The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is partnering with non-profit RTI International (RTI) to tap into its existing relationships with Southeast Region of the United States technology-based economic organizations, start-up accelerators, and industry. DHS S&T’s Office of Industry Partnerships executed a new partnership intermediary agreement (PIA) with RTI. A partnership intermediary (PI) is a state or local government or a nonprofit entity that is owned, funded, chartered, or operated in whole or in part by a state or local government. The partnership intermediary assists, counsels, advises, evaluates, or otherwise cooperates with small business firms and educational institutions.
Through this PIA, RTI will focus on the Southeast Region to assist DHS S&T by actively marketing DHS-funded technologies and IP to find partners to license and commercialize inventions; training entrepreneurs and researchers on start-up methodologies to identify and pitch their innovations to investors; evaluating the DHS innovation ecosystem and identifying best practices to spur growth; and hosting events to showcase select DHS technologies and accelerate technology transfer and commercialization efforts.
RTI is a 501(c)(3) organization that was organized in 1958 by the governor of North Carolina with the chairs of the boards of trustees and presidents of the University of North Carolina (UNC) System and Duke University. It is a leading nonprofit research and technical services organization with the capabilities to provide bidirectional transfer of knowledge, resources, and technologies as a partnership intermediary. RTI has more than 5,000 staff members worldwide, 12 U.S offices, 13 international offices, and more than 50 years of experience providing technology transfer support.
