Space, The Final Business Frontier

Friday, Dec. 7, 2001
Tang — the powdered, orange-flavored breakfast drink popular in the U.S. — is probably the most famous (and the most risible) example of commercialized space technology. It was originally developed for lengthy space missions.But technologies developed over the years for space programs have had countless industrial and commercial applications.

For example, a sensor developed by NASA to monitor atmospheric air quality may help smokestack industries reduce pollution.

The European Space Agency (ESA) created a technology transfer program a decade ago. But last year, it commercialized that effort in partnership with D'Appolonia, the Italian engineering company. The result is T4Tech, a spinoff company that's launched an online portal (www.t4tech.com) aimed at putting space technology into the hands of small and medium sized companies.

The working assumption of T4Tech is that many small businesses forego innovative technologies because of the cost — and because of a lack of awareness regarding recent advances. So a key element of the portal is an online consulting service. T4Tech has access to 200 experts drawn from Europe's leading research labs. And thanks to a recent partnership formed with the European Association of Research and Technology Organizations, its pool of experts will soon grow to 20,000. The consultants are divided into various areas of expertise, including materials, robotics and automation, and telecommunications.

The site also puts manufacturers of space technology in contact with small companies in need of technological help. "T4Tech opens the doors of the world of research and development, allowing (companies) to adapt extremely advanced technologies to their needs," explains Raimondo De Laurentiis, project manager. But, he adds, "space technology can be very expensive." That's why the site also offers information on European Commission and ESA funding programs that are available to small businesses to help them commercialize technology.

T4Tech already has had several success stories. ICOP is a company that develops landslide containment systems, and it wants to start using robots in its work. T4Tech put it in contact with experts at the University of Genova who have worked on robotics projects for ESA. They are now involved in a $800,000 project with ICOP called Roboclimber. In a $40,000 deal, a company that makes highly specialized gears for satellites has recently signed a contract with a railroad company to use the gears to move huge shipping containers from roads to railways. (Because it's a confidential contract, neither company can be named.)

Currently, T4Tech's revenues are derived from corporate sponsors like the Association of Plastic Manufacturers in Europe that fund the website. Although the site's first-level consulting service will remain free, royalties will be charged to those companies that want more in-depth expert help. And it also plans to charge a finder's fee when it successfully brokers deals between companies. Corporate investors have put $13.4 million into the company's coffers, and a like amount has been received from the E.C.

Being the middleman in the transfer of space technology to industry has its rewards. De Laurentiis says first profits are expected some time in the new year. Perhaps its investors will toast that occasion with a glass or two of Tang.