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2007
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Nona Cheeks

As chief of the Innovative Partnerships Program (IPP) Office at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, I am tasked with ensuring that we live up to our name. Innovation was, is, and will remain key to NASA’s ability to research, invent, and explore. Innovation benefits NASA’s mission goals as well as those of our valued partners, and it helps to bolster economic security and the public good.

As we enter the 50th year* of NASA’s history, we recognize this long-honored tradition of innovation and are working to sharpen our focus even further. Just as NASA researchers were very strategic in their efforts to fulfill NASA’s exploration goals in the wake of the Sputnik launch, we in the IPP Office are strategically working to support NASA’s current objectives to return to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

• We endeavor to be innovative in technology infusion efforts—to help meet Goddard needs and NASA mission directorate goals, and to support the growth of growing businesses.
  
  
• We endeavor to be innovative in technology transfer efforts—to better the regional and U.S. economies and to extend the application of Goddard technologies to uses that will serve the public good.
  
  
• We endeavor to be innovative in intellectual property (IP) management—to protect Goddard’s IP and serve the interest and future research capabilities of Goddard scientists.

We endeavor to be innovative in all of these things by strategically positioning Goddard as a Technology Partner of Choice. Through innovative efforts to infuse technology into Goddard, manage Goddard’s IP, and transfer technology out of Goddard, we are strengthening relationships with Goddard innovators and managers; other NASA Centers; industry; academia; and other federal, state, and nongovernmental organizations—for the mutual benefit of all parties and ultimately to help NASA successfully achieve its mission goals more efficiently.

We invite you to read this summary of the successes we’ve seen in fiscal year 2007 in transforming these ideas into innovation.

Nona Minnifield Cheeks
Chief
Innovative Partnerships Program Office
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

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