590 



42 EXPANDING THE USES OF NA VAL OCEAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 



to nonmilitary problems. These products range from coatings and materials to 

 reduce ship corrosion at sea to sophisticated computer models for predicting the 

 fate and transport of oil spills (see Chapter 2). The high-quality scientific re- 

 search and the technology development supported by ONR are an important 

 component of the Navy's efforts to maintain combat readiness and tactical advan- 

 tage. The committee recognizes that research and development (R&D) supported 

 by ONR is of vital importance to fleet effectiveness and national defense. Many 

 of ONR's marine research programs and the resulting products, as well as the 

 expertise they represent, do not exist in the nonmilitary sector. 



Reconunendation: ONR should continue to fund and nurture long-range marine 

 research and technology development. These efforts should be coupled with the 

 education and training of scientific and engineering personnel in ocean science 

 and technology. 



STATUS OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AT ONR 



Finding: Federal agencies are mandated by public law to transfer technology 

 (see Appendix C). The transfer of ocean science and technology within the Navy 

 and to other government agencies, and to a large extent, to academia, appears to 

 be adequate. Technology transfer to the nonmiUtary commercial sector, by con- 

 trast, is clearly inadequate. This inadequacy is particularly evident in the transfer 

 of technology to major U.S. corporations that lack a history of involvement with 

 ONR and to small companies (less than 100 employees and less than $30 million 

 in revenues) of all types. 



The Navy's mission of national security has properly dominated ONR 

 thought and action. The transfer of ONR-sponsored technology and icnowledge 

 to the private sector is, however, directed by Public Law 96-480 (Appendix C) 

 and interpreted by DOD Regulation for Domestic Technology Transfer: 



Make available for use within the Component not less than half of one percent 

 (0.5 percent) of the total R&D budget, to support the domestic technology trans- 

 fer functions of the Component as specified in Section 11 of Public Law 96-480 

 (Reference [a]). This provision may be waived by notification to Congress on 

 an annual basis at the same time as the budget submission to the Congress 

 including explanation of reasons for the waiver and alternate methods of con- 

 ducting the technology transfer function. Department of Defense (1988, pp. 1- 

 4). 



This provision was amended in 1989 by Public Law 101-189 (Appendix C) 

 to require that "each Federal agency which operates or directs one or more 

 Federal laboratories shall make available sufficient funding, either as a separate 

 line item or from the development budget, to support" technology transfer. In 



