Technology Transfer

Extending the Reach
of NASA Technology

Since NASA’s inception in 1958, the agen-cy’s aeronautics and space programs have produced and sponsored advanced research and technology involving a broad range of technical disciplines and industries. The commercial and secondary application of this great wealth of innovation and knowledge has yielded–and continues to generate–substantial dividends for U.S. enterprises, economic growth and quality of life. The harvesting of NASA’s technological resources originated with the Space Act of 1958 creating NASA, which mandated the wide dissemination of the agency’s R&D results. Forty-two years later, NASA’s pioneering commitment to technology transfer and commercialization continues to extend the reach of NASA across the nation, resulting in the innovative application of NASA technology and know-how throughout the economy and our daily lives.

NASA’s mission to foster technology partnerships for NASA programs and commercial purposes and to facilitate the transfer and commercialization of NASA-funded research and technology is served today by a national network of technology transfer and commercialization organizations sponsored by and affiliated with NASA. The network, known as the NASA Commercial Technology Network (NCTN), is dedicated to providing services and assistance to U.S. entrepreneurs and enterprises in moving technology from the laboratory to the marketplace in partnership with NASA. The NCTN operates under the strategic direction of the Commercial Technology Division at NASA Headquarters, and consists of the Commercial Technology Offices at each of the ten NASA Field Centers, the NASA Regional Technology Transfer Centers, the National Technology Transfer Center, NASA-sponsored business/technology incubators, and other specialized organizations and services. The NCTN organizations operate in all 50 states in partnership with local business and government resources to connect U.S. firms and entrepreneurs with NASA technology opportunities and to assist the commercialization of NASA funded technology.

In addition to the physical presence of the network across the nation and its involvement in numerous business sectors, NASA has further expanded its reach through the online NCTN. This online network encompasses the Web sites and services of the NCTN organizations, and has enabled unprecedented access to NASA technology and partnership opportunities.tIt serves as an integrated information resource for available NASA technology and the technology commercialization capabilities and services of the NCTN. The core site for the online NCTN (http://www.nctn.hq.nasa.gov) is operated by the Commercial Technology Division at NASA Headquarters.

To explore NASA technology for your enterprise and to learn more about the NASA resources for technology transfer and commercialization, go online to the Web sites listed below.

The NASA Commercial Technology Network, listed below, includes private and public sector enterprises that complement and support the transfer and commercialization of NASA-sponsored technology.

NASA Commercial Technology Network

NASA Centers:

• NASA Headquarters, Commercial Technology Division, http://www.nctn.hq.nasa.gov
• Ames Research Center, Commercial Technology Office, http://www.ctoserver.arc.nasa.gov
• Dryden Flight Research Center, Commercialization Office, http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov
• Goddard Space Flight Center, Technology Commercialization Office, http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov
• Glenn Research Center, Commercial Technology Office, http:// www.grc.nasa.gov
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Commercial Technology Office, http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
• Johnson Space Center, Commercial Technology Office, http://www.jsc.nasa.gov
• Kennedy Space Center, Technology Programs and Commercialization Office, http://www.ksc.nasa.gov
• Langley Research Center, Technology Commercialization Program Office, http://www.larc.nasa.gov
• Marshall Space Flight Center, Technology Transfer Department, http://www.msfc.nasa.gov
• Stennis Space Center, Technology Transfer Office, http://www.ssc.nasa.gov

Technology Transfer Centers:

• National Technology Transfer Center (NTTC), http://www.nttc.edu
• Regional Technology Transfer Centers (RTTCs):
  • Far West (AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, WA) – Far West Regional Technology Transfer Center (FWRTTC), http://www.usc.edu/dept/engineering/TTC/NASA
  • Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, PA, VA, WV) – Mid-Atlantic Technology Applications Center (MTAC), http://oracle.mtac.pitt.edu/WWW/MTAC.html
  • Mid-Continent (AR, CO, IA, KS, MO, MT, ND, NE, NM, OK, SD, TX, UT, WY) – Mid-Continent Technology Transfer Center (MCTTC), http://www.mcttc.com
  • Mid-West (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI) – Great Lakes Industrial Technology Center (GLITeC), http://www.battelle.org/glitec
  • Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT) – Center for Technology Commercialization (CTC), http://www.ctc.org
  • Southeast (AL, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN) – Southern Technology Applications Center (STAC), http://www.state.fl.us/stac

NASA-sponsored Incubators:

• The Ames Technology Commercialization Center (ATCC), http://ctoserver.arc.nasa.gov/incubator.html
• BizTech, http://europa.uah.edu/biztech/index.html
• The Emerging Technology Center (ETC), http://www.etcbaltimore.com/index2.html
• The Florida/NASA Business Incubator Center (FNBIC), http://technology.ksc.nasa.gov/FNBIC
• The Hampton Roads Technology Incubator (HRTI), http://www.hr-incubator.org
• The Lewis Incubator for Technology (LIFT), http://www.liftinc.org
• The Mississippi Enterprise for Technology (MET), (Web site not available)
• The NASA Commercialization Center (NCC), http://www.nasaincubator.csupomona.edu/home.htm
• The UH-NASA Technology Commercialization Incubator, http://www.research.uh.edu/otm/techmanage.html

Specialized Centers and Services:

• NASA Technology Applications—Research Triangle Institute (RTI), http://www.rti.org
• NASA/MSU TechLink Center, http://techlink.msu.montana.edu

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