What: NASA Technology Transfer Roadshow
When: 2:30-4 p.m. Thursday, March 10
Where: El Paso Natural Gas Conference Center, UTEP campus
NASA’s Technology Transfer program will host an event at The University of Texas at El Paso to discuss its Space Race competition, giving teams of entrepreneurs the opportunity to capitalize on NASA’s technology research and development.
Technology Transfer program executive and Innovation Office director Daniel Lockney will discuss NASA’s technology portfolio and the agency’s Space Race partnership with the Center for Advancing Innovation (CAI).
“UTEP is very delighted to partner with the Center for Advancing Innovation to promote the Space Race in the Paso del Norte region,” said UTEP Vice President for Research Roberto Osegueda, Ph.D. “With support from NASA’s Technology Transfer Office, the event provides a great opportunity for UTEP’s student body and faculty, local mentors, and others to form teams for this exciting competition.”
Lockney, who grew up in the El Paso region, will explain NASA’s role in the Space Race, a global competition designed to bring commercially viable, NASA-developed technologies to market. The competition provides teams access to patented NASA technology as well as business mentoring.
Teams require at least two undergraduate, graduate or postdoctoral students. Those accepted into the challenge will have the opportunity to receive training through CAI’s accelerator program and network with CAI mentors, advisers and judges. Up to 10 finalists will be selected, and may be awarded between $100,000 and $1.2 million in startup funding.
Teams must enter by March 27, 2016 to participate.
NASA has a long history of finding new, innovative uses for its space and aeronautics technologies. Lockney will discuss the process of moving these technologies from the launch pad and laboratory into the hands of the public and how local business can access this wealth of technology for commercial and research applications.
The challenge will feature NASA inventions from the fields of medical devices; robotics; unmanned aerial vehicles; optics and imaging; power generation, distribution and storage; and advanced materials coatings.