NOAA Signs Climate Tech Innovation Agreement With USPTO

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office focused on climate technology innovation.

The MOU codifies the employee exchange program between the two agencies and defines future work areas, including collaborative programs, data-sharing and climate and environmental stewardship policies. NOAA and the USPTO’s exchange program involves employees working at their counterpart agency for intellectual property training and patent application reviews for climate- and environment-related technologies.

The memo also ensures that NOAA’s research and technology capabilities translate to better public service and enhanced climate solutions, NOAA said.

NOAA has been expanding its partnerships in support of climate and environmental studies.

In May, NOAA signed an agreement with Proteus Ocean Group to advance marine science, research and education. Under the partnership, NOAA will use the PROTEUS underwater station, a facility that will be built off Curacao to allow scientists to study oceanic environments for extended periods.

In July 2022, NOAA selected the University of Colorado Boulder to host the Cooperative Institute for Earth System Research and Data Science, where researchers would study the Earth’s environment from sea to space.