Interview with Gail E. Wright January 15, 2003 WVIZ Web Exclusive Interview By: Julie Henry (December 17, 2002) Julie Henry met with Gail E. Wright, Program Manager for the Great Lakes Industrial Technology Center (GLITEC). Julie got the scoop on the NASA Glenn Garrett Morgan Commercialization Initiative (GMCI). The GMCI is a program which has the potential to help small business with their technology needs. Give us some background on the NASA Glenn Garrett Morgan Commercialization Initiative This program in 1998. The program was initiated because some very enlightened people at NASA Glenn recognized the need to give greater assistance to small companies in accessing their technology, their resources, and the expertise that's available from the scientists and engineers at NASA Glenn and the other NASA centers. So as a result, a team got together to develop a strategy to really provide hands-on assistance to help companies get at the technologies that are available through NASA after it's been developed for the space program and then also to help support their business development so that they're in a better position to commercialize technology or technological advances after they've received them. What businesses does GMCI serve? The Garrett Morgan Commercialization Initiative really focuses on small companies or minority companies or woman-owned companies that are engaged in technology research and development. We look for companies that are what we call threshold. That means that they are stable, they have a revenue stream, but they're really trying to move either a product or a new technology into the commercial marketplace and they're having some challenges in doing so. NASA Glenn then, and some of the other NASA centers as well, will come along side them, use the technology that they've developed or the know-how and expertise that the scientists and researchers, or some of their special programs, like their commercial space centers, to support the development and commercialization for the small companies. How many companies has GMCI served? We work with companies for an average of two years. That's why it's very important that the companies be very stable and they know exactly where they're trying to go. Our program is one of the few that's very customized, tailored specifically to the needs of the companies, what they are trying to achieve, what they are trying to accomplish. Now we've worked with about 300 companies in terms of educating them and providing some enhancements and some services. But our really close partnerships are with a core group of about 60 companies that we've evaluated, that we've identified as really being in a position of being able to take the resources we provide and deploy them and get their products into the market. Why does this program focus on small, woman-owned, and minority-owned companies? The official way to describe it is it's NASA Glenn's small business technology transfer initiative. So we focus on the support that all small businesses need. But we recognize that it's even more difficult quite often for minority-owned companies and woman-owned companies to really play in this arena. So we place special emphasis on trying to identify and provide what's needed to minority-owned and woman-owned companies as well. But any small business trying to bring a technology to market may qualify for GMCI services? Absolutely. How can a company get involved in GMCI? The first step would be to go to our website, www.nasagmci.org . Take a look at the menu of services that we provide. You'll get some background, information on our webinars, which are our online seminars, education that we provide that cover soup to nut topics that are important to companies that are interested in technology development. And taking advantage of those would be really a big help for most companies. They can also take advantage on our website of a whole list of resources, other organizations, other agencies that they can also plug into. So once they've done all that, and they still feel that they're a good match for our program, then absolutely give us a call or send an e-mail and we'll walk you through our services, we'll see if you qualify for the program of the two years of services that we provide. If not, then we'll direct you to something that's going to be more beneficial to you at this time. Explain what "commercialization of technology" means? Commercialization is from idea genesis to direct sales of a new technology or product. That means uh it begins with a thought, what's going to change the way that we conduct business, that we engage in our daily activities. What's needed at this point in time in history? So that idea, that concept is built upon. Other technologies that are similar are used generally as a basis. And then new, novel concepts are then layered on top of that. A brand new technology may then be acquired, like those that are available from NASA Glenn. And then that is again tweaked to meet the needs of the marketplace. The most successful product is one that has been built and developed based on the needs of the economic environment. So it's from idea generation through the various stages of development, which includes reducing the thought to paper and then creating the technical team to actually breathe life into that. It then moves into the various stages of prototyping a rough model, and then to a functional prototype, and then you go through your testing process. And then from testing you go to actual use by a particular client or customer. Hopefully then if all goes well you move into direct sales in the marketplace based on the industry that you're serving. So it's from idea generation through the various stages of development, which includes reducing the thought to paper and then creating the technical team to actually breathe life into that. It then moves into the various stages of prototyping a rough model, and then to a functional prototype, and then you go through your testing process. And then from testing you go to actual use by a particular client or customer. Hopefully then if all goes well you move into direct sales in the marketplace based on the industry that you're serving. It's a partnership. And when you have government that has used taxpayer dollars to go into a program, for example the space program. And then you find another way to take that technology and use it again for basic level consumers or businesses, then you really have an efficient use of the money that we spend everyday. What happens to the companies after the two-year GMCI program ends? Ideally, they're strong enough after being involved for two years that they're able to take advantage of the whole menu of resources that we provided. They now have new contacts that they didn't have before. They have funding that they didn't have before. And once you're a Garrett Morgan client, then you really continue to be part of the family. You work with GLITEC, you work with all of our partners. Resources: To learn more about the NASA Glenn Garrett Morgan Commercialization Initiative, visit www.nasagmci.org.