Science, Technology, and Policy Fellowship

The Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) Science, Technology, and Policy Fellowship program, in partnership with Oak Ridge Institute of Science and Education (ORISE), offers a unique, paid professional development opportunity to those interested in technology commercialization. Throughout this 12-month program, talented individuals of varying backgrounds have the chance to learn from experts in the field, lead their own initiative within OTC, and participate in activities across the research, development, demonstration, and deployment continuum.

The fellowship offers a great deal of flexibility. Fellows are assigned to an OTC team to support the team’s existing efforts while also working independently to develop a new initiative with any OTC team. This independent project can include efforts such as new program development, analysis of existing functions, or policy research. To be clear, OTC federal staff manage all programmatic activities and perform all inherently federal tasks, and fellows assist and contribute to these efforts.

Throughout the appointment, fellows develop a broad understanding of technology commercialization by:
- Collaborating with experts at DOE, National Labs, and industry leaders across the energy value chain to help analyze and overcome key commercialization barriers to various energy technologies.
- Shaping OTC's agenda and enable collaborations across the Commercialization Programs, Technology Transfer Policy, Market Analysis, and Operations teams.
- Supporting the development of programmatic activities.
- Identifying the commercialization impacts of various program, policy, and regulatory decisions.
Within the first 60 days, fellows will submit a Professional Development Plan (PDP) to their primary mentor. It includes a description of their proposed program and independent projects and proposed professional development activities. Within 90 days fellows submit a final project plan that solidifies their projects and describes the steps the Fellow will take to complete them.
Fellows complete an end-of-year presentation that summarizes accomplishments for both their program team and self-led projects.
Guiding Principles
- Fellows are expected to spend approximately 50% of their time on activities related to their assigned OTC team (aka Program Project). The remaining 50% is dedicated to creating a new work stream or activity (e.g., new program, analytical effort, policy research project) that is additive to OTC’s current portfolio (Independent Project). The Independent Project can cover areas beyond the core mission of their assigned OTC team.
- Fellows are expected to be active participants in the fellowship program by providing feedback on the program’s design and supporting each other’s progress during the fellowship. Fellows may be asked to participate in the selection process of future fellows.
- OTC federal staff will manage the program and guide the fellows in their individual endeavors.
- Fellows are not government employees and cannot do “inherently governmental” work. Therefore, fellows cannot supervise staff, manage contracts, hold budget authority, or represent the United States government.