Current Projects
NASA TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER FUNCTION (posted 2/3/2004)

Client/Funder:

NASA

Purpose and Scope:

At the request of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has asked the National Academy of Public Administration (Academy) to conduct an independent study of NASA's technology transfer function. The study will be directed and overseen by a seven-member Panel consisting of Academy Fellows and outside subject matter experts, and the project study team will consist of staff from the Academy and the Logistics Management Institute (LMI). The study's goal is to provide all stakeholders with a common understanding of how NASA's technology transfer activities should be organized to provide maximum benefits to the nation. The study will be conducted in two phases.

Program Objectives and Design

In Phase I, the Panel will focus on "where the program is now" and "where it needs to be," or the desired end state. Specifically, it will examine:

• Legislative, policy, organizational, and administrative constraints placed upon NASA's existing technology transfer function
• The current organization of NASA's technology transfer program
• Best practices in other government agencies and private industries for both technology infusion ("spin-in") and technology diffusion ("spin-out")
• The size of typical organizational budgets for spin-in and spin-out activities

A briefing on the results of Phase I will be provided to OMB, NASA, and other stakeholders by the end of May 2004.

NAPA briefing to NASA and OMB

Organizational and Policy Recommendations

In Phase II, the Panel will recommend how the desired end state for technology transfer can be achieved effectively and efficiently. The Panel will focus on:

• The organizational structure that can best support both the spin-in and spin-out activities
• Short- and long-term performance measures for assessing the program
• The appropriate balance between NASA's civil service and contractor workforce
• Legislative and policy changes required to achieve the technology transfer mission

The Panel's final report will reflect both phases of the study and be issued in the fall of 2004.

NASA Documents
Organizational Chart
Field Structure

Center:

Management Studies

Project Director:

Joseph Thompson

Project Status:

In Progress

Panel:

Costis Toregas(Chair)-President, Public Technology, Inc. Former Vice President and Program Director, Public Technology, Inc.; Consultant, Doxiadis Systems Development Corporation.

Edwin Colin Campbell- Canada Research Chair, Department of Political Science, University of British Columbia. Former positions with Georgetown University: University Professor of Public Policy; Executive Director; Director, Public Policy Institute; University Professor in the Martin Chair. Former positions with York University: Assistant Professor; Associate Professor, Professor; Founding Coordinator, Public Policy and Administration Program.

Sharon S. Dawes-Positions with the University at Albany, State University of New York: Director, Center for Technology in Government; Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and Policy; Adjunct Professor, Information Science Doctoral Program. Former positions with the Rockefeller Institute of Government: Executive Director, Forum for Information Resource Management, State of New York; Executive Fellow and Study Director, New York in the Year 2000. Former positions with the New York State Department of Social Services: Associate Commissioner, Division of Income Maintenance; Assistant Director of Management Planning; Project Management Specialist; Data Manager.

John J. Fearnsides-Chief Strategist, MJF Strategies, LLC; Chief Strategist Consultant, MITRE Corporation. Former positions with MITRE Corporation: Senior Vice President and General Manager; Director, Center for Advanced Aviation System Development; Metrek Division, Director of Transportation Analysis and Vice President, Civil Systems Division. Former positions with the U.S. Department of Transportation: Deputy Under Secretary; Chief Scientist; Acting Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs.

Harold B. Finger-Consultant. Former President and Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Council for Energy Awareness; Vice President for Strategic Planning and Development Operations, and General Manager, Center for Energy Systems, General Electric Company; Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Associate Administrator for Management; Director, NASA Space Power and Nuclear Systems.

Michael Griffin*-President and Chief Operating Officer, In-Q-Tel. Former positions with the Orbital Sciences Corporation: Chief Technical Officer; Executive Vice President and CEO of the Magellan Services Division; Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Space Systems Group. Former positions with Space Industries International: Senior Vice President; General Manager, Space Industries Division. Former positions with NASA: Chief Engineer; Associate Administrator for Exploration. U.S. Department of Defense: Deputy for Technology, Strategic Defense Initiative Organization. Adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, and George Washington University.

Thomas Stackhouse*-Associate Chief for Frederick Operations, Technology Transfer Branch, at the National Cancer Institute. Former positions with the National Cancer Institute: Senior Technology Development and Patent Specialist; Technology Development Specialist; Technology Transfer Fellow. Research Scientist, Science Applications International Corporation. Senior Development Scientist, Armour Pharmaceutical Co.