Fresh ideas help us see tomorrow, yesterday: Interagency partnership paves the way to inno

In 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, an unexpected partnership was forged between the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The relationship began as a pilot program to attract innovators, existing patent holders and other “unexplored” and non-traditional industry partners for the JPEO-CBRND as they sought ways to deliver personal protective equipment to help support its partners (i.e., Defense Department and U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services) in their respective COVID-19 missions.

In the summer of 2021, the JPEO-CBRND and USPTO signed a Memorandum of Agreement to formalize their relationship as collaborators and facilitating JPEO-CBRND’s access to these untapped vendors through the Patent Office. Since then, the JPEO-CBRND has continued to work with the USPTO for market research support and to reach potential new industry partners to tackle additional modernization efforts.

Stemming from the MOA, in June of 2023 the JPEO-CBRND’s Joint Project Manager (JPM) for CBRN Protection and the USPTO co-developed and conducted the first innovation meeting as they sought to reach and engage with a new and expanded pool of vendors to help achieve its mission for CBRN protective fabrics and textiles.

Jennifer Buchness briefs the participants of the JPM CBRN Protection’s Autonomous Decontamination Systems Industry Day on October 08^th, 2024 about the process of partnering with the JPEO-CBRND.

On October 8^th and 9^th 2024, the JPEO-CBRND’s JPM for CBRN Protection returned to the USPTO for two more industry day events with patent and trademark holders in the mission spaces of autonomous decontamination systems (ADS), biocontainment, isolation and quarantine (BIQ), and liners, barriers and closures (LBC). This event drew 160 participants and comprised numerous new connections and potential partners for the JPEO-CBRND. While later in the month on 29 October, JPM CBRN Medical also held two days of industry day meetings with 115 participants for their Host-directed therapeutics (HDTX) program JPM Medical has plans to engage the USTPO in the future to further augment their market research needs for its programs.

During the Protection event, USPTO’s Chief Administrative Officer Fred Steckler provided opening remarks as well their Eastern Regional Outreach Director Elizabeth Dougherty who gave a rousing address. Both emphasized the value of the shared partnership and coordination for the USPTO – highlighting how their Patent Examiners, who are experts in their respective fields, provide new insight and potential applications to the Defense Department (DOD) for various solutions to meet warfighter needs and priorities. They also underscored the culture of innovation, shared energy for problem solving, need for fresh perspectives, connections and ideas across the two organizations. Ms. Dougherty shared the USPTO motto, “We see tomorrow, yesterday!” and having recently issued their 12 millionth patent there are great ideas and modern inventions to be tapped into through the powerful interagency network.

Elizabeth Dougherty, US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Eastern Regional Outreach Director addresses the audience on October 8^th 2024 at the USPTO in Alexandria, VA.

The USPTO has one of the largest technology patent databases and the JPEO-CBRND and other agencies across the US government space can benefit from the opportunity to share and partner in problem solving and fresh perspectives. For example, as the JPEO-CBRND thinks about new ways to decontaminate equipment USPTO patent examiners suggested that they consider technology and approaches to design currently used in industrial painting, agriculture and even video gaming ; all of which were previously unexplored territory for the JPM CBRN Protection team. This illuminates the value of meaningful connections and fresh perspectives resulting in new opportunities.

With the critical need for continuous transformation of CBRN defense technologies, the Deputy Commandant to the US Army CBRN School COL (Ret.) Scott Kimmell attended the JPM Protection ADS Industry Day. COL Kimmell provided remarks that focused attendees on the critical need for quickly identifying CBRN contamination and having an autonomous device or platform to contain and mitigate the CBRN threats to limit warfighter exposure and reduce the burden on a platoon. COL Kimmell stated the CBRN school was planning on taking a phased approach to the automated to autonomous modernization timeline, he shared that “our goal is for a decontamination squad to be able to do what a decontamination platoon is responsible for now.” This transformation will not only protect soldiers from CBRN hazards but also allow the careful distribution of critical “person power.”

COL (Ret.) Scott Kimmell Deputy Commandant to the US Army CBRN School provided remarks on October 08^th, 2024. COL Kimmell’s address focused on the critical need for autonomous platforms to support CBRN hazard mitigation.

Mr. Steven Batts, the Joint Project Manager for CBRN Protection, shared his vision for the partnerships with new patent holders and partners for his portfolio of programs. “Autonomous Decontamination is a new capability and we’re working to develop something that doesn’t yet exist. We need new partners and solutions for today’s threat environment. How we integrate to expand solutions is critical as technology and innovations expand.”

Steven Batts, Joint Project Manager for CBRN Protection, speaks with an industry representative at the October 8^th, 2024 events at the USPTO in Alexandria, VA.

The concept developed between the USPTO and JPEO-CBRND proved so successful that a growing number of agencies look to the USPTO for support to connect with new industry partners. Even at the JPEO-CBRND we are expanding the fields we’re collaborating with the USPTO in – at the end of October our JPM for CBRN Medical hosted their industry day for HDTX at the USPTO planting the seed for additional avenues for this interagency partnership to continue to blossom. As the JPEO-CBRND and the USPTO look to get ahead of the problems of the moment and create opportunities for long lasting partnership and support, this shared mission, and collaboration is a natural fit.

COL Kimmell emphasized the value of industry day meetings like those held at the USPTO in October, “events like these are important to close the gap between the Army, S&T community, acquisition developers and partners and industry.” In these efforts to broaden and connect the wide-ranging networks among the DOD, JPEO-CBRND, USPTO and Industry we’re working to emphasize new relationships to solve our most pressing problems for CBRN defense and innovation.

If you or your company think you have a technology or solution that aligns with the JPEO-CBRND’s mission space and you want to connect, please submit your offering through the JETT tool our website.

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Fresh ideas help us see tomorrow, yesterday: Interagency partnership paves the way to innovation

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