Proteins that break up molds without using toxic hydrocarbons dangerous to humans. Conductive polymers that allow manufacture of lightweight lithium ion batteries. Portable, self-powered water filtration units that remove arsenic from polluted groundwater in Asia.
UConn’s scientists, physicians, and engineers – researchers tackling some of society’s toughest problems – created these new inventions that are helping to renew the economy and provide profound benefits to the public.
It’s no wonder that state Senate President Don Williams Jr. recently announced that Connecticut – even in these tough economic times – will invest $18 million to develop a technology research park at UConn’s Storrs campus to facilitate the exchange of ideas and inventions between the University and the state’s commercial and industrial sectors.
Increasingly, UConn fosters not just creative and innovative thinking, but also the development of novel inventions into products and companies that create jobs. UConn’s Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) plays a vital role in helping to propel emerging technologies out of the lab and into the marketplace.
Rita Zangari, director of OTC, reported last year that UConn’s efforts to commercialize research included 34 UConn spinout companies, and that University-business collaborations had secured more than $1 million in annual licensing revenue and supported 200 jobs.
“The value of fostering synergy between academia and industry, as a tool for job creation, has been proven time and again across the U.S.,” Zangari says. “Such relationships have emerged as strong sources of entrepreneurship, talent, and economic competitiveness.
“Collaborations that combine the talent and expertise of University researchers and students with the market perspective and pace of industry, and that capitalize on the unique resources available at academic institutions, are supporting the growth of today’s knowledge economy,” she adds.
Zangari says that, as a signal to the business community that the University is serious about the role it can play fostering research and job creation, UConn will put out the welcome mat next week to risk capital investors, entrepreneurs, and inventors – anyone with an interest in learning more about the University’s technology storehouse to help start businesses and help them grow. The OTC has teamed up with the Connecticut Venture Group to co-host a conference at UConn on May 25 aimed at showcasing the variety of ways entrepreneurs and private industry can benefit by partnering with the University.
More than 10 UConn departments and centers will be represented. Among them, OTC’s Technology Incubation Program, which provides lab space, business, and technical resources to startups; UConn’s Research and Development Corp., which helps form new companies from faculty inventions; the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation’s Innovation Accelerator, which offers strategic consulting services to emerging companies; as well as the School of Engineering, the Center for Clean Energy Engineering, and the Institute of Material Science.
The keynote speaker will be UConn alumnus Scott Case, chief executive officer of The Startup America Partnership, a private sector alliance launched at the White House to create high-growth companies and support entrepreneurs and early-stage companies across the nation. Case is also known as the founder of Priceline, the “name your own price” airline ticket company.
The event will also highlight some examples of UConn’s success in partnering with industry. Leaders of two early-stage companies – NzymSys Inc. and MysticMD – will discuss how they leveraged University resources to explore new technologies, develop new products, and expand their product lines.
“This conference is meant to create partnerships that go beyond a one-initiative event,” Zangari says. “We want to help entrepreneurs find the tools they need. We are out there with a whole array of programs.”
