The Russian Technology Transfer Center (RTTC) -- the first Russian national technology-transfer center -- is now responsible for all of the Russian space agency's licensing, patenting and other technology import-export operations.

"Such activities have never been organized in Russia before ... The creation of RTTC will considerably facilitate export of technologies from the Russian Federation by making this process more organized."
     

Russian Technology Transfer Center General Director Sergey Zhukov

The center, staffed with the best Russian professionals in their respective fields, will help smooth missile-technology-transfer issues.

"RTTC is a dynamic company which is fully paying its way. Seven percent of our contracts have been signed with federal agencies, others, with private companies," said RTTC General Director Sergey Zhukov in an exclusive interview with SPACE.com. Zhukov, a former cosmonaut candidate, has a background in engineering, particularly in advanced space-propulsion systems.

"RTTC specialists have studied very thoroughly the U.S. experience and legislation in the field of technology transfer," said Zhukov. "In fact, RTTC has been modeled after U.S. regional technology-transfer centers, particularly after the Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization of the Johnson Space Center."

According to Zhukov, among the RTTC's main activities are the following:

• Assistance in international and domestic patent licensing and certification
• Marketing of space technologies
• Commercialization of intellectual property in Russia, particularly in the field of aerospace
• The development of national technology-transfer legislation
• Providing the latest data on research, designs, products and services available within the Russian space industry
• Organization of R&D for foreign clients at different facilities of the Russian space industry
• Financial evaluation of newly developed technologies, industrial products, property and copyrights
• Continuous monitoring and follow-up on agreements and contracts
• Search for specific technologies by client's order, development of contacts and evaluation of potential partners in Russia for foreign business

"Such activities have never been organized in Russia before," stressed Sergey Chernyavskiy, chief of the space agency's Science and Technology Directorate, in an interview with SPACE.com. "Once in a while Russian aerospace enterprises did attempt to sell their technologies [on the] international market, but a good engineer is not necessarily a good marketing or advertising agent."

The RTTC activity will contribute not only to technology transfer and commercialization, Zhukov said, but also will strengthen Russia's missile-technology control by clearly defining the technologies that are subject to Missile Technology Transfer Regime (MTCR) regulations.