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| Resource Library > Technology Transfer > Technology Transfer Overview |
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History
The AFCEE Technology Transfer Program was officially formed through the creation of the AFCEE Technology Transfer Division (ERT) in September 1992. This was in response to a memorandum from Mr. Gary Vest, the then Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Environmental Safety. Mr. Vest, writing to the Air Force Civil Engineer at the time (General McCarthy), expressed disappointment in the speed and timeliness of the development process for new environmental solutions (i.e., technologies). Within the Air Force in 1992, the development and fielding of new environmental restoration technologies and procedures resided primarily with the Air Force Laboratories. Mr. Vest was interested in accelerating the fielding of environmental restoration solutions through the Air Force Civil Engineer. The concept was to get quick solutions in the field to address environmental contamination. General McCarthy's charter was to bridge the gap between the research and development (R&D) of the laboratories, industry, and academia and the field implementation of the technologies. In effect, General McCarthy was attempting to improve the transfer of technology from R&D to implementation.
Promising technologies were taking years to be fielded and this technology transfer gap was euphemistically termed the "Valley of Death" for new technologies. AFCEE was the logical choice to lead the technology transfer push. General McCarthy tasked the AFCEE, Mr. J.B. Cole (the director at the time), to develop an action plan. Authored by then Major Ross Miller, the technology transfer action plan called for the Air Force to "assume some reasonable risk" in fielding innovative technologies. This became the guiding principle for the Technology Transfer Division. In 1993, the division became officially staffed with acceptance of the action plan. This became the guiding principle for the Technology Transfer Division. In 1993, the division became officially staffed with acceptance of the action plan. Initial positions were funded from Defense Environmental Restoration Account (DERA) and the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC, now the Air Force Real Property Agency, or AFRPA) programs and placed under what was known as the Environmental Restoration (ER) Directorate. In 2003, with the reorganization of AFCEE, the Technology Transfer Program was placed within the Environmental Science Division of the Technical Directorate (TD) whose mission is to support the US Air Force by providing planning, design, environmental consultation, and technical services.
The origins of Technology Transfer within AFCEE extend to the beginning of AFCEE itself in 1991. In late 1991 and early 1992, AFCEE was working with the Armstrong Laboratory and other Air Force laboratories (now collectively referred to as the Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL) on pilot projects for an innovative technology called "bioventing." Led by then Maj. Miller, AFCEE conducted bioventing field tests at 12 sites under contract with Battelle Memorial Institute. These early projects culminated in a joint publication on bioventing protocols by AFCEE, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and AFRL. This precedent-setting document, published in May 1992 entitled "Principles and Practices of Bioventing," is published as an EPA Manual (EPA/540/R-95/534, September 1995) and serves as the first of many successful technology transfers conducted by the AFCEE.
Mission and Goals
The mission of the AFCEE Technology Transfer Program is to provide the technical expertise needed for evaluating, demonstrating, and applying existing and innovative technologies for Air Force environmental programs in the areas of environmental restoration and pollution prevention.
Our Goals
AFCEE Technology Transfer Initiative goals are to demonstrate cost avoidance and savings in support of site closure, maintenance, and industrial activities through the use of innovative technologies. The AFCEE Technology Transfer Program strives to reduce the risk, cost, and liability of USAF Active Duty and Closure Bases through:
- Providing in-house technical expertise
- Conducting innovative technology field demonstrations
- Publishing results and technical protocols
- Influencing regulatory technical & policy environment
- Hosting the AFCEE Technology Transfer Workshop
Success Stories
AFCEE Technology Transfer has conducted projects in a variety of teaming arrangements and has transferred innovative technologies to customers at over 100 military installations located in nearly every state and at over a dozen overseas sites.
The AFCEE Technology Transfer Program has gained widespread recognition among federal agencies, industry, and academia as a center of expertise and a technical resource for state-of-the-art environmental applications. The magnitude of cost avoidance achieved by various successful AFCEE Technology Transfer Initiatives is illustrated by the following examples:
- Monitored Natural Attenuation was implemented at over 50 sites with an estimated cost avoidance of over $525 million.
- Bioventing was implemented at over 135 sites with an estimated cost avoidance of over $24 million.
- Bioslurping was implemented at over 30 sites with an estimated cost avoidance of over $15 million.
- Internal combustion engines for off-gas control for soil vapor extraction was implemented at 6 sites with an estimated cost avoidance . of over $4 million.
- Risk-based closure was accomplished at 22 sites with over $10 million in cost avoidance .
- Diffusion samplers have been applied at 18 sites with an estimated cost avoidance of over $2.5 million.
- Remedial Process Optimization (RPO) of systems was applied at 18 sites with an estimated cost avoidance of $39 million.
- Phyototechnologies in various forms have been applied at 8 sites with an estimated cost avoidance of $7 million.
- Enhanced In Situ Bioremediation, via substrate injection and permeable reactive biobarriers, was applied at nearly 20 sites with an estimated cost avoidance of over $130 million.
The Technology Transfer Process - Formulate, Demonstrate, Validate, and Educate
The AFCEE Technology Transfer Program process has four elements:
- Formulate
- Demonstrate
- Validate, and
- Educate
The first element of this process is to formulate Air Force requirements for new and innovative technologies. Requirements are drawn from a wide range of sources, including the Air Force's Environmental Development Planning, contacts at bases and major commands, and state and federal regulators. Evaluation of information from these sources, matched to the capabilities and processes of AFCEE contractors, and proposals received from solicitations, results in a set of candidate projects.
The second element is to field-demonstrate candidate technologies. Projects are developed and executed for field testing using Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs) contracts, existing AFCEE contractors, and teaming arrangements with other government agencies. BAAs are procurement vehicles used to solicit proposals from industry and academia via notices published in the Commerce Business Daily (CBD). The BAA is used for soliciting novel technologies. Air Force Delivery Order contracts are often used for large-scale initiatives that will have multi-site application.
Validation involves the collection and analysis of cost and performance data, the preparation of engineering/design or application guides, and the use of "blue ribbon" panels to critique and review the status of a technology. Protocols, design manuals, guidance documents, and computerized models, are typically developed to support validation of technology demonstrations. These same tools are used in the education process.
The education process consists of disseminating results of a technology's cost and performance, regardless of whether or not the results are favorable. If results are favorable, bases are encouraged to use the technology to lower costs. If testing results are unsatisfactory, the information gathered is made available to allow elimination of a previously untested alternative.
The AFCEE Technology Transfer Program uses many outlets for the education process. These include actual demonstration of new technologies at a large number of sites, publication of findings in journals and magazines, presentations at government, academic, and industry symposia, United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, and the Air Force Institute of Technology. In addition, educational efforts include conducting technology symposia, consulting efforts, and producing guides and manuals. For example, AFCEE hosts the annual Technology Transfer Workshop (now in its seventh year). The AFCEE in its Technology Transfer Program leads the Air Force contingent at the Workshop, presenting innovative technologies, case studies, chairing other working sessions, and helping sponsor other organizations such as EPA, SERDP/ESTCP, Battelle, etc.
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