SunDanzer Refrigeration Inc. has obtained a non-exclusive license from NASA to patented battery-free solar powered refrigeration systems technology. Originally developed by innovators at NASA’s Johnson Space Center who were investigating solar alternatives for cooling lunar bases, the technology can be used for a variety of purposes, including off-grid, battery-free refrigeration for food and drinks, air conditioning systems in remote locations such as field hospitals, and refrigeration of milk tankers and other transportation vehicles.

Too often in my work, I see organizations trying to commercialize inventions without really considering the commercial viability of the technology. Just because you can get a patent on an innovation doesn’t automatically mean you should commercialize it.

On October 29, 2003, Roche Diagnostics Corporation of Indianapolis, Ind. and Theron, Inc. of Carmel, Ind. signed an agreement that Theron would acquire licensing rights to Roche’s biosensor technology platform. With this technology, Theron will establish a new company to develop and sell products in the environmental and food safety testing markets. The events that led to the deal began the previous February, when Dr. Jörg Schreiber, Vice President of Special Products for Roche Diagnostics, approached Fuentek for assistance in determining the feasibility of out-licensing Roche’s flagship biosensor technology.