Technology Partnerships Office News

Parent category for all the TPO news items – category feeds the TPO general newsroom.

A NASA WB-57 high-altitude research plane during takeoff

NOAA scientists are working to decode Earth’s atmosphere

NOAA scientist Andrew Rollins was recently awarded a U.S. Patent for an instrument that can measure pollutants in the stratosphere. Developed at NOAA’s Chemical Sciences Laboratory in Colorado, the technology supports NOAA’s SABRE mission to significantly advance our understanding of the present-day composition, chemistry, and dynamics of the stratosphere and their impacts on the climate system.  Read more about this work and the patented design.

Research instruments ready for deployment on the back of a ship

NCEI and WHOI Begin Research Collaboration

NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have established a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to share high-quality oceanic data collected from the National Science Foundation-funded Ocean Observatories Initiative’s instrument arrays. The goal of the partnership is to archive and deliver the initiative’s data for continued research on ocean processes.

Two divers near the Aquarius lab on an ocean floor

NOAA, Proteus Ocean Group partner to explore use of underwater research station to increase ocean understanding

NOAA and the Proteus Ocean Group have signed a formal agreement to use the “underwater space station of the ocean” PROTEUS™ to advance marine science, research, and education. Together, NOAA and Proteus Ocean Group seek to develop a deeper understanding of the ocean environment and reveal solutions to some of the planet’s most pressing concerns, including those related to climate change.  Read the full story. Ocean explorer Fabien Cousteau leads Mission 31 team on a night exploration dive out of Aquarius underwater lab off the Florida Keys. (Image credit: Fabien Cousteau)

DEMO DAY 2023 with NOAA logo

NOAA SBIR Technology Showcase will be held May 31 – June 1

NOAA Small Business Innovation Research awardees will present their innovative research and development projects The NOAA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program will host a NOAA SBIR Demo Day on May 31 – June 1, 2023, in Washington D.C. Attendees will learn about the technologies that NOAA-funded companies are currently developing to solve problems related to changing climate, weather, ocean health, and coastal resilience. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awards approximately $15M annually to U.S. small businesses to support technology development through the NOAA SBIR Program. As part of the program, small businesses are encouraged to take part in NOAA’s 2-year Commercialization Assistance Program, which is run through the Larta Institute. The culmination of this program is the Demo Day event, during which NOAA’s current SBIR Phase II award winners will showcase their technologies and hone their business pitches. Day 1 of the program will feature pitches from participating companies, panel discussions, and a networking event at the end of the day. Day 2 will feature a detailed feedback session for one selected finalist, along with roundtable discussions and other opportunities to build connections with NOAA SBIR awardees and invited industry guests.  Those who are interested in attending this year’s NOAA SBIR Demo Day can register here. This year’s themes and participating companies include: 1) Fisheries – Conservation, Food Safety, and Traceability AAPlasma – Instrumentation to remove pathogens and bacteria from water sources CD3, General Benefit Corporation – Diagnostics for early detection of aquaculture diseases SafetySpect, Inc. – AI-assisted rapid detection of fish species and quality in the marketplace Shellfish Solutions, Inc. – Software to support tide-to-table traceability and marketing system 2) Oceans – Observation, Visualization, and Modeling Charles River Analytics, Inc. – Navigation and semi-autonomous capabilities for uncrewed systems 3) Atmosphere – Observations, Visualization, Modeling, and Forecasting CFD Research Corporation – Software for weather risk information and impacts for schools INNOVIM, LLC – Modeling for forecasting extreme precipitation from atmospheric rivers LineSpect, LLC – Instrument for aircraft detection 360-degree camera and microphone array Details on last year’s Demo Day event are available here. Publication date: April 25, 2023

two men shake hands and display a plaque

NOAA scientist’s patented design expands the limits of atmospheric research

The new design, invented by a researcher with NOAA’s Chemical Sciences Laboratory, is small, light, easy to operate, and measures NOx at levels more than ten times lower than possible with the previous generation of research-grade instruments. Andrew Rollins was awarded a U.S. Patent for his innovative design in August 2022. The NOAA Technology Partnerships Office helps NOAA to patent and then license new technologies in order to move them out of NOAA’s labs and into the hands of scientists and other users worldwide, where they can ultimately have broader impact. Read the full story.