Volume 9, Number 5 • September/October 2001 • Welcome

The RTTCs Strengthen the NASA Link to U.S. Industry

By Carolina Blake
Chief, Commercial Technology Office
Ames Research Center

The technology transfer and commercialization of NASA-funded research is an important contributor to the economic well-being of the United States. The NASA Commercial Technology Network (NCTN) is NASA’s official arm to aid technology transfer and commercialization. NASA established the NCTN as the foundation for its technology transfer and commercialization mission, and has built an extensive infrastructure in support of this important goal.

The NASA Technology Utilization (TU) program was created in 1962 in response to the congressional mandate contained in the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, to disseminate and encourage the rapid commercialization and use of the Agency’s technology to both the public and private sectors of the U.S. economy. In 1994, the NCTN refined its services and network to better support the mandated mission. To this end, a national network of Regional Technology Transfer Centers (RTTCs) was created to promote NASA technology transfer and commercialization opportunity to U.S. industry.

Today, the NASA RTTCs continue evolving to better fit the needs of U.S. industry and to work with potential partners in U.S. industry and the government to:

1. facilitate and promote enhanced access to NASA’s wealth of technology and information;
2. stimulate the widest possible use of NASA technology in the national interest; and
3. increase the dissemination and commercial application of technologies in the U.S. resulting from NASA-funded programs.

There are six RTTCs located throughout the country:

Far West Technology Transfer Center, Los Angeles, California, http://www.usc.edu/dept/engineering/TTC/NASA/index.html; Center for Technology Commercialization, Westborough, Massachusetts, http://www.ctc.org/; Economic Development Institute, Atlanta, Georgia, http://www.edi.gatech.edu/nasa/; Mid-Continent Technology Transfer Center, College Station, Texas, http://www.mcttc.com/; Technology Commercialization Center, Inc., Newport News, Virginia, http://www.teccenter.org/; and Great Lakes Industrial Technology Center, Cleveland, Ohio, http://www.glitec.org/

The RTTCs, each with strong affiliates in every state in its region, are tasked with encouraging and assisting companies interested in partnering with NASA. The RTTCs actively work with companies that desire to partner with NASA to develop joint research relationships or license NASA’s commercially available technologies and participate in the NASA Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR).

Some of the standard services provided by the RTTCs include: Information Services—provide information on Field Center technologies and capabilities, computerized database searches, and exhibit a retrospective and current awareness of report literature from a wide variety of sources; Technology Needs Assessments—conduct identification of clients’ technological needs/problems and applications analyses involving technical support, engineering reports and/or evaluations; Commercialization Services—provide technology and business analyses, venture capital resource information and technology brokering; and Technology Marketing—conduct outreach and other promotional activities to generate a broad national awareness of and access to NASA technology transfer capabilities, services and commercialization opportunities.

Other selected services varying by region include: Identification of user constituencies for specific NASA-developed technologies; arrangement and/or sponsorship of regional conferences, seminars or workshops for industry; coordination of regional inter-organizational linkages for cooperative activities in technology transfer; and supporting commercialization/market assessment of specifically identified technological advancements, including SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer commercial applicability assessments.

The RTTC contracts are regularly awarded through an open competition process to ensure that all qualified entities are given a fair opportunity, while also ensuring that the taxpayer gets the highest return on investment by the selection of the best candidates.

One of the great strengths of the RTTCs is their strong bond within their region and their intimate knowledge of the local communities.

By working with one another, the RTTCs can use their collective experience to help businesses through customer-oriented service with specialized knowledge about NASA, its Field Centers and Field Center endeavors. This cooperative network works together to ensure a favorable outcome for both NASA and U.S. business, and provides a measurable return on investment to the American taxpayer. Q

NASA Official: Jonathan Root • Web Design: Printing & Design Office, NASA Headquarters • Credits