Wright Technology Network
3155 Research Blvd., Suite 201
Dayton, Ohio 45420-4015
(937) 253-0217
(937) 253-7238 (FAX)
[email protected]

Matching Technology with Industry Needs

WHAT IS WRIGHT TECHNOLOGY NETWORK?

Wright Technology Network (WTN) is a recognized leader in technology transfer. In collaboration with other organizations, WTN links industry in the Great Lakes region to the technology of all federal laboratories and academic institutions nationally with a special emphasis on the technology at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

MISSION

Wright Technology Network matches technology with industry needs by:

• Providing companies with access to expertise and technology at all Air Force laboratories and centers.
• Providing access to technology at all federal laboratories and national academic institutions.
• Assisting companies to develop new products and improved manufacturing processes.

BACKGROUND

Wright Technology Network, formerly the Ohio Advanced Technology Center (OATC), was established by the Air Force and the State of Ohio in 1989 as a not-for-profit corporation. WTN serves as a bridge between the private sector and Air Force Laboratories. Wright Technology Network can help bridge the gap between commercial companies and Air Force expertise. WTN has a foot in both worlds, and works closely with Air Force technology transfer offices to develop commercial applications for Air Force Technology.

Located in the Miami Valley Research Park, WTN's main resource is the laboratories at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, where thousands of scientists and engineers make strides in technological innovation each day. The largest Department of Defense (DOD) laboratory and the primary contact for WTN is Wright Laboratory, which does both basic and applied research on technology for manned, air breathing aeronautical systems.

Each Air Force organization has a technology transfer office that provides service to the private sector. Air Force Material Command Headquarters has the Technology Transfer Office (TTO). Each laboratory has an Office of Research and Technical Assistance (ORTA). WTN works with each of these organizations and supplements their efforts.

In keeping with its mission to match technology with industry needs, WTN facilitates technology transfer by linking federal laboratories, academic, and the industrial sector.

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER TO MOVE INDUSTRY FORWARD

In industry, improved technology can mean an improved process and an improved end product. With technology transfer, knowledge developed through government research can be put to work to produce better products more quickly and cost effectively.

In today's global economy, American ingenuity competes with that of other advanced economies worldwide. To keep pace, rapid introduction of technology is critical.

In fact, today, new technology is being introduced ten times faster than it was just a decade ago. Federal laboratories are a huge source of brain power, employing one-sixth of the nation's scientists and engineers, and spending $25 billion on research and development annually.

Wright Technology Network specializes in providing access to federal laboratory technology to solve business technical problems. A Cooperative Research and Development Agreement can be formed between a company and a federal laboratory to develop products or processes which benefit both government and industry. Wright Technology Network also can assist industry on any level, from phone consultation to in-depth product development projects.

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER SERVICES INCLUDE:

Helping companies improve product features, add new products or improve the production process:

• Identifying needed expertise, locating sources of improved technology and making the link
• Helping companies introduce new technology to meet defined needs
• Bringing potential products to a company's attention
• Facilitating Cooperative Research and Development Agreements

Minimizing red tape:

• Streamlining adoption of needed technology
• Facilitating administrative activities
• Providing contract advice

Technology transfer can help industry:

• Develop profitable new products and processes
• Access needed specialized expertise
• Cut costs by improving existing processes
• Shorten time between the research and development phase and product commercialization
• Leverage their own research and development

For government research organizations, Cooperative Research and Development Agreements offer:

• Improved opportunities to develop and transfer technology
• Accelerated transfer of basic research findings to commercial applications
• Increased familiarity with market needs
• Sharing of royalty income

WHICH TECHNOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE?

Through Wright Technology Network, businesses can tap specialized knowledge in a variety of fields, including:

• Medical
• Automotive
• General Aviation
• Environment
• Construction
• Education
• Law Enforcement

Today's technology transfer can make a difference in tomorrow's everyday life. Air Force technology is already in routine civilian use in may fields.

• Graphite-boron compounds and other lightweight composites developed at Air Force Research Laboratory are regularly used in recreational equipment such as tennis racquets, golf clubs, fishing rods, and archery equipment.
• Military flight radar technology has been adapted for use in school buses, preventing accidents by monitoring blind spots for unseen students.
• A sensor known as the "smart dipstick" measures impurities in both aircraft engines lubricating oil and in french fry oil, signaling when an "oil change" is due.

Wright Technology Network works to identify and commercialize new technologies which can make such revolutionary impact in the future.

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