A just-released study documents a massive economic benefit associated with dual-use technologies invented in military laboratories and licensed to outside companies.
Data collected and analyzed for the study by TechLink, a tech transfer center at Montana State University funded by the Department of Defense (DoD), revealed nearly $27 billion in sales of new products and services by companies with DoD license agreements.
During the seven-month-long study, TechLink’s economic research team contacted 915 companies that hold 1,137 active license agreements, garnering a 95% response rate. Impact was seen not only in sales but in employment, with companies reporting a total of 214,791 jobs with an average salary of $74,762, according to the analysis.
“Recognize that military laboratories support warfighters first, but also the economy by allowing their dual-use inventions to be used by private companies who turn them into products available in commercial markets,” said Brett Cusker, TechLink’s executive director. “License agreements often allow businesses to build new products on shoestring R&D budgets. And the resulting products are often transitioned through acquisition back to the warfighter,” he said.
The full report can be downloaded here.
Source: EurekAlert!
