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Technical Collaboration Program

Accelerating Technical Solutions 

The MDF Technical Collaboration program engages industry partners in short-term, collaborative projects with ORNL staff to accelerate the development and deployment of new energy efficient manufacturing technologies, materials, or processes for the benefit of US manufacturing.  

Since 2012, MDF has executed more than 270 collaborative projects with industry and other national laboratories. Projects use an affordable cost shared model to collaboratively investigate, improve, and scale process methodology to reduce risks and accelerate development and deployment.  

MDF’s impact on economic development and industrial progress is immense, with more than 200 patents and applications, about 60 technologies licensed to industry, and more than 20 startups based on ORNL-developed technologies. 

Leveraging ORNL’s expertise in additive manufacturing, we’re able to test and make adjustments quickly, which reduces our cost and lead time in designing and making components. This can be critical to the success of fabricating a new energy system.

- Emily Morris, Emrgy founder and CEO
two researchers work together in front of a computer

Eligible Technical Collaboration Partners

The program is limited to industries that currently manufacture equipment, process materials, produce manufacturing-related software, and/or integrate energy systems in the US for a wide variety of commercial applications, or to industries that will be able to do so as a direct result of these collaborative efforts. 

3d printing machine

Leverage ORNL’s vast capabilities, experts, and facilities

Through MDF, ORNL offers distinctive world-leading capabilities in manufacturing and materials research technologies and characterization facilities. MDF provides a collaborative, shared infrastructure to help industry adopt energy efficient, rapid, and flexible manufacturing technologies to lower production cost, and create new products and opportunities for high-paying jobs. 

ORNL's expertise in material synthesis, characterization, and process technology will assist manufacturing industries in conducting assessments of new fabrication concepts and methods for improving existing technologies. The materials and processing technologies developed are expected to be deployed in new or existing manufacturing facilities. 

Benefits of working with MDF

Helps reduce industry risk in adopting energy efficient, rapid, and flexible manufacturing technologies to lower production cost and create new products and opportunities for high-paying jobs. 

Accelerates industry's development and deployment of innovative energy efficient manufacturing and materials technologies. 

The nature of TCP’s cost-share requirements means that no money changes hands. Both ORNL and the company contribute equal amounts. 

Industry partners retain rights to subject inventions they generate in performing their tasks. 

TCP has a fast-track CRADA approval process or User Agreement process to help the program move at the speed of industry. 

MDF leverages cross-functional, interdisciplinary teams from across ORNL in materials, imaging, and computation to deepen the expertise and capabilities present for every project. 

tcp timeline

How TCP Works 

Project Development/Agreement: 3–4 months* 

  • A company engages ORNL through MDF (contact Bob Slattery) 
  • ORNL and the industry partner co-develop a project proposal 
  • The proposal is submitted to the Department of Energy (rolling cycle every two weeks) 
  • A project agreement is established 

Project Execution: six months to two years 

  • Project scope is executed 
  • A final project report is created 

*Agreement processing times for international companies is about twice as long due to additional DOE reviews. 

Download the TCP Toolkit for more detailed program information, examples of CRADA and User Agreements, and project proposal template.

Eight people posing behind a table with a black tablecloth that says "Oak Ridge National Laboratory Manufacturing Demonstration Facility". There are papers and pens on the table

Technology Ownership

During a collaboration, a company may elect to retain title to intellectual property developed by the company while performing their tasks. IP developed by ORNL while performing tasks is retained by ORNL and under a CRADA, the company is given the option to exclusively license the ORNL-developed IP for their defined field of application.