The Mill, NSWC Crane Enter Agreement

(photo courtesy of The Mill)

Bloomington-based nonprofit center for entrepreneurship The Mill has signed a five-year agreement with NSWC Crane to help develop Crane technology and to increase access to intellectual property and subject matter expertise. The agreement calls for The Mill to help small companies and educational institutions to license Crane Intellectual Property, submit research proposals and collaborate on marketing, while Crane will license and provide access to some intellectual property, facilities and equipment.

“Crane offers incredible opportunities for researchers and entrepreneurs to further explore, develop, and bring to market cutting-edge technologies. We couldn’t be more excited about connecting local innovators to those opportunities. Working together to increase tech transfer has the potential to commercialize groundbreaking IP, create high-paying jobs, and fuel our regional economy,” said Melissa Ward, head of initiatives and partnerships for The Mill. 

The new agreement extends cooperation between the two entities since Crane Technology Transfer Director Jenna Dix serves on the board of directors for a network, Cybersecurity Exchange, that was launched by The Mill this year to ensure cybersecurity is an economic driver in the region. 

“Commercializing Navy-developed technology not only supports our forces, but also our regional economy. We look forward to working with The Mill and their partners to rapidly move innovations from the NSWC Crane patent portfolio from concept to market,” said Dix.