Federal labs in Maryland and adjacent Washington, DC are the source for about three-quarters of federal biomedical/biotech inventions (76%; 1,611), CRADAs (73%; 372), invention licenses (79%; 780) and exclusive invention licenses (74%; 199). Over 70% of licensed inventions (71%; 399) originate from MD/DC federal labs. Federal labs located in Montgomery County, MD (a suburb of Washington, DC) include the National Institutes of Health, the number one source for biomedical/biotech inventions and technology transfer; the Naval Medical Research and Development Center; the National Institute of Standards and Technology; FDA and ADAMHA labs located on the NIH campus or in the area; and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (moving its research labs from DC). Other major federal labs in Maryland and Washington, DC include the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command labs and NCI/NIH satellite labs (Frederick, MD); Beltsville Agricultural Reseach Center (Beltsville, MD), the largest of all USDA labs; U.S. Army Chemical and Biological Defense Agency labs (Aberdeen, MD); ADAMHA satellite labs (Baltimore, MD); and the Naval Research Laboratory (Washington, DC).

The Montgomery County/suburban Maryland area (and the State of Maryland) is the number one location for technology transfer in the biomedical, biotechnology and pharmaceutical areas, with federal labs (and NIH alone) in this area having the largest and most valuable portfolio of biomedical/biotech inventions available for licensing, the largest number of licenses granted, the most therapeutics in development internally and licensed out, the most biomedical/biotech CRADAs, and most likely the largest number of biomedical/biotech licenses granted.

Maryland biotechnology companies, over two-thirds in Montgomery County, are active in federal technology transfer, almost all with local federal labs, primarily NIH. Maryland biotech companies have received over 100 invention licenses, two-thirds to Montgomery County companies, and are involved in an estimated 69 CRADAs, over 70% (49) involving Montgomery County companies. The Montgomery County/suburban Maryland area has been reported to have the largest number and highest concentration of biomedical and life scientists (largely due to federal labs and agency headquarters). Besides the largest and most important federal biomedical/biotech labs, Maryland includes numerous biotechnology companies; major research universities, including Johns Hopkins Univ., by far the leading recipient of federal R&D grant funding; and Montgomery County includes the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the largest non-government source for biomedical research funding (about $300 million/year). NIH is the largest source for federal biomedical/biotech grant funding.