Barbara E. Selby
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                                            
October 9, 1991
(Phone:  703/557-5609)                                                              
4 p.m. EDT


RELEASE:  91-167
 
NASA SELECTS REGIONAL TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER CENTERS
 

      The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has 
selected six organizations to receive contracts to establish the 
agency's new Regional Technology Transfer Center network.  The 
organizations are:
 
      * Northeast -- Center for Technology Commercialization, 
         Westborough, Mass.
 
      * Mid-Atlantic -- University of Pittsburgh
 
      * Mid-West -- Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio
 
      * Southeast -- University of Florida, Alachua
 
      * Mid-Continent -- Texas A&M University, College Station
 
      * Far West -- University of Southern California, Los 
Angeles
 
      Each of the new centers, expected to be operational 
beginning in January 1992, will receive a cost-type contract 
estimated at $1 million for the first year with options for 4 
additional years at the same level of funding.
 
      The new centers will replace the NASA-sponsored Industrial 
Applications Centers (IAC) whose contracts expire this year.  The 
restructuring of the IACs represents an effort by NASA's Office 
of Commercial Programs to upgrade and revitalize the agency's 
technology transfer network and is intended to accomplish several 
objectives.  The regional center concept seeks to facilitate 
access by the private sector to federally sponsored technology 
by:


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      * Broadening the geographical coverage of the network to 
include all 50 states by establishing a regional structure 
similar to the six Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) for 
Technology Transfer;


      * Forming linkages with state and local government 
technology transfer activities to leverage NASA's resources and 
avoid duplication of effort;
 
      * Including all federal laboratories within the FLC to 
assist their technology transfer effort;
 
      * Establishing close ties with the National Technology 
Transfer Center in Wheeling, W.Va., to complement that center's 
national technology transfer objectives;
 
      * Providing a "full spectrum" of services by all of the 
network participants; and
 
      * Encouraging partnerships or consortia of universities and 
state organizations within a designated region to assist in the 
transfer of federal technologies to businesses and industries of 
that region.
      
      Additionally, it is anticipated that the regional approach 
will align the centers closer to the needs of particular 
industries, local businesses and entrepreneurs.  By establishing 
a "presence" for technology transfer in each state and region, 
the centers can reach prospective industry clients and provide 
access to federally developed technology more effectively.

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