The Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC) selected NETL Director Brian Anderson, Ph.D., for its prestigious Laboratory Director of the Year award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to support technology transfer activities in the NETL organization and the communities it serves.

FLC is the formally chartered, nationwide network of over 300 federal laboratories, agencies and research centers that fosters commercialization best practice strategies and opportunities for accelerating federal technologies from out of the labs and into the marketplace.

Since Anderson was named NETL director in 2018, his leadership has significantly advanced the Laboratory’s partnerships and technology transfer. He has eagerly and effectively communicated to industry stakeholders with clear and compelling messages of NETL’s vision for technology development and transfer and NETL’s technical research capabilities. In addition, Anderson’s leadership and advocacy led to increased production of NETL intellectual property and related request for licenses and other development agreements.  

Leveraging NETL competencies and technical expertise, Anderson has successfully led strategic engagements with industry partnerships to advancing a range of technologies, including carbon capture and storage, toward commercialization. 

One example of Anderson’s technology transfer achievement was his leadership in hosting the DOE InnovationXLab CarbonX Summit. Anderson fostered and supported development of a relationship between NETL and the DOE Office of Technology Transitions (OTT), which led to NETL being invited to host DOE’s InnovationXLab CarbonX Summit. The Summit highlighted the significance of collaboration and laboratory/industry partnerships, the hydrogen-carbon economy, carbon fibers and materials, carbon to chemicals and the circular value chain, and topics of artificial intelligence and machine learning as well as carbon capture, utilization and sequestration.

Anderson, who is one of three Laboratory Directors of the Year, will be recognized at the virtual 2021 FLC National Meeting taking place April 6-8, 2021, with an awards ceremony held April 7.

Anderson will also share his leadership philosophies and best practices regarding NETL’s technology transfer program during the Laboratory Directors Forum panel session, being held April 8, which will feature FLC’s Laboratory Director of the Year recipients.

NETL develops and commercializes advanced technologies that provide clean energy while safeguarding the environment. NETL’s work supports DOE’s mission to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy and environmental challenges through transformative science and technology solutions.