Conference: Identifying and Removing Gaps and Barriers to Translating Research to Practice

Award ID: 2614158

Despite significant public investment, innovations arising from early-stage discovery research often fails to reach the market, limiting their potential societal and economic impacts. While existing federal programs have improved aspects of the innovation pipeline, persistent systemic barriers remain. These translational "leaks" stem from complex challenges in technology transfer, commercialization pathways, inter-sector coordination, and a lack of appropriately targeted funding mechanisms. Addressing these gaps in the research-to-translation pipeline is critical to preventing promising discoveries from stalling before they reach real-world use. By identifying and closing gaps in areas such as industrial engagement, standards readiness, workforce capacity, and regulatory alignment, stakeholders can accelerate adoption and improve the return on public research investments. The workshop, Gaps and Barriers to Translating Research to Practice, examines three stages of the early-stage, discovery-driven innovation lifecycle. The workshop first examines mechanisms to incentivize academic and non-profit researchers to consider market needs early in their process, with the goal of increasing their participation in commercialization activities. Next, the workshop seeks approaches for proactive technology curation to facilitate investment in the de-risking required to bridge the gap between basic research and commercial viability. Finally, the workshop evaluates traditional technology transfer models and proposes alternative approaches to reduce commercialization barriers. This systems-level approach treats the innovation process as non-linear, interconnected steps rather than a series of silos. The two-day workshop gathers diverse experts from academia, government, and industry to move beyond problem identification and collaboratively devise actionable solutions for the entire lab-to-market pathway. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Program Director: Florence Rabanal