What's Active, and How to Get Involved

21,000+ TechPort projects span decades. This page narrows that down to what's actually active right now, and specifically the earliest-stage ones (TRL 1-4) — where outside research contribution is most plausible, as opposed to a project already flight-proven.

Harvested so far

12,851

Active projects

1,042

Early-stage active (TRL ≤4)

30+

TechPort lists roughly 21,000 projects historically; harvesting runs in the background (see the main page), so these numbers grow over time rather than reflecting the full inventory yet.

Active projects by technology area

Technology area	Active projects
Sensors and Instruments	74
Remote Sensing Instruments and Sensors	59
Human Health, Life Support, and Habitation Systems	48
Materials, Structures, Mechanical Systems, and Manufacturing	42
Exploration Destination Systems	29
Aerospace Power and Energy Storage	25
Entry, Descent, and Landing	24
Robotic Systems	22
Software, Modeling, Simulation, and Information Processing	21
Propulsion Systems	21
In-Space Propellant Storage and Use	19
Detectors and Focal Planes	18
In Situ Instruments and Sensors	18
Autonomous Systems	18
Communications, Navigation, and Orbital Debris Tracking and Characterization Systems	16

Earliest-stage active projects (TRL 1-4)

Lowest TRL first — these are the furthest from finished, so outside research collaboration (rather than licensing a near-done technology) is the more realistic angle.

Integrated Flight Demonstration TRL 0 Complex Curvature Retractable Pin Tool Friction Stir Welding Pathfinder Campaign TRL 0 Harmonia Radioisotope Power Supply for Artemis TRL 0 Space Habitat Structures with Additive Manufacturing TRL 0 PSI Ejecta Kinetic Energy Estimating Radar (PEKEER) TRL 0 Integrated Logistics Technology Analysis Task TRL 0 STLN Thermal Control Study TRL 0 Aerocapture Demonstration TRL 0 STRATFI-Outpost TRL 0 Regolith Simulants Analysis TRL 0 LIDAR Line-up Assessment for Upcoming Navigation Challenges to Help Ease Risk TRL 0 Cryogenic Sample Return TRL 0 Cryo Motor Controller ASIC Study TRL 0 Space Recycling and Manufacturing TRL 0 JSC Environmental Testing of a Mars Primary SOFC Power System Technology TRL 0 In Space Manufacturing – Advanced Space Technologies for Resilient Operations TRL 0 Continuous Manufacturing of Rollable and Deformable Elements for Space TRL 0 Thor Tower Refurbishment TRL 0 Advanced Thermal Control for Exploration TRL 0 HIAD for LEO Infusion TRL 0 ISRU Power Architecture Study TRL 0 Innovative Method for Water and CO2 Sequestration and Reclamation in Long Duration PLSS TRL 1 Boom-Enabled Actuating Manipulator (BEAM) TRL 1 Space-Ready Chip-Integrated Titanium:Sapphire Lasers TRL 1 Dynovas Advanced Pressure Resin Transfer Molding (DAP-RTM) for Large Three Dimensional Woven Preforms TRL 1 Services for Ongoing Assessment of Risk (SOAR) TRL 1 Deep Space Food Challenge: Mars to Table TRL 1 TRANSCEND: Trustworthy Resilient Autonomous agents for Safe City transportation in the Evolving New Decade TRL 1 Communication-Aware Dispersed Autonomy and Safety (CODAS) TRL 1 Biomechanics, Ergonomics, and Anthropometrics for Mars Suits TRL 1

How NASA tech partnership actually works

TechPort itself is a catalog, not an application portal — there's no "apply" button on a project page. Two real, separate mechanisms exist depending on how mature the technology is:

SBIR/STTR — for early/mid-stage technology (roughly TRL 1-6). NASA funds small businesses and research institutions, in phases, to develop technology aligned with the agency's needs: Phase I proves feasibility, Phase II continues development, Phase III is commercialization. It's equity-free — NASA doesn't take ownership in exchange for funding. Solicitations open on a schedule (contact agency-sbir@mail.nasa.gov for specifics), so the practical step is checking whether an open solicitation topic overlaps with a specific project's technology area.
NASA Technology Transfer Program — for mature technology (roughly TRL 6-9) NASA has already patented. You license the existing patent rather than getting funded to build something new; a Space Act Agreement alongside the license lets you get direct "know-how" access to NASA's own researchers and facilities. NASA also runs a startup-specific licensing track with no upfront fee for companies formed specifically to commercialize one NASA technology.
Direct contact — every project page here lists TechPort's own project contacts where available. For a specific question about a specific project, that's usually faster than either formal channel above.

This is general orientation, not a guarantee any specific project here has open funding or licensing available right now — verify directly via the links above or the project's own contacts.