CCAT HISTORYIn 1999, a collaborative industry-academia-government partnership was formed among ORINCON Corporation, San Diego State University, University of California, San Diego, and SPAWAR Systems Center, San Diego. The objective of the partnership was to establish a technology commercialization program to help small businesses as well as academic and government scientists advance their proven technologies to the marketplace. With strong congressional support, the partnership received its initial round of funding in July 2001 and established the Center for Commercialization of Advanced Technology (CCAT). A second center at California State University San Bernardino became operational in year two. [Information about both CCAT San Diego and CCAT San Bernardino is available at www.ccatsocal.org.]
During its nine years of operation, CCAT San Diego sponsored 31 nationwide solicitations; evaluated 881 applications; selected 119 technologies from private industry, universities and government laboratories; and provided approximately $23.3 million in awards and services to facilitate technology commercialization. As a result, CCAT San Diego clients achieved $211.9 million of technology sales, 3rd party investments, and mergers/acquisitions. In addition, 13 technologies from academia and government laboratories were licensed to existing and 8 new startup companies and 11 mergers/acquisitions/partnerships. Approximately 51.4% of the CCAT San Diego clients achieved at least one or more of the following critical commercialization milestones:
• market penetration (e.g., sales)
• additional research and development funding (capital investment, SBIR awards, etc)
• license/CRADA agreements between university/government labs and industry
• partnerships/mergers/acquisitions
Since the CCAT Program is congressionally supported, one of the primary objectives was to seek out and secure new sponsorships. In 2008, CCAT San Diego successfully established the 1401 Program which supports the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas' Security Affairs in transitioning DoD-funded technologies to the first responders. More recently, CCAT has established and is receiving funding from the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate for the Tech Solutions Program, the objective of which is to identify, promote, and transition advanced technologies to meet priority HLS and first responder requirements.
