The Oklahoma State University Multispectral Laboratories is a public-private partnership between the university and Triton Scientific LLC, with essential support from the Ponca City Development Authority and ConocoPhillips, designed to accelerate commercialization of new technologies.

The OSU-University Multispectral Laboratories (UML) was created in 2006 out of the dual need of technology developers and users cross the Department of Defense and Homeland Security markets. The nonprofit won the 2007 International Economic Development Council Award for the most innovative partnership in economic development in the United States.

“This partnership is unique in the country as it truly fused government, academia and private industry to create a national center to advance university and industrial research to support national mission requirements,” said D. Webster Keogh, UML laboratory director. “The most unique element to this partnership is that unlike any other laboratory or research consortium, the UML by charter cannot own or take a vested interest in intellectual property. By taking this stance the partnership business plan is purely focused on collaborative non-competitive activities that directly support the nation’s war fighter, first responders and intelligence assets,” Keogh said.

There are approximately 60 full-time jobs that are directly supported with the UML. The current average salary is more than $85,000 per year. The UML first and foremost stands for the operational end-user from the defense, intelligence, security and energy markets.

“The partnership has identified and organized over $100 million of underutilized infrastructure within the state. This infrastructure, now directed toward critical national missions, has been used to generate external revenue of more than $12 million per year, primarily supporting the Department of Defense and the intelligence communities,” Keogh said.

As an example, the UML has enabled the transition of advanced biological warfare agent sampling device from MIT Lincoln Laboratories to an Oklahoma-based company for manufacturing and sales. “Partnering with the UML provides OSU faculty members and other university scientists across the state with unique opportunities and capabilities that give Oklahoma a leading edge in research and development as applied to defense and security,” said Stephen McKeever, vice president for Research and Technology Transfer at OSU and executive director of the UML.