Volume 5, Number 4     July/August 1997

  Welcome to Innovation

An Opportunity to Access NASA Technologies

by Robert Norwood

N SEPTEMBER 22–24 IN BOSTON'S HYNES Convention Center, NASA will hold its eighth annual technology transfer conference, Technology 2007. Sponsored by NASA, NASA Tech Briefs magazine, the Federal Laboratory Consortium, and the Technology Utilization Foundation, Technology 2007 is designed to help U.S. businesses solve design challenges, develop new commercial products, find strategic partners, and improve their productivity and competitiveness.

This year, Technology 2007 is co-located with the Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE) Photonics East and Electronic Imaging conferences, giving attendees access to over 80,000 square feet of exhibits from some 300 government labs, universities, and high-tech companies. The three events will share a conference program focused on commercially-promising advances in Manufacturing/Materials, Laser/Optics, Environmental Technology, and Sensors/Instrumentation. Among the technologies, NASA will present: a new solventless coating process; a highly sensitive tool for detecting wear in metallic parts; a holographic system for environmental remote sensing; and a high-power/low-cost semiconductor laser with applications in optical communications.

NASA will also have an updated version of the "NASA Technology Solutions-Sharing Aerospace Technology with America" CD-ROM which made its debut at Technology 2006.

Daily plenary sessions will feature top-name speakers such as David Campbell, President of BBN Technologies, one of the inventors of the Internet and a recent inductee into the Space Technology Hall of Fame for work on NASA's pioneering ACTS communications satellite program. A highlight of the Tuesday September 23 plenary will be a NASA presentation on the Next Generation Internet Initiative, which seeks to speed electronic communications by more than a thousand times over current rates. This will be followed by a breakout session where companies can learn specifics about the initiative and how they can participate.

More than 8,000 business managers, senior engineers, and entrepreneurs from across the nation are expected to attend the combined events. In past years, more than half of the attendees have obtained licensing, cooperative R&D, or other technology transfer and commercialization agreements as a direct result of their attendance.

Technology 2007 represents one component of NASA's broader marketing strategy. That strategy is focused on utilizing a number of innovative marketing tools to reach new sectors of industry. Modeled along efforts pursued by the private sector, NASA's strategy is focused on integrating public relations, advertising, direct mail, and trade shows to convey the message that NASA is a technology resource that companies should tap into.

This represents a departure from NASA's old way of doing business. Rather than just rely on serendipitously getting the word out that NASA is seeking partners to commercialize its technology, we are targeting key venues that decision-makers within industry utilize as a normal course of business. This includes exhibiting at trade shows such as the National Design and Engineering show, the key show for reaching the manufacturing sector, and the product designers. It also means running public service messages in magazines like Design News, Tech Briefs, and Intech to aggressively seek out industry partners.

I believe that Technology 2007 provides excellent opportunities for those searching for new technologies, product ideas and/or partnerships. I hope to see you at Technology 2007.

For Technology 2007 registration details, visit the conference web site at HYPERLINK http://www. abptuf.org/T2007 or contact the Technology Utilization Foundation, 317 Madison Ave., Suite 1900, New York, NY 10017. Phone 212/490-3999; Fax 212/986-7864.

For more information about the CD-ROM, contact the National Technology Transfer Center.
Call 800/678-6882
Please mention you read about it in Innovation.