Panel Says NASA Should Rethink Tech Transfer Approach

Four consecutive years of attempting to eliminate or minimize NASA's technology transfer activities are beginning to take a toll on the space agency's effectiveness at commercializing federally-supported technology, based on analysis from the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA).

Technology Transfer: Bringing Innovation to NASA and the Nation concludes organizational changes, budget difficulties, and a significant increase in privately funded research and development (R&D) nationally are hindrances for NASA in its technology transfer efforts. Technology transfer should be a core element of NASA's mission, but an overall lack of program focus requires the agency to rethink how it administers the function, a panel of experts states in the NAPA report.

The panel found the agency's current system is not structured to meet its needs, nor those of stakeholder and public expectations. The Innovative Partnerships Program (IPP), which manages NASA's network of six Regional Technology Transfer Centers (RTTCs) and the National Technology Transfer Center (NTTC), shifted in 2004 its focus from commercializing NASA technology to bringing in private sector technology. This shift, the panel says, requires different approaches and skills.

Congress apparently was of the same opinion regarding IPP's shift of focus, as it completed the 2005 omnibus appropriations bill; the Dec. 8 issue of National Journal's Tech Daily cites language from the budget conference report stating Congress "[does] not agree with the termination of the commercial programs within the Innovative Technology Transfer Partnerships program as proposed in the budget submission, and have therefore provided an increase of $30 million to this appropriation for the express purpose of continuing the commercial programs."

The NAPA panel states its "fundamental conclusion is that technology transfer (at NASA) is destined to fail so long as it is viewed solely as the responsibility of an isolated group of IPP officials." To help the agency reach its technology transfer goals, the panel recommends NASA undertake five steps:

• establish technology transfer as a core agency mission element requiring the attention and support of top NASA officials, program leaders and major contractors;
• relocate the Technology Transfer Office to the Office of the Administrator to give greater attention to this agency-wide responsibility and hold executives accountable for it;
• develop a comprehensive evaluation system for technology transfer that includes output measures, assesses long-term economic and social impacts, and establishes individual performance standards for officials responsible for this function;
• reformulate and streamline the RTTC network and NTTC to provide a more effective vehicle for program implementation; and,
• increase its use of information technology in daily operations and public outreach, improve its websites, and provide one easy-to-use portal for all technology transfer activities.

NAPA is a nonprofit organization chartered by Congress to provide advice to leaders on issues of management and governance.

Technology Transfer: Bringing Innovation to NASA and the Nation is available at http://www.napawash.org/transfer.