Through the Partnerships Development Team (PDT), strategic outreach efforts are targeting companies and other institutions without any prior JGI collaborations. The PDT is comprised of Director Nigel Mouncey, Chief Informatics Officer Kjiersten Fagnan, User Program Deputy Susannah Tringe, DNA Synthesis Science Program Head Yasuo Yoshikuni, Senior Manager of Communications & Outreach David Gilbert, and Robin Johnston, the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) Director of Commercialization, Biosciences Strategic Industry Engagements and Entrepreneurship Lead. The PDT also draws the expertise of Genomics Technologies Deputy Len Pennacchio, as needed. The PDT enables industry engagement through three primary routes: the Community Science Program call as well as less-explored mechanisms of Strategic Partnership Projects (SPP) and Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA), see below. The Business Development Team works closely with Berkeley Lab’s Intellectual Property Office to facilitate these new interactions. To set up a call or meeting to discuss partnering opportunities, contact Debbie Wendt.
Recent Partnerships
On June 11, 2020, the Department of Energy announced the 2020 Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) projects. One of them supports a project between JGI and LanzaTech, a Skokie, Illinois-based company that recycles carbon emissions to make fuels and chemicals, improving air quality and promoting a circular economy.
Acetogenic Clostridium is considered the most efficient method of converting abundant low-cost gas feedstock into valuable bioproducts, but many Clostridium strains are difficult to engineer.
Yasuo Yoshikuni and his JGI colleagues have developed a technology called chassis-independent recombinase-assisted genome engineering (CRAGE), which offers single-step genomic integration and prototyping of complex pathways. The team will be working with LanzaTech to rapidly engineer a Clostridium strain for the production of biofuels and bioproducts from low-cost gas feedstock. For more information about the supported Berkeley Lab TCG projects, visit the Intellectual Property Office here.
Case Study
A recent case study describing a collaboration between the JGI Metabolomics Technology Group and Brightseed can be found here.
Strategic Partnership Projects (SPPs)
SPPs enable research funded by an Industry partner to perform a defined scope of work using JGI’s unique facilities, equipment, and personnel. Sponsor may elect to obtain the entire right, title, and interest to any intellectual property generated under the agreement.
Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs)
CRADAs enable research jointly sponsored by the Berkeley Lab and one or more partners for shared benefit. Industry partners can retain rights to their own inventions and have the first right to license Lab inventions generated through the CRADA.
For additional information about these partnering mechanisms, visit Berkeley Lab’s Innovation and Partnership Office (IPO) and read the Guide to Partnering with DOE’s National Laboratories.