commercialization

A new program that builds upon the successes of North Dakota's Centers of Excellence and Research Excellence programs will fund up to half of the cost of R&D and commercialization projects conducted by the state's research universities. Under Research North Dakota (RND), the development and commercialization of new products will be achieved on a project-by-project basis and state funds will be matched with private-sector cash investment.

This week, Colorado legislators approved the launch of an advanced industries acceleration program that would provide grants for proof-of-concept, early stage capital and retention, and infrastructure. HB 13-1001 would create the program, which would make $150,000 to $500,000 awards to support commercialization in key industries.

Lawmakers last week passed a $74.5 billion FY14 budget that expands efforts to commercialize research and boosts funds for life sciences and space-related investments. Under a sweeping new education bill, universities can qualify and receive additional resources as preeminent research universities. The measure also designates some higher education funding based on performance, and allows colleges to create low-cost degree programs.

Two universities, the University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM) and the University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), are expanding or restructuring their economic development operations to improve commercialization of technology stemming from faculty research and the coordination and business development in their communities.

In his State of the State address, Gov. Neil Abercrombie stressed the importance of investing in innovation to diversify the state's economy and grow Hawaii's economic base, traditionally rooted in military and tourism. To this end, the governor wants to back startup companies with $20 million over two years for what he considers the critical building blocks of an innovation ecosystem: research commercialization, entrepreneur mentoring and the mobilization of startup investment capital.

The Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) will invest $500M in launching four new technology and innovation facilities this year. Two facilities will be based in Saudi Arabia, and the other two will be built in India and China. SABIC's expansion will bring the organization's number of research facilities around the world to 18.

DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the Semiconductor Research Corporation have announced a five-year $194 million program working with six universities across the country to support the growth of the semiconductor industry. These research centers are:

Initiatives aimed at commercializing research were among the most common technology-based economic development approaches in 2012 for states seeking faster returns and job growth during a slow recovery. In the new legislative session that began last week in Colorado, lawmakers introduced a bill to increase access to capital for new startup companies in advanced industries aimed at accelerating the tech commercialization process.

Maryland's Innovation Initiative (MII), launched earlier this year, unveiled two inaugural programs on Monday aimed at commercializing technologies at the state's universities. The new Innovation Discovery Program will help universities identify promising technologies and potential collaborations by reimbursing them for the costs of employing on-site, part-time "site miners." The Innovation Commercialization Program will provide cash awards to support research, commercialization planning and product development.

University licensing and commercialization activity remained steady in 2011, with modest increases in most areas of technology transfer activity, according to the most recent edition of the Association of University Technology Managers' (AUTM) U.S. Licensing Activity Survey. AUTM released a preview of its 2011 survey results this week, with a full report to follow later this year.