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Shakespeare wrote, “that which we call a rose/By any other name would smell as sweet.” And yet, in many cases, a name reflects an entity’s essence.

Take what had been called Goddard’s Office of Technology Transfer. Now called the Innovative Partnerships Program (IPP) Office, the office has been pursuing new avenues of technology transfer that are more accurately indicated with this new name.

Goddard's Innovative Partnerships Program Office team (l to r): front row: Stacy Glass†, Laura Schoppe†, Greg Hopper†, Darryl Mitchell, Asia Proctor‡; middle row: Roy Fauber†, Enidia Santiago-Arce, Nancy Pekar†, Nona Cheeks (Chief), Dale Hithon, Bob Henard†, Abdul Ibrahim‡; back row: Nannette Stangle-Castor†, Adrienne Beamer, Joseph Holmes†, Tom Goff‡, Deandra Raymond‡, Ted Mecum, and Jahi Wartts. (†Fuentek; ‡SGT).

For many years, the office had been focused primarily on what is known as “spinoff”—that is, the out-licensing, commercialization, and other mechanisms for taking Goddard-developed intellectual property (IP) and finding new uses for it outside of NASA.

“We still do that, but it’s really just one part of the story,” says IPP Office Chief Nona Cheeks. “We’re on the cutting edge in what we do now, bringing together multiple forms of technology development and transfer.”

By utilizing best practices in concepts such as open innovation, out-licensing, and small business–based research, NASA is taking an innovative approach to accelerating research and development and maximizing the return on those investments. This innovative approach includes:

• Technology Infusion: This mainly involves dual-use partnerships, whereby both NASA and the external partner(s) from industry, academia, or government benefit from the R&D. For example, the medical industry may be seeking a new adhesive to use for in vitro devices requiring the same minimal out-gassing and resistance to radiation that are needed by NASA for mounting space optics; a partnership would develop and test the new adhesive that would solve both needs.
  
  
• IP Management: Protecting NASA-developed technologies to ensure that they are not used without permission provides leverage for securing infusion partners, royalties through out-licensing that can fund additional R&D, and allow the American people—and indeed humankind—to receive benefits from the space program beyond the Agency’s exploration and science goals.
  
  
• SBIR/STTR: The Small Business Innovative Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs have been restructured and consolidated to be more cost-efficient and ensure that outside technologies with benefits for space program missions are infused into NASA. Goddard’s SBIR/STTR personnel are now part of the IPP Office, providing guidance for the technical aspects of proposals related to Goddard-based research

When Goddard and external organizations partner for technology development, they reap many benefits:

• Accelerated development of technology for missions/goals
• Efficient use of resources, including laboratories, equipment, and personnel
• Increased return on the investment in R&D
• Growth of commercial aerospace and other industries, providing economic benefits for the nation
• More science and engineering breakthroughs

“It’s a cliché but I keep thinking of that old TEAM acrostic: Together Everyone Achieves More,” said Ms. Cheeks. “By working together truly as partners, NASA and outside organizations both benefit. And that’s a key part of our mission: Creating collaborations that leverage each party’s resources and strengths while supporting NASA’s missions, Goddard’s strategic objectives, and the partner’s goals.”

“And we always welcome Goddard personnel at our offices,” said Ms. Cheeks. The IPP Office is in Building 22, Room 290.

Contact

Innovative Partnerships Program Office
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Phone: (301) 286-2642
E-mail: techtransfer@gsfc.nasa.gov