NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office have partnered to promote innovation through technology transfer and commercialization opportunities.
STMD and USPTO Partnership
USPTO said on Dec. 19 the two agencies signed a five-year memorandum of understanding to collaborate and study intellectual property, or IP, management, technology transfer best practices and lessons learned. The partnership also aims to determine hindrances to technology transfer participation and ways federal agencies and academic institutions can tackle these challenges.
USPTO will leverage its understanding of IP while STMD will bring its knowledge of innovative federal technology transfer to the partnership. They intend to provide insight and best practices to the technology transfer community to accelerate innovations.
An evaluation will take place once the MOU is completed. This will be the basis if further modification or expansions are necessary.
Derrick Brent, acting under secretary of commerce for intellectual property and acting director of USPTO, said “I’m excited to continue and strengthen these efforts with our colleagues at NASA as we work together to drive more innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities for the benefit of all Americans.”
Dan Lockney, technology transfer program executive at NASA, added, “We look forward to addressing common challenges, and this paper will offer some assurance that we are on a solid, strong path to transferring technologies effectively.”