Press Release

NASA and Houston Technology Center Sign Space Act Agreement, Continue Successful Partnership

By SpaceRef Editor
March 19, 2007
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NASA and Houston Technology Center (HTC) today announced the signing of a Space Act Agreement from the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The agreement provides the framework for expanding a multi-year partnership between the two organizations.

NASA and HTC will work together to advance their respective missions by pursuing activities in the areas of technical, educational and human resource disciplines. Both organizations have an extensive history of collaborating to advance the awareness of new technologies developed for use in space and for the benefit of emerging commercial enterprises in the greater Houston area.

“We are looking forward to developing this partnership even further, expanding our resources, and connecting with even more businesses through HTC – companies that ultimately could evolve into more NASA partners,” said Michelle Brekke, director of the JSC Technology Transfer Office.

NASA and HTC will collaborate on various educational efforts, which will include providing assistance to members of the business community in the development of grant proposals, supplying information on how to expand their products with licenses, and fostering research and development products that ultimately could be used by NASA.

“HTC is privileged to have a close working relationship with NASA,” said Walter Ulrich, President and CEO of Houston Technology Center. “In taking this partnership to a new level, we will connect business leaders with targeted NASA managers to address specific technology needs surrounding America’s Vision for Space Exploration,” he added.

The new Space Act Agreement includes the continuation of the unique “Executive on Loan” program in which NASA provides an executive to support HTC’s business segments. NASA has been providing an on-site consultant to HTC, who serves as a Development Manager for technology companies wishing to commercialize NASA-originated technologies or extend use of commercial technologies to space applications.

About Houston Technology Center

Houston Technology Center (HTC), a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, is Houston’s business accelerator and the largest technology business incubator in Texas. HTC accelerates the commercialization of emerging technology companies by providing in-depth business guidance, access to capital and service providers, and entrepreneurial education. Supported by more than 300 corporations and organizations, Houston’s leading academic institutions, the Greater Houston Partnership, the Texas Medical Center, NASA-Johnson Space Center, and the City of Houston, HTC has become the center of technology entrepreneurship by assisting more than 200 companies within several key sectors: Energy, Technology, Life Sciences, Nanotechnology, and NASA-originated technologies. For more information, visit www.houstontech.org.

Contact:

Houston Technology Center
Hilla Barzilai – Abileah, 713-658-1750
Habileah@houstontech.org

or

NASA JSC
Lynnette Madison, 281-483-5111

SpaceRef staff editor.