Johnson, local industries recognized for economic impact

The Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) Awards are some of the most prestigious honors in the technology transfer field, given out in recognition of phenomenal technological efforts. On April 25, at the FLC National Meeting in Philadelphia, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the Greater Houston Partnership (GHP), Houston First and National Trade Production were honored with the FLC State and Local Economic Development Award for the “Houston launch and sustained growth of SpaceCom and Spaceport Summit.”

The award is in praise of successful initiatives that involve partnerships between state or local economic development groups and federal laboratories for economic benefit. Steven González, Johnson’s technology transfer strategist, and Jason Ford, vice president of regional Economic Development for the GHP, accepted the award. Dan Lockney, Technology Transfer Program executive at NASA Headquarters, was also recognized for NASA’s technology transfer efforts.

At the end of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011, Johnson entered into a Space Act Agreement (SAA) with the largest economic development organization in the region, the GHP. Part of the agreement included identifying an event that would gather industry internally, as well as externally, to assist in the commercialization of NASA technology and identify technologies that could be transferred to NASA to support space exploration. The GHP was looking to grow the industry by either fostering the commercial space industry in Houston, leveraging NASA expertise and technology or attracting industries that could benefit from NASA technology.

A conference was proposed that would be owned by the city, and it sought to engage another economic development organization, Houston First, in the creation and execution of a new event: SpaceCom (short for Space Commerce Conference and Exposition). NASA entered into a new SAA with Houston First to partner this conference, which would introduce NASA technologies to five industries vital to the Houston economy (energy, medical, advanced manufacturing, maritime trade and agribusiness). SpaceCom facilitated cross industry conversations with solutions-oriented case studies, intensive roundtables and practical how-to sessions to create opportunities for technology transfer to spread across industries.


Jason Ford, Steven Gonzalez and Dan Lockney accepting the award in Philadelphia. Image Credit: Charlene Gilbert
 

Shaneequa Vereen
NASA Johnson Space Center