Rome Lab civilian earns technology transfer award

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The Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) chose the individual in charge of the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate's Office of Research and Technology Applications for FLC's Outstanding Technology Transfer Professional award.

Franklin Hoke Jr. was selected this spring in part for his role in developing Cooperative Research and Development Agreements in the local and regional area, with 56 active agreements enabling $27 million in industry-leveraged technology development.

Hoke encouraged local and regional academic institutions to create a pool of cyber professionals in the area. As a result, the academic impact triggered Syracuse and Clarkson University, Utica College and two of the local community colleges to be early adopters in establishing information assurance and cyber defense programs as a part of their graduate and undergraduate curriculums.

His cyber assurance business development effort services the commercial and military market. This effort supports the transfer and transition of cyber research, cyber tool development and deployment.

In partnering with the Department of Defense, Hoke piloted a new innovative startup accelerator called 'Furnace' -- a technology transfer accelerator designed to form, fund, incubate and launch new companies.

Additionally, Hoke established the Commercialization Academy initiative to foster technology transfer. This is a three-stage experiential education and technology acceleration program run by the Information Directorate and its collaborators. The academy's goal is to develop technology entrepreneurs who can contribute meaningfully to startups and industry. Winning teams have received a license from the Information Directorate and potential funding from an allotment of $50,000.

Hoke's programs have been recognized regionally and nationally by the FLC, winning both the National FLC Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) award and the FLC Regional Laboratory award in 2014. Additionally, Hoke received the FLC Technology Transfer Regional Coordinators Excellence award in 2013.

The FLC was organized in 1974 and formally chartered by the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986 to promote and strengthen technology transfer nationwide. Today, approximately 300 federal laboratories and centers and their parent departments and agencies are FLC members. The FLC's mission is to add value to the federal agencies, laboratories, and their partners to accomplish the rapid integration of research and development resources within the mainstream of the U.S. economy