Pushes Energy Secretary to improve technology transfer, urges advanced photonics manufacturing hub for NM

WASHINGTON – Today during a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee, U.S. Senator Tom Udall pressed Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz about initiatives Udall is championing to create jobs in New Mexico. The hearing focused on how federal investment in innovation can create jobs and spark advancements in science. Moniz appeared as a witness, along with the directors of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Udall is pushing for legislation to drive innovation in the private sector, including a technology transfer bill he introduced to help turn research at New Mexico's national labs into marketable products and businesses. He is also leading a delegation effort advocating for the New Mexico Advanced Photonics Manufacturing Consortium in Albuquerque to be recognized by the federal government as a "Manufacturing Community," a designation that could make it eligible for up to $1.3 billion in future federal investment to further economic development strategies.

During today's hearing, Udall urged Moniz to take action on a February Inspector General's report, which found the Department of Energy seriously lacking in its efforts to improve its tech transfer program.

Udall said he is "hoping to see a comprehensive technology transfer and commercialization program – something that has teeth as opposed to the labs doing this on an ad-hoc basis."

"We will certainly try," Moniz responded, adding that the department had hired a senior advisor to the secretary for tech transfer on Monday. "We have sat down already and are laying out how we would construct that plan."

Udall also pressed Moniz on considering New Mexico's proposed advanced photonics manufacturing institute to be included in the department's program to develop manufacturing hubs.

"Photonics is clearly a good candidate," Moniz said.

The full video of the exchange is available HERE.