Encouraging appropriate partnerships with the emerging commercial space sector -- How NASA's Innovative Partnerships Program is contributing to achieving NASA 5th Strategic Goal.
- Paper number
IAC-08.E6.3.12
- Author
Mr. Douglas Comstock, NASA, United States
- Year
2008
- Abstract
NASA has six Strategic goals identified in its 2006 Strategic Plan, the sixth being to "Encourage appropriate partnerships with the emerging commercial space sector." NASA’s Innovative Partnerships Program (IPP) is contributing towards achieving this goal as a facilitator and catalyst for innovation in two directions: technology infusion to provide technical solutions to some of the challenges being faced by NASA’s programs and projects; and technology transfer -- or spinoffs -- to provide solutions to technical challenges in the private sector or other Government agencies with NASA-developed technology. IPP achieves these objectives through a network of offices at each of NASA’s 10 Field Centers. This paper summarizes many of the ongoing IPP activities that create partnerships between government, industry, investment and entrepreneurship. Such activities include the IPP Seed Fund, a leveraged funding technology development activitity, commercial space transportation workshops to encourage and facilitate partnerships, TecFusion workshops to connect innovative small businesses with large organizations in need of technology. Representative examples and associated benefits will be provided by summarizing several successful partnerships. Challenges in realizing the synergy apparent in such partnerships will also be addressed.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
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