Seven undergraduate and five graduate students competed in the Ford School's 9th Annual Policy Pitch Competition in early September. In a TEDTalk style presentation, students gave three minute speeches highlighting their policy impact, lessons learned, and key deliverables from their internship experience. First, second, and third place winners were chosen by a group of celebrated judges, and the audience selected an Audience Student Prize winner. See all of the photos from the event here.
Second place winner Lakshay Sood (BA ‘27) reflected on his experiences for the Ford School's Policy Matters blog.
Growing up in Albuquerque, I used to drive past Sandia National Laboratories every day. The razor wire perimeter and security checkpoints were distinct, lurking with secrecy and mystery. I had heard rumors about a laser that could pop a balloon a mile away, but had no clue what was actually going on!
My name is Lakshay Sood and I am a senior BA student here at the Ford School with a focus in technology and global security policy. This summer, my policy focus brought me to my hometown—Albuquerque—where I interned at Sandia's Intellectual Property Office with the Tech Partnerships and Economic Development Team.
What is not very well known about Sandia is that thousands of its inventions are kept secret for national security reasons. This is because Sandia is a US Department of Energy research center tasked with a nuclear deterrence and national security engineering mission. Despite the seeming secrecy, many of the lab's other innovations are just waiting to be commercialized for public use. The resulting policy problem is that Sandia's breakthrough research, locked behind federal fences, can't reach communities. This creates a missed billion-dollar economic development opportunity for New Mexico, defined by forgone small business expansion and high-wage job growth.
That's where the Technology Readiness Initiative (TRGR) comes in.
TRGR is run by Sandia, and its sister lab Los Alamos, with funding from the State of New Mexico. This tech commercialization program pairs lab experts with entrepreneurs to turn innovations into sellable products. Since launching in 2020, this small program has had a huge economic footprint, creating over $10 million in wage growth.
The catch? TRGR is a pilot program that will sunset in 2027. Without renewed state funding, it will shut down!
My work this summer was focused on addressing this challenge—how to best save TRGR. I developed a legislative strategy to help Sandia secure funding from the New Mexico state legislature. I embarked on an extensive stakeholder analysis, assessing the district-level priorities of all state legislators to identify bipartisan allies who could help pass the TRGR bill. My strategy also supported partnership talks between Sandia and its state agency partners on implementing the bill.
I also gained perspective into the legal side of technology transfer. I observed legal negotiations between Sandia attorneys, the Department of Defense, and major defense contractors.
That experience changed my perception of national security. I realized New Mexico was a microcosm of a policy question happening nationwide and globally: Who gets to build on critical discoveries? This influences global tech competition, supply chains, and allied security.
Before coming to Sandia, I thought national security meant secrecy. Now I know it also means access—the policies that allow countries to protect, license, and scale critical innovations. I discovered this mission in New Mexico, but the difficulties of tech transfer are universal.
This experience has confirmed my goals to focus on international intellectual property (IP) law. I want to influence policies globally, making sure that breakthroughs don't stay fenced up, but can protect our allies and expand economic opportunities in our communities.
Lakshay Sood (BA ‘27) is a senior at the Ford School from Albuquerque, NM. He is studying technology and global security policy and aspires to pursue a career in international intellectual property law or in a national security role. At U-M, Lakshay is heavily involved in the Ford School Community as a research assistant with the Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) program and previously served as Director of Digital Communications in the U-M Central Student Government, reflecting his commitment to being an effective policy communicator and changemaker.
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