In an exciting leap forward, the School of Business has officially joined NASA’s Technology Transfer University Program (T2U), a forward-thinking educational initiative designed to foster collaboration between universities and NASA in bringing groundbreaking technologies to market.
“This collaboration aligns perfectly with Lehman College’s mission to be a leader in educational innovation, original research, and digital solutions,” said Fernando Delgado, president of Lehman College. “By working with NASA, we are ensuring that our students are not just learning about business and technology—they are actively helping to shape the future of both fields.”
This new partnership marks a major milestone in Lehman College’s continued commitment to providing students and faculty with unique opportunities to engage with the latest innovations in technology and entrepreneurship. The T2U program provides them with access to NASA’s expansive portfolio of patents for emerging technologies, offering them the chance to contribute to projects that connect scientific discovery with practical, real-world applications.
“NASA’s T2U program presents incredible opportunities for our students and faculty to work with some of the most advanced technologies in the world,” said Dene Hurley, dean of the School of Business. “Through this collaboration, we aim to inspire our students to think outside the box and creatively apply scientific innovations to solve complex business problems.”
Lehman College’s participation in the T2U program is part of a larger effort to provide students with immersive learning experiences that prepare them for the demands of the future workforce. The integration of NASA-developed technologies into the curriculum will help equip students with the skills needed to lead in industries that require both technical expertise and business savvy—including adaptability, creativity, problem-solving, communication, and an entrepreneurial mindset.
While the T2U program will initially be incorporated into the School of Business’s entrepreneurship curriculum, the initiative is inherently interdisciplinary. All faculty and students are encouraged to participate, fostering an environment of collaboration across disciplines. The program will provide practical experience in areas such as technology commercialization, intellectual property management, and product development, offering students hands-on learning in how to bring ideas from concept to market. Faculty can also collaborate with NASA on research and development projects, further enriching the college’s research capabilities.
Lehman is one of only 60 institutions nationwide currently working with NASA on the T2U initiative, alongside universities including U.C. Berkeley, Cornell, University of Pennsylvania, and Brown. Lehman’s sister CUNY school, Baruch College, is also participating.
T2U marks Lehman’s third partnership with NASA. Recent collaborations include the expansion of NASA’s Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program through an $11.1 million grant and a notable project, Surface-based Precipitation Measurement Network in The Bronx, made possible through NASA’s IPMSI funding.
“We are thrilled to welcome Lehman College to the T2U program,” said Meredith Reeves, Technology Transfer Expansion (T2X) lead at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. "We look forward to supporting the innovative spirit of Lehman’s students and working alongside them to bring their entrepreneurial ideas to life,” Reeves added.