Dr. Holdren Highlights Tech Development and Commercialization in New Mexico

OSTP Director John Holdren met with about 50 New Mexico science and technology business leaders in Albuquerque yesterday to discuss Administration initiatives that support technology development and commercialization, and to find out what issues are at the top of the New Mexico tech community’s agenda.

The business roundtable—hosted by John Freisinger, President and CEO of Technology Ventures Corporation (TVC), which helps startup companies commercialize technology developed at the National Laboratories—was the kickoff of Dr. Holdren's two-day visit in New Mexico that included meetings at Sandia National Laboratories, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Air Force Research Lab at Kirtland Air Force Base.

Those three research complexes—together with academic and commercial partners—have nurtured an innovation ecosystem in New Mexico like no other in the Nation, populated by technology companies focused on bringing new discoveries to the marketplace.

In introductory remarks at the roundtable, Dr. Holdren said: “It is a big part of my job to make sure that New Mexico’s scientific and technological base at the labs remains as strong as ever, and that New Mexico’s businesses—especially its young, small, creative, innovative businesses like many of those represented in this room—have every opportunity to make the most of the science and technology being generated at the labs.”

Among the topics discussed were approaches to increasing access to capital, ways to lower the barriers to markets, and policies that could simplify the process of technology transfer. Dr. Holdren adressed the Administration’s strong commitment to public-private partnerships and to other approaches that help enhance the business climate for startups, including making research and experimentation tax breaks permanent and providing seed money to innovative companies that want to commercialize promising new technologies.

Many thanks to Freisinger and TVC for organizing the breakfast meeting, and to Jim Walther of the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, which provided space for the event.

Bobby Dresser is a student volunteer at OSTP