Norton Kaplan, Foresight President & COO was an invited speaker at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Strategic Partnership Office (SPO) 23rd Annual New Technology Reporting Program on June 13, 2017. The issuing of patents to the GSFC inventors is a major step in promoting the transfer of GSFC-developed technologies to the private sector. Commercialization starts with recognizing the potential of a NASA technology and then defining the “value proposition” of the technology or solution. The benefits need to be uncovered and articulated so that it becomes attractive to end-users. Validation of these benefits along with the willingness to acquire the technology is next. The key to successful commercialization of a NASA technology lies in the willingness of the inventor to get involved. As most NASA technologies are developed to meet specific mission objectives, the transition to terrestrial markets is not always seamless. Creativity, imagination, and often in-depth engineering must be applied to make this transition. The NASA SPO is focused on these efforts. Congratulations to the award recipients!
