Bill Livingstone
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                                                    
January 8, 1993
(Phone:  202/358-1898)


RELEASE:  93-009

GOLDIN CALLS FOR IMPROVED TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER TO INDUSTRY

     While NASA enjoys a good reputation for transferring 
technology to industry, major improvements must be made in the way 
technology is transferred, according to a report released today by 
NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin.

     "NASA has the reputation of being the leader in technology 
transfer, but this position has eroded," Goldin said.  "Our 
successes are modest compared to the amount of technology we 
generate."

     "Our attitude that the transfer of our valuable technology 
will 'just happen' is no longer acceptable.  It must be 
proactively sought and given the highest priority," Goldin said.

     The report -- Special Initiatives Team on Technology Transfer 
-- was chartered last May, with Dr. Jeremiah Creedon, Director of 
Flight Systems at NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., as 
Chairman.  Other participants from NASA include Dr. Kathy Abbot, 
Leonard Ault, Carol Ginty, George Mosakowski, Dr. Syed Shariq and 
Dr. William Spuck.

Major Findings and Recommendations

     The report contains a series of findings and recommendations 
for changing NASA's culture to facilitate technology transfer, 
including:

     *  No comprehensive written document exists that explains the 
formal processes for technology transfer;

     *  Processes for technology transfer within NASA are too slow 
to meet industry's needs;

     *  Technology is not sufficiently developed to reduce 
technical risk to industry  due to the costs and mission 
objectives;

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     *  Employees, managers and contractors all too often do not 
believe technology transfer is part of their job;

     *  There is little or no infrastructure support to help 
researchers transfer technology;

     *  Technology can and should be transferred at every stage, 
instead of waiting until a project is completed.

     The report's 10 recommendations include a category of 
implementation and measurement of performance of technology 
transfer and eight recommendations for changing NASA's culture to 
facilitate technology transfer.

Technology Transfer Benefits Aeronautics

     The report finds that where technology transfer was the 
primary mission activity -- such as aeronautics, the Small 
Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program and the Centers for 
Commercial Development of Space -- NASA's overall efforts are 
relatively good.

     For instance, a strong relationship exists between NASA and 
the aeronautics industry.  Many vital technologies developed by 
NASA have been transferred to the aeronautics industry, including 
such items as supercritical wings, winglets, glass cockpits and 
many others.  Still, a recent Gallup poll concluded that the 
aeronautics industry felt there was room for improvement.

     In addition, researchers often viewed technology transfer as 
writing a report on the research results after it was completed.  
This is representative of a common view that technology transfer 
occurs at the end of the development process.

     Researchers often encounter roadblocks when attempting to 
transfer technology, including the time-consuming processes of 
filing patents and software distribution through official 
channels.

     Finally, no systematic measurements or statistics are kept on 
the activities or effectiveness of primary targeted technology 
transfer.  The team identifies six metrics which could be used to 
measure the effectiveness of the technology transfer process.  
These include the number of citations, acknowledged users and 
spin-off companies, the revenue from patent licenses, and the 
length of time from development to its transfer for use by a 
targeted customer.

     The report found that the technology utilization offices are 
minimally staffed and cannot provide greater support for secondary 
and non-targeted technology transfer functions.


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Advanced Concepts and Technology Office Established

     NASA's Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology was created 
last November to better meet the needs of industry, academia and 
NASA communities.  One of the new office's major functions is to 
transfer technology into the commercial sector at a faster pace 
than in the past.  

     "We will seek the input of the technology user community to 
figure out the best mechanisms to transfer technology, whether 
it's technical papers, NASA-generated software, regional tech 
transfer centers, cooperative research agreements or working in 
our labs and other facilities," Goldin said.


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EDITOR'S NOTE:  The report Special Initiatives Team on Technology 
Transfer is available to media by calling the NASA Headquarters 
Newsroom on 202/358-1600.