Tech Transfer
U-M spin-out, large contributor to local economy, acquired by global technology company
Arbor Networks, a network security company born out of research conducted at the University of Michigan, has been acquired by a global technology company in an example of basic university research translating to economic growth, global competitiveness and job creation. Arbor, founded by computer science and engineering professor Farnam Jahanian and then-doctoral student Robert Malan in 2000, has been acquired by Tektronix Communications, a division of Danaher. Arbor, which has a strong local presence, will remain a separate operating company. Today, Arbor is a global leader in internet service provider security. A full 70 percent of the world's network service providers are among its 300-plus customers, including AT&T, Verizon, and British Telecom. [Read more...]
Commerce Secretary calls U-M a national model for innovative economic collaboration
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said Tuesday that U-M’s innovative economic development initiatives serve as models for other universities and communities nationwide. Locke delivered the keynote address at a forum that brought several top Obama administration officials together with about 100 university administrators, faculty researchers, and business and economic development leaders from across the region — as well as a few students — for a daylong session at the Michigan League. “Certain universities, like the University of Michigan, have obviously hit upon a very successful approach,” Locke said. “That’s why we’re having this forum here at the University of Michigan, because you do such a good job of commercialization.” [Read more...]
U.S. Dept. of Commerce holds forum at the U-M on American Innovation
The U.S. Department of Commerce and its Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Economic Development Administration is holding one of four regional innovation forums on the University of Michigan campus on July 13. University leaders and key stakeholders have been invited by the Department of Commerce to discuss the role of universities in innovation, economic development, job creation and commercialization of federally funded research. “Universities have long been a critical driver of innovation in the U.S.,” Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke said. “We are committed to working with university leaders to increase the economic impact of our nation’s investment in research and development to help drive economic growth and job creation.” [Read more...]
New medical device company evolves from the U-M Medical Innovation Center
Tangent Medical Technologies, Inc., a medical device development company, has developed a new product that will improve the safety of IVs used for hospitalized patients. Tangent recently finalized its licensing agreement with U-M that provides the University with an equity stake in the company. Tangent was formed by the U-M fellows as a spinoff from the Medical Innovation Center to develop and commercialize Novacath -- a safer and more effective design for delivery of intravenous fluid and medication through peripheral veins. The patent-pending Novacath, is currently in the prototype stage of development. In the near future, Tangent hopes to submit Novacath for FDA clearance and obtain a contract with a manufacturer for production and sale of the device. [Read more...]
URC reports energy gains, announces three joint symposia
Michigan's University Research Corridor reported at the Mackinaw Policy Conference on June 3, 2010 steady progress on recent energy research grants, and also unveiled three new URC-supported collaborations. One such URC-supported collaboration between researchers at the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University began with a $523,282 seed grant that helped the researchers win a $12.5 million federal grant less than a year later, leading to scientific progress and several new partnerships and publications, said URC Executive Director Jeff Mason. "The University Research Corridor support for our work on nanocomposites played an instrumental role in MSU landing a U.S. Department of Energy-funded Energy Frontier Research Center," said MSU's Donald Morelli and colleagues from U-M and WSU in a report issued by the three-university team. [Read more...]
U-M part of new national Nuclear Energy Innovation Hub
The University of Michigan has been named part of an energy hub using advanced capabilities of the world's most powerful computers to make significant leaps forward in nuclear reactor design and engineering. Nine engineering faculty members will lead U-M's part of the Nuclear Energy Modeling and Simulation Energy Innovation Hub announced by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The team, comprised of members from universities, industry and national labs, is led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). U-M will receive up to $8.5 million—$1.7 million a year for five years—for its work in the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL). [Read more...]
How laptops can enhance learning in college classrooms
Despite the distraction potential of laptops in college classrooms, new research shows that they can actually increase students' engagement, attentiveness, participation and learning. To achieve this, however, the instructor must set the right stage, says University of Michigan professor Perry Samson and developer of LectureTools software. "If you allow laptops in the classroom without a plan for how you'll use them, you can potentially invite disaster. It's unlikely that students will be so entranced by class material that they won't wander off to their favorite social networking sites," Samson said. "The key is to deliberately engage students through their computers. LectureTools does just that." [Read more...]
Winners in Mobile Apps Innovation Challenge announced
Mobile-device applications that help people manage their frequent-shopper cards, build their playlist while listening to music, and find their friends through location-based social networking are among the winners in the 2010 Mobile Apps Innovation Challenge. Information and Technology Services (ITS) and the Office of Technology Transfer sponsored the contest. “We’ve been hosting this competition for two years now, and the growth and energy is exciting,” says Doug Hockstad, associate director of software and copyright licensing at Tech Transfer. [Read more...]
Going Global
Vice President Stephen Forrest's blog post was reposted in the May 2010 issue of Michigan Today. [Read more...]
U-M companies highlighted in national report on economic benefits of federally funded basic research
Two highly successful U-M spinoff companies - Arbor Networks and HealthMedia, Inc. - are highlighted in a national report that shows how federal investment in basic research leads to innovation and job creation. “Sparking Economic Growth: How federally funded university research creates innovation, new companies and jobs” was released May 11, 2010 by The Science Coalition, a non-profit, nonpartisan organization of 50 of the leading public and private research universities in the U.S. [Read more...]