NASA, Rice University and Houston’s Ion Partner to Create Opportunities for Startup Community Collaboration

by Jasmine Nehilla | 2022-07-19

On July 14, 2022, NASA’s Johnson Space Center announced a new collaboration with the Ion, Houston’s innovation hub. NASA and the Ion are establishing a technology-transfer center at the Ion to empower the Houston-Galveston region’s aerospace innovation ecosystem by extending opportunities to local entrepreneurs and startups to share their ideas and intellectual property with NASA (and vice versa).

NASA and the Ion’s partnership is one example of Johnson’s Guiding Principles — propelling the space economy — by instituting private-public partnerships aimed at creating events, programming, and initiatives to promote and diversify the new commercial space economy and share NASA technologies with the broader industry.

Alongside Rice University, the Ion’s owner, organizations are pioneering a platform to accelerate the formation of space entrepreneurs to grow commercial space supply chains, seek solutions to address space technology challenges, and license NASA technology for commercial applications.

“We’re eager and excited to work with Rice University and the Ion to help NASA solve challenges, develop spinoff technologies, grow minority entrepreneurs, and accelerate innovative and tech-forward solutions in Houston,” said Johnson Director Vanessa Wyche. “This partnership will allow us to increase startups through our aerospace accelerator — targeting minority businesses — and help achieve NASA’s goals to enhance scientific and technological knowledge to benefit all of humankind as we propel commercialization of space and work to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon under Artemis.”

The organizations will also focus part of their efforts on minority businesses and entrepreneurs in the aerospace and technology fields, including the Ion’s Aerospace Innovation Accelerator for Minority Business Enterprises (AIA for MBEs), which develops businesses tackling aerospace-related challenges. NASA has supported AIA for MBEs since its inception and with the initial grant process. The agency will continue to support the accelerator and its participants through its provision of mentors and subject-matter experts, as well as ongoing input and advice at the Ion’s monthly startup competitions and showcases, in addition to the efforts below.

As part of the new collaboration, NASA and the Ion will open an application process for interested startups and entrepreneurs to become connected with NASA in fall 2022.

Together, NASA, the Ion and the startup community will work to:

Develop spinoff technologies in support of commercial space and for potential use in future NASA and private space missions.
Provide access to intellectual property, or IP. The Ion community will have once-in-a-lifetime access to NASA’s IP portfolio for potential use in commercial applications.
Create more onramps for Houston’s small business communities through NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs.
Build a skilled local workforce in the private sector to support the development of space technologies.

Programming will run through mid-2023.

Stay connected as Johnson works to lead human space exploration in this new era of discovery.

It's official! NASA Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche, center, inks a new collaboration with the Ion, Houston’s innovation hub. NASA and the Ion are establishing a technology-transfer center at the Ion to empower the Houston-Galveston region’s aerospace innovation ecosystem.

Wyche visits with attendees at the Ion.

From left is Nicholas Skytland; Daniel Jacobs; Vanessa Wyche; Christine Galib, senior director of Programs, the Ion; Sam Gunderson; Jan Odegard, executive director, the Ion; Douglas Natelson, interim vice provost for Research at Rice University; and Douglas Terrier.