NSF director backs ‘lab to market’ commercialisation schemes

Sethuraman Panchanathan outlines pivot to innovation as national funder expects major investment in new directorate

The director of the United States National Science Foundation has outlined how a new technology directorate will boost the funder’s “lab to market approaches” for commercialising research findings.

The NSF funds non-medical research in the US and has traditionally focused on supporting fundamental discovery research across its six existing directorates. Recently, there has been bipartisan support for boosting the funder’s budget and adding a seventh directorate focused on technology and innovation.