Suggested Searches

A large, bright star shines from the center with smaller stars scattered throughout the image. A clumpy cloud of material surrounds the central star, with more material above and below than on the sides.

Ames Partnerships FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

General Information  

What is a NASA “partnership?”

NASA uses the term “partnership” to loosely describe a wide variety of relationships it has with various external entities. For example, a provider of contracted services, a licensee of NASA-patented technology, or a company performing collaborative research with NASA are all referred to as “partners” in a NASA “partnership.”.   

What are the ways to partner with NASA?  

Partnerships can be in the form of:

Why does NASA engage in Partnerships?  

NASA engages in Partnerships to meet the following objectives—  

  • Facilitates collaborative opportunities with domestic and international partners  
  • Helps NASA resolve gaps in technical capabilities that are important to meeting our mission objectives  
  • Supports U.S. economic innovation and industrial competitiveness  
  • Serves as a tool for meeting NASA’s mandate under the Space Act of encouraging the “fullest commercial use of space”  
  • Helps maintain essential NASA expertise and facilities  
  • Facilitates NASA’s education and outreach goals  

With whom does NASA partner?  

NASA partners with the following—  

  • U.S. Industry (large and small)  
  • Other Federal agencies  
  • Research institutions  
  • Public outreach organizations (e.g., museum)  
  • State and local governments  
  • Colleges and universities  
  • Foreign entities (businesses, academia, research institutions, governments) Professional associations and non-profits  

How do I Partner with NASA?

There are several ways to partner with us:  

In response to a Public Announcement: NASA uses various types of public announcements to communicate information about available assets.  These formal communications, including Announcement for Proposal (AFP), Request for Information (RFI) and Notice of Availability (NOA) can be found on the Contract Opportunities website, and the NASA Acquisition Internet Service website.  

Agreements 

What is a Space Act Agreement (SAA)?  

Space Act Agreements are legally-binding documents that formalize partnerships between NASA and external entities .  NASA is authorized by Congress to enter into these kinds of agreement per its  “Other Transactions Authority (OTA)” under the National Aeronautics and Space Act (51 U.S.C. § 20113(e)). These agreements are similar to Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs), which many government agencies are authorized to pursue with industry. Space Act Agreements can be nonreimbursable or reimbursable.  

  • Nonreimbursable SAAs are collaborative agreements in which NASA and an external  party each contribute resources – which can include personnel, facilities, expertise, equipment or technology – toward the accomplishment of a mutual goal. There is no transfer of funds between the parties. Each party agrees to fund its own participation in the partnership.  
  • Reimbursable SAAs involve the payment of funds from the partner to NASA, in exchange for access to, or the use of, unique NASA resources for purposes that are clearly related to NASA’s capabilities. Such resources may include personnel, facilities, expertise, equipment or technology. The terms, conditions and schedules are negotiable, but NASA must be paid in advance for each stage of the effort. NASA is prohibited from competing with the private sector, so NASA may not provide services which are reasonably available from the private sector.  

How long does a new agreement take to execute?  

The process for an agreement to get executed varies depending on the type of agreement being developed, the nature of the activity to be performed, and the partner. Activities of high visibility or controversy are likely to take longer to gain NASA’s approval-to-proceed.  

  • The process for an agreement with a domestic commercial entity takes three to nine months to complete, on average.  
  • The process for interagency agreements can be shorter, but again, the time it takes to complete will depend a number of factors that are often outside of NASA’s control.   
  • International Agreements can be initiated by ARC, but are developed and managed by HQ. They take at least six months to execute, and routinely will be in development for over a year or longer.  

Note: Activities of high visibility or controversy are likely to take longer to gain NASA’s approval-to-proceed.  

What do I need to provide to get started with an agreement? 

At a minimum, send the ARC Agreements Office the following information:  

  • The name of the partner  
  • A description of the partnering idea – what’s the purpose for the partnership…is the partner paying for NASA’s efforts, or is this a collaborative effort with no exchange of funds between parties…? Any information is helpful.  

Technology Transfer 

 How do I find NASA technologies available for license?  

NASA’s patent portfolio at technology.nasa.gov contains more than 1,200 patented technologies that are available for license.  The technologies have been organized into categories and made searchable so you can easily identify technologies suited for your business needs.  

How do I submit a patent license application?   

  • Search for the technology of interest on  technology.nasa.gov.   
  • Click on the icon/image and review the technical data sheet  
  • Click the icon:  Apply Now to License This Technology!  
  • Create an account in ATLAS  

What type of patent licenses are offered by NASA?  

Every technology license is different. We’ll work with you to design an agreement that helps you achieve your business goals. Licenses can be either a Standard Commercial License, Startup License or an Evaluation License.  

  • Standard Commercial License:    Allows companies to make and sell products based on NASA technologies and requires detailed commercialization plans and financial documentation.    
  • Startup License:  By offering a license with no up-front costs for commercial use of our patented technologies, we’re letting companies hold onto their cash while securing the intellectual property needed to carve out competitive market space.   
  • Evaluation License:  Enables companies to “test drive” the commercial viability of NASA technologies with minimal risk and up-front commitment; well suited for early TRL technologies that need additional investment.  Evaluation licensees are not permitted to commercialize or sell products made using NASA’s technology.  A Commercial Patent License is required before any sales can take place.   

How long does it take to execute a patent license at Ames?   

Depending on the type of license being applied for, licensing can occur as quickly as 2-4 months, as might be the case with an Evaluation License or a Startup NASA License.  At Ames, depending on the complexity of the transaction and the level of negotiation involved, the process for executing a non-exclusive commercial license agreement could take approximately 4-9 months.   

Can I speak with a NASA Inventor? 

NASA receives a lot of requests to speak with expert researchers and inventors.  To optimize the amount of time that NASA Ames researchers and inventors spend on inquiries, requestors are asked to email their questions.   Usually the requestor is asked to submit a license application first.   

How to get do I a patent license?  

Click this link for details:  https://technology.nasa.gov/license  

Where can I locate NASA software?   

NASA’s Software Catalog offers hundreds of new software programs you can download for free to use in a wide variety of technical applications. You can browse the portfolio here: https://software.nasa.gov/.  

Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) 

There are a few general questions answered below, but the best way to learn about the SBIR/STTR Programs is to poke around their website: https://www.sbir.gov/  

What is the SBIR Program?  

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is a highly competitive program that encourages domestic small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development that has the potential for commercialization. Through a competitive award process, SBIR enables small businesses to explore their technological potential and provides the incentive to profit from commercialization. By including qualified small businesses in the nation’s research and development (R&D) arena, high-tech innovation is stimulated, and the United States gains entrepreneurial spirit as it meets its specific R&D needs.  

What is the STTR Program?  

The Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program expands funding opportunities in the federal innovation arena. Central to the program is the expansion of the public/private sector partnership to include joint venture opportunities between small businesses and nonprofit research institutions. The unique feature of the STTR program is the requirement for the small business to formally collaborate with a research institution in Phase I and Phase II. STTR’s most important role is to bridge the gap between performance of basic science and commercialization of resulting innovations.  

Who is eligible to receive SBIR and STTR awards?

To receive an SBIR or STTR award, the awardee must qualify as a Small Business Concern (SBC) as defined by SBA regulations at 13 C.F.R. §§ 701-705.  The eligibility requirements for the SBIR/STTR programs are unique and do not correspond to those of other small business programs.  

How is “Small Business Concern” defined for purposes of the SBIR Program?  

A Small Business Concern (SBC) must satisfy the following conditions on the date of award for both Phase I and Phase II funding agreements:(1) is organized for profit, with a place of business located in the United States, which operates primarily within the United States or which makes a significant contribution to the United States economy through payment of taxes or use of American products, materials or labor;(2) is in the legal form of an individual proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, corporation, joint venture, association, trust or cooperative, except that if the concern is a joint venture, each entity to the venture must meet the requirements set forth in paragraph (3) below;(3) is more than 50 percent directly owned and controlled by one or more individuals (who are citizens or permanent resident aliens of the United States), other small business concerns (each of which is more than 50% directly owned and controlled by individuals who are citizens or permanent resident aliens of the United States), or any combination of these; and(4) has, including its affiliates, not more than 500 employees.  (For explanation of affiliate see www.sba.gov/size).For SBIR program only:  Some of the 11 federal agencies administering SBIR awards may choose to issue a portion of their awards to firms that are majority-owned by multiple venture capital operating companies, hedge funds, or private equity firms.  You can see which agency is currently using this authority here.  

Additional SBIR/STTR FAQs: https://www.sbir.gov/faqs