NASA Wants To Share Great Ideas

NASA is seeking information from potential partners who could provide no-cost brokerage services for intellectual property transactions, such as patent brokering, to help transfer NASA-owned technologies into the U.S. marketplace. "Technology transfer always has been an important objective of America's aeronautics and space program," said NASA Chief Technologist Bobby Braun at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "We want to accelerate the agency's efforts to get groundbreaking technologies and innovations from development efforts out into commercial markets. We're asking for information from broker services on how they might help us do this, without any cost to the taxpayer." This call for information builds on a pilot program by several NASA field centers, started in 2008, to commercialize NASA-funded technologies.

NASA is looking to industry for input on what form these technology transaction services might take, including ideas such as public auctions, Internet-based agreements or other innovative concepts. Partners would be compensated through a percentage of licensing revenues from any transaction they broker. This approach will add another tool to existing technology transfer efforts, allowing NASA to effectively move its technology into the marketplace. Goals for the project include promoting transparency of NASA patent license transactions while enhancing development of commercial industry. A primary benefit of partnering for no-cost brokerage services is the potential to make intellectual property licensing processes quicker and easier, saving time and resources for small companies that may have interest in NASA technologies and innovations.

NASA is a pioneer in federal government use of third-party intellectual property brokerage services. This activity will accelerate the agency's past success in this area. The program will continue efforts to ensure easier access to NASA-patented technology by U.S. private sector organizations while identifying and developing complementary technology efforts across NASA's centers. An example of successfully brokering NASA technology through a no-cost brokerage partnership was the exclusive license for the Hilbert-Huang Transform, composed of 10 U.S. patents and one domestic patent application, which was part of a lot auctioned by Ocean Tomo Federal Services LLC, in October 2008. 

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