Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) have been recognized by the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) for their efforts to develop Tennessee as a national leader in fusion energy.

The annual FLC awards recognize significant accomplishments in transferring federal laboratory technologies to the marketplace and are among the most prestigious in the technology transfer industry.

The 2025 State and Local Economic Development Award, “Fossil Fuels to Fusion Energy,” recognizes the tri-party memorandum of understanding signed in 2023 among TVA, Type One Energy, and ORNL. Type One intends to repurpose TVA’s decommissioned Bull Run Fossil Plant as the future site of Infinity One, Type One’s stellarator fusion prototype machine. This collaboration builds on ORNL’s expertise in fusion energy and is projected to create more than 300 jobs in East Tennessee. Additionally, Type One plans to invest more than $200 million in the region.

This project was the first recipient of funds from the Governor’s Nuclear Energy Fund, which was designed to support Governor Bill Lee’s positioning of Tennessee as a national leader in nuclear development and manufacturing. Jesse Smith, ORNL Industrial and Economic Development Manager, shares this award with TNECD’s Callie Cook, Global Director of Research and Development Initiatives; and TVA’s Meryl Harris, Target Market Specialist, Andrew Campbell, Transformative Innovation Initiatives Senior Manager, and Derrick Collins, Consultant for TVA’s Northeast Valley region.

Along with the Fossil Fuels to Fusion Energy project, five other ORNL-led projects will be recognized during the FLC National Meeting in May.

1. 2025 Impact Award, “New Alloy Reduces Steel/Petrochemical Industries’ Energy Consumption and Emissions,” recognizes a novel cast alumina-forming stainless-steel alloy developed by ORNL that addresses the shortcomings of conventional alloys used in power generation, steel, industrial manufacturing and chemical industries. It has improved corrosion resistance, which increases productivity and energy savings, and maintains stability and strength at higher temperatures. Already commercialized in the steel industry, the new alloy can also be used in energy production, petrochemical processing, and aerospace and defense applications.
2. 2025 Technology Transfer Innovation Award, “Empowering Researchers, Engaging Entrepreneurs: ORNL’s Safari Program Drives Innovation,” recognizes the ORNL Safari Program. The Partnerships Office worked in collaboration with Angelique Adams Media Solutions to develop and deliver an eight-week coaching workshop to equip researchers with the skills to effectively communicate and market their technologies. ORNL honorees include Jennifer Caldwell, Technology Transfer Director, and Susan Ochs, Engagements Program Manager. Caldwell and Ochs share this award with Angelique Adams, owner of Angelique Adams Media Solutions.
3. 2025 Excellence in Technology Transfer Award, “Next-Generation Fuels Take Flight with Novel Catalyst,” recognizes Gevo, a leader in advanced biofuels, that partnered with ORNL to mature a more efficient, affordable, process to develop synthetic aviation fuel. ORNL honorees include Caldwell; Andrew “Andy” Sutton, Group Leader and Senior Scientist; Timothy Theiss, former Program Manager; Edna Gergel, Patent Agent; and Andrea Bowers, Strategic Partnerships Agreements Specialist.
4. 2025 Excellence in Technology Transfer Award, “Transforming Construction with Self-Healing Barrier Film for Vacuum Insulation,” honors Flexcon, a company that licensed ORNL technology designed to make buildings more energy efficient, thanks to a self-healing barrier film that can be incorporated into vacuum insulation panels. This technology showcases ORNL’s cross-cutting areas of excellence, as it was developed in collaboration by researchers from both the basic and applied science areas of the lab. ORNL honorees include Tomonori Saito, Distinguished R&D staff; Andreana Leskovjan, Senior Commercialization Manager; Bowers; and Diana Hun, Group Leader. This award is shared with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Natasha Ghezawi, graduate student researcher, and Michael Merwin, Director of New Technology at Flexcon.
5. 2025 FLC Interagency Partnership FLC Award for ATOM, or Accelerating Therapeutics for Opportunities in Medicine, is an award shared with DOE National Laboratories Argonne National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory and Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, which is sponsored by the National Cancer Institute.

Since the FLC’s founding in 1986, ORNL has won a total of 87 awards.

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