs from federally funded research.
  The federal government has strategically invested in R&D with the 
confidence derived from decades of results that it will yield back a 
return in the public good that betters the lives of Americans. We 
cannot minimize the role R&D has played in the prosperity of the United 
States and we must continue these critical investments.
  The next great idea with applications in advanced energy, 
aeronautics, life sciences, and defense technologies could be sitting 
on a shelf, and this bill will help the academic community and start-
ups to bridge the gap between an innovative idea and a commercially 
viable technology.
  One of the ways this bill helps bridge that gap is by supporting 
translational research activities such as proof of concept. It will 
also help to bridge the gap by providing advice, mentoring, and 
entrepreneurial education to our scientists and engineers. As one would 
expect, most of our researchers do not have the project management and 
technology and business development expertise needed to run a business 
and exposure to this type of expertise is important to creating a 
successful company.
  We need to build innovation ecosystems that sustain long-term and 
mutually beneficial collaborations between the public and private 
sectors. Just as we are seeking to commercialize innovative ideas, we 
have to be willing to take innovative approaches to accelerate 
technology transfer of federally funded research. As the title of this 
bill states, accelerating technology transfer and research are key to 
sustaining our national security and future economic vitality.
  This is a good bipartisan bill that should assist universities, 
research institutions, and national labs help turn R&D into successful, 
profitable, and sustainable small businesses.
  I urge my colleagues to support the TRANSFER Act.

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