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2007
Accomplishments
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The IPP Office is always seeking to improve processes, strengthen relationships, and foster the continued success of established technology transfer agreements. In looking to the future, we evaluate the successes of past years to determine strategies to ensure that Goddard continues to be a Technology Partner of Choice.

While international agreements provide a great opportunity to gain global cooperation in achieving NASA’s vision for space exploration, they also present distinct challenges due to their unique requirements compared with domestic agreements. For example, international agreements require that at least 50% of the product or technology in question be manufactured in the U.S. This requirement may automatically disqualify some potential agreements that would involve technologies built abroad. Because of this, an unfortunate status quo of assuming that “it just can’t be done” often prevents international agreements from even being considered within some organizations, says the IPP Office’s Ted Mecum. “At Goddard’s IPP Office, we don’t want to assume these agreements are just impossible. We want to understand the requirements of the agreement and very clearly understand the international guidelines. Then we can make intelligent choices about whether the agreement makes sense and how to make it happen.”

The IPP Office has handled one international agreement through to signing in FY07 and is managing a second agreement in negotiations. Both agreements involve Goddard’s Cryogenic High Accuracy Refraction Measurement System (CHARMS) facility, enabling the IPP Office to meet international agreement requirements because the technology in question involved testing at a NASA (domestic) facility. By very clearly understanding the guidelines for international agreements, the IPP Office is making inroads in identifying innovative approaches to international agreements. Moving forward, the IPP Office is developing best practices surrounding international agreements—helping to turn challenges into opportunities for innovation.