Federal Laboratory Consortium schedules in-person national meeting May 4 in Seattle; unveils digital tools and elections plan

Andrea Nelson, host of The Transfer Files podcast, opened a midseason update with Paul Zielinski, executive director of the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer, who outlined the organization’s plan to return to an in-person national meeting and to expand digital resources for tech-transfer professionals.

Zielinski said the FLC intends to hold its national meeting in person in Seattle and "So we're gonna be May 4 back at the Seattle Westin." He said the meeting serves as the consortium’s national business meeting under its bylaws while also functioning as a networking and professional-development event, with awards, sessions and keynotes on the agenda.

Why it matters: The national meeting is where the FLC conducts governance actions and connects agency and laboratory representatives. Zielinski said the meeting will include elections and leadership selections and will be an opportunity for members to engage directly with new tools and training the consortium plans to deploy.

Zielinski said FLC elections will take place at the national meeting, noting that "we're electing two members at large and every year we have three of our regions" up for regional coordinator and deputy regional coordinator positions; he added voting membership is limited to the consortium’s agency and laboratory representatives. The organization also plans to open electronic voting ahead of the meeting.

On member services and digital tools, Zielinski described a suite of updates. The Green Book — a frequently used FLC reference — has an updated online version and the consortium is preparing a print run. "We are building an app," he said, describing plans for a mobile Green Book that would be interactive and can be kept current. Zielinski also previewed a new T2 mechanisms matrix: rather than a static spreadsheet, the tool will include an interactive interface and a bot designed to guide users to the right types of agreements and mechanisms across agencies.

Zielinski framed these moves as part of a broader modernization push: the FLC will refresh its website to improve navigation and integrate some of the bot features; members are invited to offer feedback through the consortium’s episode page and show notes at federallabs.org. He also said the consortium is drafting a new strategic plan (on a roughly three-year horizon) and will share a draft for input at a town hall.

Other notes: Zielinski acknowledged a continuing resolution was in effect at the time of recording but indicated he expected a budget resolution soon and said, in general, the budget "really doesn't have major cuts," while recognizing some programs have been affected by lapses. He also urged members to engage in volunteer roles from executive leadership down to task-oriented tasks such as award judging and course development. He recommended one remaining pilot tool, the Wiser tool, for biomedical office users.

The consortium did not announce formal changes to governance rules or the exact slate of candidates; those details are to be decided through the election process at the meeting. The FLC will host the national meeting programming at the Seattle Westin and aims to complete its app, T2 matrix and website updates in the coming year. The Transfer Files podcast will return with full episodes in March and will publish brief updates every two weeks until then.