Space technology transfer as a stimulus for academic and industrial cooperation

Academic and industrial cooperations are a common practice in space projects although both sides sometimes are acting on different bases. Technology development programmes for innovative and enabling technologies present flexible opportunities for encouraging cooperations between universities and industry in space projects. Another area for cooperations is technology transfer dedicated to commercial, non-space applications. Technology transfer has become an integrated element of the German space programme. One prominent objective of the programme is to bring space related research institutes closer to market oriented applications and intensify their contacts to industry. DLR's technology transfer programme adopted three inter-related programme elements all of which enhance the direct cooperations between academia and industry: Technology transfer systematic spin-of-marketing. This strategy aims at the stimulation of spin-off effects by active marketing efforts. Technology transfer by funding of technological developments based on ideas from research institutes. Technology transfer in this way is carried out in the subprogramme First-Chance which aims at direct contacts between academic research and industrial enterprises. Technology transfer by synergetic developments. This programme part supports technology transfer by sponsoring developments of technologies with an overlapping potential for space and non-space applications.