Tech Transfer in the News

Low Cost Water Treatment Technology Honored

04.11.13 Berkeley Lab's UV Waterworks technology to purify water for drinking using ultraviolet light was awarded an Honorable Mention in the US Patent and Trademark Office's 2013 Patents for Humanity competition. Go here for details on the award. The technology was licensed by WaterHealth International, a company recently in the news for adding municipal water centers across Bangalore while continuing to provide clean, affordable drinking water to five million people daily in rural India.

Nanosys Expands Manufacturing, Creates 50+ Additional Jobs

04.02.13 Nanosys, a Berkeley Lab startup, has expanded into a new 60,000 square foot production facility, in Milpitas, California, with the capacity to produce enough quantum dots to build more than five million big-screen quantum dot televisions per year. The expansion will add over 50 manufacturing jobs in the region. For more details, go here. The company's Quantum Dot Enhancement Film (QDEF) creates richer color displays for televisions and other devices while consuming less energy.

Spinoff Second Genome Explores the American Gut

03.20.13 Berkeley Lab spin-off success Second Genome is joining an initiative by the American Gut project to explore the connection between the human microbiome and type 2 diabetes."By working with the American Gut project and its preeminent group of microbiome scientists, we have the opportunity to accelerate the clinical impact of this citizen science effort to build the world’s leading reference dataset of microbiomes,” said Peter DiLaura, President and CEO of Second Genome. 'Second Genome is focusing on patients with type 2 diabetes as one part of its effort to translate microbiome science into the discovery and development of microbiome modulators with therapeutic potential.” The company spawned from the research made available by the PhyloChip technology, developed by Berkeley Lab’s Gary Andersen. For more on this story, go here.

Tech Transfer Staff Supports Winning Business Plan Team

02.25.13 A software technique developed by Valeri Korneev of the Earth Sciences Division provided the basis for a startup, Seismos, that won $135,000 in a venture plan competition. Korneev, members of the startup team, and Bill Shelander, Tech Transfer’s commercialization expert, collaborated to evaluate potential real-world applications. Ultimately, they identified a significant opportunity to overcome current blind spots involved in enhanced oil recovery (EOR). CO2 EOR frees oil trapped in reservoirs that have become unproductive, and now accounts for nearly four percent of all U.S. oil production. Following its regional win, Seismos will compete in the Global Venture Labs Investment Competition in April at UC Berkeley.

Path to Takeda's Diabetes Treatment Paved by Berkeley Lab Startup

02.14.13 The FDA approval in January of Takeda Pharmaceutical's Nesina® for the treatment of type 2 diabetes is the culmination of work that began with Berkeley Lab startup Syrrx. Syrrx offered high-throughput, rational drug discovery using a robotics technology for rapid protein crystallization. Takeda acquired Syrrx in 2005 to be the pharmaceutical company's global center for structure-based drug discovery focusing on cancer and metabolic diseases. Nesina, now approved for use in the US following clinical trials, was a product of Syrrx's unique platform.

Startups Lygos and TeselaGen to Pursue Development of Synthetic Consumer Products

01.10.13 Lygos, a Bay Area biotech spin off from the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), will receive $1.8 million in Department of Energy funding to work on converting cellulosic biomass into sugars to design chemicals and synthetic materials for consumer products. Scientists from Lygos will team up with researchers at another JBEI spin-off, TeselaGen Biotech, to develop a non-polluting chemical manufacturing process that avoids the use of petroleum.

PolyPlus Receives $4.5M from ARPA-E

12.03.12 PolyPlus,a startup based on Berkeley Lab technology, will receive $4.5M from the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) to develop, along with Johnson Controls, a water-based lithium-sulfur battery. ARPA-E invests in projects with the potential to be game changers in energy technology. The PolyPlus battery combines high energy with light weight, making it attractive for commercial and military markets. This funding announcement follows the award of nearly $9M to PolyPlus by DOE's Investments in Innovative Manufacturing Technologies program last June.

WaterHealth Named to Global Cleantech 100 for 3rd Consecutive Year

11.01.12 WaterHealth International, a Berkeley Lab startup working to make safe drinking water available to millions worldwide, has been named to the Global Cleantech 100 for the third consecutive year. The Global Cleantech 100 list recognizes innovation and leadership in clean technologies based on data from the Cleantech Group and review by a panel of judges in the field.

Berkeley Lab / JBEI Startup TeselaGen: AutoCAD for Biology

10.01.12 TeselaGen Biotechnology, founded by Berkeley Lab researcher Nathan Hillson and two partners, is poised to significantly reduce the time and cost involved in DNA synthesis and cloning, a multi-billion-dollar market. Go here for the complete story.

Lab Researchers Win UC Proof of Concept Grants

09.19.12 Yuegang Zhang of the Materials Sciences Division, Youn-Hi Woo of the Physical Biosciences Division, Woon-Seng Choong of the Life Sciences Division and Xiang Zhang, a UC Berkeley and Berkeley Lab joint appointee, were awarded 2012 UC Proof of Concept grants.
The grants support technologies approaching commercialization and based on UC intellectual property that require a demonstration of their marketplace viability to potentially secure a licensee. Ninety-six proposals from across the UC system competed on commercial interest, level of innovation, and their likelihood to benefit California’s economy once commercialized. Only 22 proposals, representing six UC campuses and Berkeley Lab, were selected for funding.

Berkeley Lab Wins Four 2012 R&D100 Awards

06.20.12 Berkeley Lab technologies have won four 2012 R&D100 awards, which recognize the year's 100 most significant proven technological advances. For details about the four winning technologies, go here. This year's awards bring the Lab's total R&D100 Award wins to 62. Additional information about Berkeley Lab's winning co-nomination with Adelphi Technology, Inc. is available on the company's website.

Lab's Clean Tech Research Highlighted at Silicon Valley Showcase

06.06.12 Goldman Sachs, in conjunction with the Lab's Tech Transfer office, hosted a first-ever showcase of Berkeley Lab clean technology research in the heart of Silicon Valley. Over 100 investors and entrepreneurs attended the May 30 presentation and poster reception highlighting research, emerging Lab start-ups seeking investment and user facilities. Guests commented they enjoyed learning more about Berkeley Lab without having to leave Palo Alto's Sand Hill Road, a venture capital hub.

2012 Gold Edison Award Goes to Lab Startup PolyPlus

04.26.12 PolyPlus Battery Company, a Berkeley Lab spinout, won a 2012 Gold Edison Award as the best innovation in the Energy & Sustainability category. The startup celebrated alongside noteworthy awardees in other categories including Ford Motor Company, Corning, Dyson and Apple. PolyPlus was founded in 1991 by a team of scientists that included Steve Visco and Lutgard De Jonghe of the Materials Sciences Division. The company's batteries use ordinary seawater or air to interact with lithium, delivering high energy density in a safe, non-toxic product. Go here for more on PolyPlus.

FY11 Royalties Near All Time High

02.13.12 Licensed Berkeley Lab inventions, software and published books yielded royalties of over $3.6 million in FY 2011, a 39-percent increase over the previous year. The researchers’ share of the royalties, totaling over $1.1 million, went to 136 scientists. Many of the researchers were on hand Jan. 27 to receive their royalty checks from Director Alivisatos and Cheryl Fragiadakis, head of Technology Transfer. For the full story, go here.

Seeo Powers Forward

01.02.12 Berkeley Lab startup Seeo has installed a pilot production line, placing the company one step closer to commercialzing its innovative lithium-ion battery technology.Go here for more on Seeo's latest news. Seeo was founded in 2007 to develop a safer, longer-life lithium-ion battery for electric vehicles by using a dry polymer electrolyte.

2011 News

New Blog Highlights Emerging Technologies at Berkeley Lab

12.01.11 Berkeley Lab'sTechStream blog (techblog.lbl.gov), focuses on emerging technologies that just may be the "next big thing" as well as successes that have already moved to the marketplace, such as the PhyloChip™ technology at Second Genome and Aeroseal's energy-saving ductwork sealing system.

Lithium Battery by Lab Spinoff PolyPlus Makes TIME’s Top 2011 Inventions

11.21.2011 PolyPlus Battery Company, a Berkeley Lab spin-off, made TIME magazine’s prestigious “50 Best Inventions of 2011” list for its high-energy, lithium metal battery. Using ordinary seawater or air to interact with lithium, the PolyPlus lithium battery delivers unprecedented energy density levels in a product that is non-toxic, environmentally friendly and inherently safe. PolyPlus was founded in 1991 by a team of scientists that included Steve Visco and Lutgard De Jonghe of the Materials Sciences Division. Go here for more on PolyPlus.

KQED's QUEST Science Radio features Berkeley Lab Smart Window Research

11.11.2011 Berkeley Lab researcher Delia Milliron explains her dynamic window coatings, designed to let light in while blocking heat from the sun, in a recent San Francisco Bay Area science radio program. Milliron was joined by other Lab researchers working in the field of energy-saving window technologies. Click here to access the podcast.

Berkeley Lab Start-up Tapped For Energy Innovation Initiative

11.11.2011 Point Source Power, a start-up whose core technology was invented at Berkeley Lab, is one of ten energy innovators selected to participate in LAUNCH, an initiative to accelerate sustainable energy solutions in the developed and developing world. Point Source Power’s fuel cell operates at biomass-fueled cook stove temperatures to generate electrocity.

Finalists will present their innovations to investors and thought leaders at a Nov. 10-13 forum at the Kennedy Space Center. LAUNCH is a joint project of NASA, U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID), U. S. Department of State and NIKE, Inc. Previous LAUNCH modules focused on sustainable water and health innovations. Read here for more information.

Berkeley Lab's Gas-filled Insulation Rivals Fiber in Buildings Sector

10.19.2011 Within weeks of seeing a story online about gas-filled insulation panels, Bill Lippy, the president of Florida-based reflective insulation company FiFoil, was on a plane to California to view the prototype. When he arrived, researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory showed him a flat, shallow foil bag that, when inflated with air or other gases, insulated as well as the pink insulation common in residential attics. As he found out, the secret was the patented honeycombed, also referred to as baffled, interior. The Berkeley Lab invention prevents heat from escaping a building in several ways. Read more here.

Advanced Battery Technology Awarded $240,000 UC Discovery Grant

09.19.2011 A technology with the potential to increase the lithium-ion storage capacity of advanced batteries by eight times has been awarded a $240,000 grant from the University of California's Discovery proof-of-concept grant program to accelerate its entrance into the marketplace. This project is led by Gao Liu (Principal Investigator) and Vince Battaglia (co-PI) in the Environmental Energy Technologies Division. Read more here.

Energy Saving Berkeley Lab Technology Widens Reach

08.16.2011 Aeroseal, an energy-saving ductwork sealing system developed on Berkeley Lab technology, is now offered to by 65 dealers in 28 states. Read more here.

To learn more about the Aeroseal technology, go here.

Berkeley Lab Wins Four 2010 R&D 100 Awards

06.22.2011 Two Berkeley Lab inventions received a 2011 R&D100 Award from R&D Magazine, which recognizes the 100 most significant proven technological advances of each year. Read more here.

Tech Investors Treated to Energy Innovation Showcase

On May 20, 2011, Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Management hosted more than 100 investors from venture funds and corporations interested in learning about the breadth and depth of energy research available for commercialization. The fast-paced agenda included researcher presentations highlighting future applications of ongoing research, plus the entrepreneurial perspectives of current and former Lab scientists involved in recent venture start-ups. Lab Director Paul Alivisatos and JBEI CEO Jay Keasling gave keynote presentations. A reception and poster session introduced attendees to more specific technologies and provided highly beneficial industry contacts to researchers. More >

Commercialization Plans Just One Benefit of Cleantech to Market Program

05.12.2011. UC Berkeley graduate student teams presented to industry executives and investors their analyses of how best to commercialize twelve of Berkeley Lab's technologies. Read more here.

Technology Royalties Shared with a Record 165 Berkeley Lab Researchers

01.26.2011. Lab Director Paul Alivisatos recognized Berkeley Lab researchers who have earned royalties through the successful commercialization of their technologies. Read more here.

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2010 News Stories

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