NASA Procedural Requirements

NPR 7500.2A Effective Date: June 16, 2022 Expiration Date: June 16, 2027

Subject: NASA Technology Transfer Requirements

Responsible Office: Space Technology Mission Directorate

Chapter 1: Technology Transfer Overview

1.1 National Perspective

1.1.1 The benefits of NASA technology are all around us: Knowledge provided by weather and navigational spacecraft; millions of passengers and packages traveling safely by air every day; efficiency in ground and air transportation; super computers; solar- and wind-generated energy; the cameras in many cell phones; biomedical technologies such as advanced imaging and infant formula; and the protective gear that keeps our military, firefighters, and police safe have all benefitted from the Nation's investments in aerospace technology.

1.1.2 The United States (U.S.) Government makes efforts to ensure that these benefits from federally funded technologies continue to improve the lives of U.S. citizens. This is accomplished, in part, through the process of transferring the federally funded technologies to the private sector.

1.1.3 Multiple executive orders and laws support and guide the means by which technology transfer occurs. This NPR is, in part, NASA's method of ensuring that its activities are conducted within the multitude of requirements set forth in the various executive orders and laws pertaining to technology transfer.

1.2 NASA Perspective

1.2.1 NASA technology transfer is focused on creating benefits for society through transferring the Agency's inventions and innovative knowledge to outside organizations. This focus is consistent with NASA's fundamental statutory direction as expressed in the National Aeronautics and Space Act, 51 U.S.C. § 20102, to preserve "the role of the U.S. as a leader in aeronautical and space science and technology" and encouraging "the fullest commercial use of space" by providing for the "widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of information concerning its activities and the results thereof."

1.2.2 NASA encourages and enables the widest possible utilization of NASA technological assets by public and private sectors of the U.S. to benefit the national economy and the U.S. public. Technological assets are the broad category of resources that include inventions, technologies, technical data, and technical expertise.

1.2.3 The term "invention" describes a new, useful process, machine, manufacture, design, or composition of any matter, or any improvement thereof, that is a new technology deemed legally to be novel and non-obvious to others skilled in the art, and meets the requirements for patentability under the patent statutes.

1.2.4 The term "technology" is broader than "invention" and will be used to describe every innovation, invention, and discovery, whether or not patentable, made in the performance of NASA work (e.g., work by NASA employees and/or work funded by NASA). This includes, but is not limited to, new processes, machines, manufactures, and compositions of matter, and improvements to, or new applications of, existing processes, machines, manufactures, and compositions of matter. This also includes new computer programs, and improvements to, or new applications of, existing computer programs, whether or not copyrightable.

1.2.5 All NASA activities involving existing or future technology could potentially be involved in technology transfer. The end objective for each activity is the same--that of maximizing each activity's commercial and societal impact.

1.2.6 The technology transfer activities conducted by NASA facilitate domestic utilization of NASA-funded technologies by the public and private sectors of the U.S. economy; however, NASA may transfer technologies to foreign entities. Refer to section 5.2 for specific conditions. One such example would be a situation where commercialization of a NASA technology by a foreign entity would not compete with a domestic company and would result in significant availability of the resulting product domestically.

1.2.7 All of NASA's technology transfer activities are conducted in accordance with NPD 2190.1, "NASA Export Control Program" and NPR 7120.8, "NASA Research and Technology Program and Project Management Requirements".

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