Johnson Hosts Innovation and Technology Transfer Competition for Students

2023-12-11

The Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Innovation and Tech Transfer Idea Competition (MITTIC) Johnson Space Center immersion experience and “Space to Pitch” competition cycle is underway. MITTIC recently wrapped up another phase of successful engagements with participants from 11 Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) across the country. On December 1, 2023, after hearing 10 business pitches, a panel of NASA and industry business experts declared University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) the winners of the Fall 2023 “Space to Pitch” competition.

A group of students poses in front of a spacecraft mockup. — Participants in the fall 2023 NASA Minority University Research & Education Project Innovation & Tech Transfer Idea Competition pose with a mockup of the Orion spacecraft in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. **Credit: NASA/James Blair**

MITTIC is a NASA Technology Transfer competition where teams of multi-disciplinary college students attending MSIs select a NASA intellectual property (IP) and create a business case for a product or service based on that IP. MITTIC holds fall and spring “Space to Pitch” competitions at Johnson’s official visitor center, Space Center Houston. In addition to monetary awards, the winner of each competition also earns a visit to NASA’s Ames Research Center for an immersion experience that includes networking and company tours in California’s Silicon Valley.

UHCL received $20,000 to begin building their prototype, GalvaniGauze. GalvaniGauze was pitched as a medical fabric that heals wounds faster, improving the quality of life of all citizens. Using polyvinylidene fluoride and NASA’s Electrospinning Apparatus, the fabric will address wound care for post-op surgeries, military servicemembers, astronaut space exploration, and the general public.

Joining UCHL in the Fall 2023 immersion experience at Johnson were: Fayetteville State University, Leeward Community College, University of Massachusetts-Boston, Lonestar College System, San Jacinto Community College, University of Hawaii-Manoa, Washington State University, Southern University and A&M College, University of California-Davis, and Houston Community College. Houston Community College placed second in the competition and received $10,000 to begin prototype iteration.

In addition to pitching their idea, teams invited to Johnson visited facilities including the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, Mission Control Center, the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility, and Rocket Park. They also networked with and learned from NASA and industry subject matter experts in the entrepreneurial and innovation areas. Students presented their solutions to NASA employees during a poster session to get feedback on and help finalize their pitches. A select group of MITTIC participants also earned internship opportunities with NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research program at Ames.

The NASA MITTIC on-site immersion experience and “Space to Pitch” competition were supported by judges and speakers from Johnson’s Technology Transfer Office, as well as external partners from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, JP Morgan Chase (Intellectual Property Division), VentureWell, and Venture Backed.