The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's decision to establish one of its four satellite offices in Denver has been viewed as validation of Colorado's claim as the country's next great innovation hub. The state has now received a similarly significant vote of confidence, with NASA officials expressing a keen interest in local technology transfer programs.

Earlier this month, Loveland, Colorado, played host to a day-long conference in which small business owners and industry professionals discussed plans for matching local companies with federal research laboratories to provide for easier access to advanced aerospace technologies.

"It's really a very intentional, deliberate approach of getting our tech companies in a room with NASA to say 'How do we help you?' 'What is it we need?' and also 'Here's what we're doing," Betsey Hale, Loveland's economic development director, told the Denver Post.

NASA officials have described Northern Colorado as a "target-rich space," according to the Loveland Reporter-Herald, making reference to the collective talent pool and intellectual property portfolio presented by university researchers and technology firms in the region. The agency also views its strategy as a way to more earnestly welcome the private sector into the space industry.