UK and Space Tango Join Forces to Boost Commercialization

The University of Kentucky has partnered with Space Tango Inc. to send UK research into space.

An agreement between Space Tango and UK's Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) formalizes shared income from technology resulting from microgravity research. By working together, the company and university seek to maximize commercial pathways for UK inventors in life sciences and biomedicine.

Space Tango enables research and development, bioengineering and manufacturing in microgravity with the mission to create significant new industries to improve the lives of people on Earth.

UK Vice President for Research Lisa Cassis said, “The partnership between UK’s Office of Technology Commercialization and Space Tango will facilitate microgravity environment research that would otherwise not be an option for UK researchers. We look forward to discoveries that develop from this partnership.”

Ian McClure, OTC director, said the benefits of performing research in a microgravity environment could accelerate UK innovation. “Our hope is that, by using this unique opportunity, proof of concept and development can be realized by researchers for inventions that otherwise may not get past conception, and we can thereby increase our chances for commercialization of these discoveries. The agreement that our office has finalized with Space Tango incentivizes their provision of this unique opportunity to UK researchers. Using a standardized and streamlined approach we developed together with Space Tango, our office will work with interested UK researchers and Space Tango to develop a project plan that maximizes commercialization opportunities.”

“Space Tango is excited to formalize this agreement allowing the transfer of ideas from the university to commercial pathways. To work with and help build potential new therapies, products or basic science discoveries alongside faculty and students is an amazing opportunity, particularly as Space Tango is full of UK alumni,” said Twyman Clements, Space Tango co-founder and CEO, and UK mechanical engineering graduate. At Space Tango, he leads the design efforts for TangoLab and CubeLab products currently installed on the International Space Station.