NASA SELECTS THREE NEW BUSINESS INCUBATORS

NASA announced the award of cooperative agreements to establish new technology business incubators at three NASA Centers: the Goddard Space Flight Center (MD), the Langley Research Center (VA), and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), combined with the Dryden Flight Research Center, (CA).

The incubators will provide U.S. start-up or small existing technology firms and U.S. educational institutions with a wide array of critical business development support services for the primary purpose of commercially applying NASA technology.

Each new business incubator will receive funding from NASA in the amount of $400,000 per year for fiscal years 1998 and 1999, and will in turn match (or exceed) NASA's contribution through cash or in-kind funding from non-federal sources.

The awards were made to Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology (CIT), California State Polytechnic University, and a team led by the Maryland Economic Development Corporation.

Catherine Renault, managing director of CIT, indicated they would begin an immediate search for an incubator manager. Interested candidates may contact her at 703/689-3000 for more details.

In addition to the establishment of these three new business incubators at NASA centers, funds also were provided to the six existing NASA incubators to enhance services to incubator firms.

The existing NASA-sponsored incubators are at the Ames Research Center (CA), the Johnson Space Center (TX), the Kennedy Space Center (FL), the Lewis Research Center (OH), the Marshall Space Flight Center (AL), and the Stennis Space Center (MS).