Montana State Locks in Long-Term VA Research Deal

BOZEMAN — Montana State University’s TechLink Center has secured a five-year partnership agreement with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to help commercialize research from VA medical centers nationwide, marking a significant expansion from the annual renewals the program has operated under since 2018.

The multiyear agreement, which took effect Oct. 1, positions Montana State as the national bridge between VA research laboratories and private industry, helping transform veterans’ healthcare innovations into commercial products and services.

“It’s been incredible to work alongside the VA to move years of critical research toward products and services that can help people, especially our nation’s veterans,” said Austin Leach, associate director of TechLink at MSU. “The partnerships we will continue to establish under this multiyear agreement will allow our team to build deeper, stronger relationships with industry, ensuring the VA’s research can realize its intended purpose.”

TechLink specializes in technology transfer — the process of moving innovations from federal research centers to the commercial marketplace through licensing agreements and cooperative research partnerships. The center has served as the national tech transfer partner for the U.S. Department of War for 25 years and was established in 1996.

From Screening Tool to National Platform

One success story illustrates the partnership’s impact: VA researchers in San Diego developed an electronic screening tool originally designed to identify returning veterans at risk for suicide, homelessness or food insecurity. Through TechLink’s facilitation, Total Orbit, a Missouri-based company, licensed the VA invention and incorporated it into a broader patient engagement system called CareOrbit.

Today, that technology has expanded far beyond its original purpose. CareOrbit is now used in hospitals and care centers nationwide to transform traditional paperwork into interactive patient learning modules, improving healthcare engagement across the medical system.

“Companies can license inventions that come from that R&D and use them to solve existing marketplace problems,” Leach said. “I’ve seen firsthand how these inventions create real-world opportunities for companies ready to act.”

Economic Impact and Growth Potential

TechLink’s work generates significant economic activity. Through its Department of War program alone, the center has facilitated nearly $10 billion in economic impact since 1999, brokering more than 2,000 tech transfer agreements at no cost to companies.

The expanded partnership comes as Montana State serves a growing veteran population, with about 700 students receiving veteran benefits enrolled this fall — a 21% increase from the previous year. The university has been recognized as one of the top 10 military-friendly schools in the nation for five consecutive years.

The VA partnership adds another dimension to Montana State’s federal research role. Veterans have unique healthcare needs being addressed through research across VA medical centers nationwide, and the expanded agreement creates potential for converting that research into targeted products and services.

“The government spends billions of dollars each year funding research and development in federal labs,” Leach said.

Alison Harmon, MSU’s vice president for research and economic development, said the long-term partnership supports the university’s land-grant mission while building relationships that could lead to additional collaborations.

“The partnership contributes to the many ways that MSU strives to support veterans while ensuring that more VA innovations will be commercialized for the benefit of veterans and society,” Harmon said. “Meanwhile, the project also helps build a relationship with the VA I hope will lead to other mutually beneficial research collaborations.”