NASA News: NASA Extends Cooperative Agreement With NSBRI

HOUSTON -- NASA's Johnson Space Center has awarded a five-year, $120
million extension of its cooperative agreement with the National
Space Biomedical Research Institute, or NSBRI, of Houston. Under the
extension, the institute and NASA's Human Research Program will
continue biomedical research in support of a long-term human presence
in space.

The period of performance for this five-year option begins Oct. 1. It
will extend the cooperative agreement through Sept. 30, 2017. This
option increases the value of the agreement by an additional $120
million, bringing the total value to $484.2 million. The initial base
period of the agreement began in March 1997 and continued through
Sept. 30, 1997. Three five-year options were exercised in 1997, 2002
and 2007.

NSBRI studies the health risks related to long-duration spaceflight
and develops countermeasures to mitigate them. The institute's
projects address space health concerns such as bone and muscle loss,
cardiovascular changes, infection, balance problems, sleep
disturbances, radiation exposure effects, nutrition, physical
fitness, rehabilitation, remote-treatment medical technologies, and
neurobehavioral and psychosocial factors.

The institute's science, technology and education projects take place
at more than 60 institutions across the United States.
For information about NASA's Human Research Program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/humanresearch/

For information about the National Space Biomedical Research
Institute, visit:

http://www.nsbri.org

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ICAP Ocean Tomo Auctions NASA Software Patent Portfolios March 29

WASHINGTON -- The Innovative Partnership Program Office of NASA's
Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., will hold a March 29
auction with ICAP Ocean Tomo LLC of Chicago to sell three
NASA-developed technology lots totaling 12 patents.

The patent portfolios include technologies applicable to the
software-development industry, robotics, artificial intelligence,
industrial process control and wireless sensor networks. These
patents hold broad value in any field where a need exists to design
highly complex, automated and intelligent systems.

"Intellectual property auctions leverage capabilities and resources
toward NASA's goal of increasing the down-to-Earth benefits of its
research," said NASA Deputy Chief Technologist James Adams at the
agency's headquarters in Washington. "Through innovative uses of
intellectual property offerings, NASA aims to accelerate transfer of
its technologies."

Goddard's partnership with ICAP Ocean Tomo helps augment NASA's
licensing program. The auction platform is considered by many to be
the premier live forum for the open and public exchange of
intellectual property. This approach helps NASA to achieve its
commitment to disseminate information about technical achievements
and promote the use of NASA-sponsored technology development for uses
beyond NASA missions. The licensing of NASA technologies has
benefitted many industries, including medical, aerospace, automotive
and communications.

Norden Huang, a former Goddard researcher, is one such example. Huang
invented a set of algorithms for signal processing that were licensed
by DynaDx Corporation of Mountain View, Calif. The company uses the
licensed NASA technology for medical diagnosis and prediction of
problems related to the brain's blood flow, such as stroke, dementia
and traumatic brain injury.

"The patent portfolio coming up for auction is truly staggering with
regard to the potential scope of its impact," said the Senior
Technology Transfer Manager Darryl Mitchell at Goddard. "The
applications range from something as broad as changing how software
is created to applications as specific as autonomic management of
smoke detector networks in buildings."

To expedite the bidder's assimilation, use and adaptation of the
technology, winning bidders will be afforded an opportunity to
briefly discuss the technologies with the inventors. Bidders wishing
to engage in depth can gain access to the inventor through a
reimbursable agreement with NASA.

Detailed descriptions of the capabilities of the patent lots for
auction can be found at:

http://tinyurl.com/6uw52gf

NASA's technology transfer efforts are led by the agency's Office of
the Chief Technologist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The office
works to transfer technology for public benefits as well as leverage
resources with partners to develop mutually beneficial technologies
to meet NASA's mission needs.

For more information about the Office of the Chief Technologist and
the agency's Innovative Partnerships Office, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/oct

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