NASA’s Stennis Space Center and Loyola University in New Orleans announced Nov. 19 a partnership agreement to educate young entrepreneurs and tomorrow’s industry leaders about the benefits of NASA research and development and the use of NASA intellectual property in commercial applications.
Under a recently-signed Space Act Agreement, students in the Loyola College of Business will select a Stennis-developed technology and build a business plan for its commercial use. The effort is part of NASA’s Technology Transfer University (T2U) initiative, which seeks to engage business students to use NASA intellectual property and spur economic development and growth. The Loyola College of Business has embraced the initiative as part of its Master of Business Administration (MBA) program.
“This kind of effort is built on the understanding that NASA technology not only enables space exploration but impacts and benefits all areas of daily life,” Stennis Center Director Rick Gilbrech said. “We are proud to work with Loyola University and look forward to a successful partnership.”
“We are thrilled to have a working relationship with one of the most important agencies in the United States,” said Bill Locander, dean of the Loyola College of Business. “NASA’s patents and technologies are the kinds of things that show promise for the future. This is an opportunity for our MBA students to be a part of that promise and to learn through real experiences.”
T2U brings NASA technologies “down to Earth.” The effort already has resulted in the successful commercial marketing of a product, using technology developed at Kennedy Space Center.
Under the agreement announced Nov. 19, Loyola MBA business students will review the portfolio of Stennis’ patented technologies. Once a technology is selected, the students will work next spring to develop a viable business plan for bringing that technology to market.
“Ideally, they will generate ideas for the intellectual property that we have not considered,” said Duane Armstrong, chief of NASA’s Applied Science and Technology Projects at Stennis Space Center. “At the same time, the students will learn about the value and benefit of NASA technology.”
The current agreement calls only for the development of a business plan. However, thanks to a new NASA initiative, the plan could become a reality. Startup NASA was launched by the agency to help new companies take NASA technology to market. Under the initiative, startup companies can be granted a license to NASA intellectual property without the usual up-front costs that pose a financial challenge in many instances.
“There are a few rules, but Startup NASA has really generated a lot of interest,” Armstrong said. “It’s an exciting opportunity for new companies who want to help transfer NASA technologies and intellectual properties into the world.”
For information about Startup NASA, visit:
http://technology.nasa.gov/startup.
For information about Technology Transfer University, visit:
http://technology.nasa.gov/t2u.
For information about Stennis Space Center, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/centers/stennis/home/index.html.
Valerie Buckingham
Stennis Space Center
228-688-3898
valerie.d.buckingham@nasa.gov