Archive for December, 2010
Happy Nano New Year
Thursday, December 30th, 2010Kauffman Foundation names Utah #1 in patents per capita
Monday, December 27th, 2010Congratulations, Utah innovators! Utah has culled another business accolade – the #1 standing in patents per capita in the nation, according to the Kauffman Foundation.
Here’s a link to the Kauffman study:
http://www.kauffman.org/uploadedfiles/snei_2010_report.pdf
Here’s a CNNMoney article:
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/smallbusiness/1012/gallery.5_most_inventive_states/index.html
Here’s a Consumer Affairs article that discusses the top five states:
Intellectual property, Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights session
Thursday, December 23rd, 2010Unsure about whether you should patent, trademark or copyright? Should you limit to U.S. or international? These and other questions will be the topics of a half-day workshop Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011, sponsored by Key Bank, Miller Business Innovation Center, USTAR, the SBIR-STTR Assistance Center, and Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione.
http://www.utah.gov/ustar/documents/123.pdf
The workshop takes place from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Salt Lake Community College – Miller Campus, Karen Gail Miller Conference Center, 9750 S 300 W, Sandy, UT. Prior to Jan. 15, the cost is $25 per person. After Jan. 15, the price is $50. The registration fee includes continental breakfast, lunch, and a copy of “Intellectual Property Law Handbook.” To register, visit http://www.mbrcslcc.com/intellectualproperty
Representatives from Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione will present the sessions, with USTAR executive director Ted McAleer moderating the lunchtime panel discussion.
USTAR Overview Video and Annual Update
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010The end of the year brings many “Best of…” or “Top 10…” lists. USTAR has compiled its own year-in-review materials, recapping accomplishments and previewing upcoming milestones.
You can find a fast-moving, 10-minute Overview video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsavn-VCY3I.
You can read the detailed 16-page recap at http://www.utah.gov/ustar/documents/121.pdf.
In four years of operation, USTAR is on or ahead of plan in its three program areas – Research Teams, Building Projects, and regional Technology Outreach. Here are some highlights, which compare actual FY2010 results to those projected for that year in the Economic Prospectus developed for USTAR in 2005.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsavn-VCY3I
USTAR researchers have created six new companies, more than double projections. USTAR innovators have generated a portfolio of intellectual property, which will fuel economic impact far into the future. Eighty-seven invention disclosures have already been filed, 189 percent of projections.
Through June 2010, USTAR researchers have brought more than $44 million of new out-of-state research funding to Utah. That’s 185 percent of projections. Including all research grants committed for future years (through FY2014), USTAR researchers account for $103 million in new funding. That’s 199 percent leverage of Utah’s research investment ($52 million) to date.
USTAR building projects are progressing within budget. Ribbon cutting at USU’s BioInnovations Building took place Oct. 7, 2010, with research teams projected to take occupancy in December 2010. The U of U building may open as early as December 2011.
In FY2010, USTAR regional Technology Outreach staff conducted projects that supported companies, entrepreneurs and researchers in 19 of 29 counties in the state. In addition, USTAR staff provided critical assistance to Utah Cluster Acceleration Partnership efforts, the Governor’s 10-year Energy Plan committee, and other initiatives. A new effort coordinated by TOIP has been the Technology Commercialization Grant program, which strives to encourage collaboration between local industry and regional and research universities. Some 68 projects were funded by Sept. 2010, and progress in terms of prototype creation and private equity financing has been encouraging.
Looking forward, USTAR expects to recruit new out-of-state researchers, bringing the total to above 40 for FY2011. The inflow of research funding is expected to continue increasing significantly, with both research buildings seeking to attract new levels of industry-sponsored research funding. In addition, USTAR anticipates the creation of two to four new companies from the Technology Commercialization Grant program, as well as two to four new companies from the ranks of USTAR-recruited researchers.
In the spirit of the holidays, we at USTAR thank all the insightful researchers and innovators, intrepid entrepreneurs, and hard-working public servants, service providers, and other stakeholders in Utah’s “innovation economy” for making 2010 a year of increasing momentum and growth. Best wishes for the holiday season, and let’s make 2011 even better.
U of U is number one for start-ups
Monday, December 20th, 2010Overtakes MIT in number of spinoff companies
Source: University of Utah Technology Venture Development
The University of Utah (the U) is the No. 1 research institution in the country when it comes to creating startup companies based on university technology – and the U achieved this ranking with a fraction of the research budget at other top universities.
The ranking is the result of the latest survey by the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM). The annual survey lists the nation’s top research institutions, revenues, startup companies and related information. The U overtook the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) this year to take sole possession of the No. 1 place. MIT and the U tied for first last year, and the U was second to MIT for the previous two years.
The 19th annual AUTM survey ranked 153 public and private research institutions throughout the country, and the statistics are from the 2009 calendar year. According to AUTM, the U created 19 companies based on university research in 2009, while MIT and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) tied for second with 18 companies.
“This is an amazing accomplishment,” said Jack Brittain, the vice president of Technology Ventures Development, which oversees all commercialization activity at the U. “In the last five years, we have gone from creating a few startup companies each year to tying MIT. Now we are first in the country. The ranking shows that the University of Utah is one of the leading research universities in the country. We have incredible faculty and staff to help them turn their inventions into viable companies, and we hope the ranking is a sign of even better things to come.”
Jack Brittain
In total, the 2009 AUTM survey shows that the 153 institutions surveyed created 596 startup companies in 2009, and the average number of startups was four for each university. In comparison, the 2008 AUTM survey showed that a similar list of institutions created 595 startup companies.
Other top institutions in the 2009 AUTM survey included: University of Kentucky Research Foundation (14 startups), Columbia University (13) and the University of Colorado (11). The following institutions had 10 startups in 2009: Carnegie Mellon University, Johns Hopkins University, Purdue Research Foundation, University of Florida and University of Washington/Washington Research Foundation. (more…)
Business/education/non-profit partnership to produce medical device prototypes
Thursday, December 16th, 2010Intermountain Healthcare (Intermountain) has partnered with the BioManufacturing program of the Granite Technical Institute and the BioInnovations Gateway (BiG) to give high school students invaluable hands-on experience in designing and creating medical device prototypes.
A goal of the partnership is to provide Intermountain’s physicians and nurses with an avenue to support the development of ideas that lead to improved patient care. The partnership provides other benefits, including:
- Students learn technical skills needed to develop a Food and Drug Administration-approved device.
- Students practice communication and teamwork skills needed to understand medical needs and execute on a project plan.
- Intermountain has the opportunity to support community education efforts.
The BiG program is open to students from six school districts in the Salt Lake City area. This new development program with Intermountain will tackle biomedical devices and biotechnology developments from the simple to the sophisticated, according to BiG executive director Suzanne Winters, Ph.D. The student teams will have access to shared wet and dry labs, CAD equipment, and a prototyping machine shop.
Dr. Suzanne Winters
“These students will have hands-on experience in standard operating procedures, design controls, good manufacturing and lab practices, documentation and FDA requirements,” said Winters. “Intermountain is demonstrating real leadership by helping to train the next generation of innovators.”
Several projects are already underway and Winters anticipates that up to five will be initiated each school year. Three Granite Technical Institute faculty members and BiG’s laboratory manager will supervise teams of two to six students.
“Workforce development is critical to the continued expansion of Utah’s life science industry,” Winters said. “You can study medical product development in class and read text books, but nothing prepares you to build a medical device as well as actually building a medical device.”
According to Michael Mayer, Intermountain’s director of Invention Management, the program should optimize valuable staff time. “Doctors and nurses are very creative problem solvers, but the demands of patient care can hamper them from engineering new solutions on their own. The BioInnovate program will help doctors and nurses develop their ideas by working with the students to create prototypes.”
BioInnovations Gateway (BiG)
A non-profit based in Salt Lake City, Utah, BiG is an incubator for early-stage life science companies and an academic training ground for the next generation of life science professionals. It receives support from the Granite School District, Granite Technical Institute, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, the Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR) initiative, and the U.S. Department of Labor. For more information, visit www.bioinnovationsgateway.org.
Intermountain Healthcare
Intermountain Healthcare is a nonprofit health system based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Intermountain serves the healthcare needs of Utah and southeastern Idaho residents. Its mission is to provide clinically excellent medical care at affordable rates in a healing environment. For more information, visit www.intermountainhealthcare.org.
First Sino-U.S. summit on carbon capture and storage taking place Dec. 14
Monday, December 13th, 2010Experts in carbon capture and storage from Utah and China are meeting in the first Sino-U.S. summit on the emerging technology Dec. 14 in Beijing.
The one-day conference is organized by the University of Utah’s Energy & Geoscience Institute (EGI), the Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR) initiative, Brigham Young University (BYU), Sustainable Energy Solutions, LLC., and Beijing Jiaotong University.
“Carbon capture and storage” is a family of methods for capturing and permanently isolating gases that otherwise may contribute to global climate change. Advances in sequestration approaches could offer a way to stabilize atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide while allowing the U.S. and other countries to extend the use of current energy infrastructure.
Dr. Larry L. Baxter, BYU
Representatives from EGI, BYU, and USTAR will present on topics ranging from the technology of carbon dioxide (CO2) capture to the modeling, monitoring and risk control of storage. Their counterparts from the China Ministry of Science & Technology, Ministry of Education, Energy Bureau, Engineering Academy, and several Chinese universities will also speak at the conference.
“The U.S. and China produce the largest emissions of carbon dioxide worldwide, and we can benefit from further collaboration to make large-scale capture and sequestration viable on a global basis,” said Brian J. McPherson, an associate professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Utah and a USTAR researcher.
McPherson is Principal Investigator of the Southwest Regional Partnership on Carbon Sequestration, a multi-state project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy that seeks to test the viability of storing large volumes of CO2 thousands of feet underground to reduce CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. Other Utah experts speaking at the conference include Larry L. Baxter, BYU professor of Chemical Engineering, and Alan J. Walker, USTAR Eastern Region Technology Outreach director.
“In Utah, we’ve got best practices to share in modeling, risk assessment and other areas, and this conference will provide better visibility into the current state of Chinese science and technology,” said Walker.
“The organizations involved in this Summit have tremendous capabilities that will be significantly enhanced through joint research and by a collaborative approach,” said Baxter. “Together we may resolve near-term energy needs in a way that positively impacts future generations.”
USTAR Technology Commercialization Grants in the news, Deadline approaching
Friday, December 10th, 2010USTAR’s Technology Commercialization Grant (TCG) program has been in the news recently. On Nov. 4, the USTAR Governing Authority board selected eight projects for funding and local media highlighted a number of these innovative efforts in the weeks that followed.
The TCG program was announced in the summer of 2009, with the main focus on bringing innovative new technologies to market from Utah’s public universities and colleges. The grants – which total 76 to date – also foster collaboration between industry and public higher learning institutions.
With a typical award size of $30,000, TCGs assist faculty to prototype, test, assess markets, and commercialize new products and services in high-growth markets. Utah-based companies and other organizations willing to sponsor technology development work with a faculty member at a regional public higher learning institution may jointly apply for the grant.
Applications in the next round of regional higher education TCG applications are due at noon on Jan. 3, 2011. For more information, visit http://www.innovationutah.com/tcgrants.html
The news stories about TCGs include:
Information technology: KCPW features Pixelture and the work they are doing with Salt Lake Community College to bring to market shared wireless projection technology for improved classroom and business training (http://tinyurl.com/2g34llq). Pixelture is also featured in a Deseret News article (http://tinyurl.com/2d6ao66).
Biomedical: KUER highlights a University of Utah project to detect individual cancer cells in the blood (http://tinyurl.com/29hdpqp).
Energy: TCG co-applicant Altus Poles teams with Novatek for efficient utility towers (http://tinyurl.com/2acjuby).
Energy: A solar industry trade publication covers Solar Fins, a passive in-attic water heating system (http://tinyurl.com/28sfe2u).
Science Questions interviews Dan Geery of Hyperblimp. Hyperblimp is working with Weber State University to develop a gas-impermeable barrier for lighter-than-air flight applications as well as food and medical packaging (http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/upr/local-upr-936106.mp3).
The Standard-Examiner covers recent grant awards at Weber State University (http://tinyurl.com/25afwu5).
Funds for the TCG program came from the Federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Intuitive Grasp: Catheter Connections uses industrial design to differentiate DualCap™
Friday, December 3rd, 2010Don Solomon is a self-described “lousy patient.”
While recovering from recent knee replacement surgery, he watched from his hospital bed as a nurse began to change his intravenous (IV) bag. “One, she didn’t wash her hands when she came in the room. Two, she didn’t swab the needleless injection site (NIS) with alcohol. Three, the IV line male luer connection bumped against the bed and the IV pole, picking up more germs. I said, ‘Hold it right there.’”
Solomon is president and chief operations officer of Catheter Connections Inc., and he is acutely aware of the conditions and missteps that can lead to costly and potentially deadly hospital infections. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT, Catheter Connections was incorporated in February 2008 to develop and commercialize vascular access infection control products designed to protect patients from acquiring infections during periods of infusion therapy.
The product Catheter Connections has developed, DualCap™, is engineered to help reduce intraluminal catheter-related infections, which account for nearly 65-75 percent of catheter related blood stream infections (CRSBIs) found in the hospital.
“There are nearly 500,000 cases of these CRSBI-caused infections a year in the U.S., and the morbidity of these infections is very high, in the range of 12-25 percent,” Solomon said. “It’s really one of the largest issues facing the medical community today.”
Theodore Espiritu and Don Solomon
The firm has focused on the issue, including funding a recent study at a large mid-western Hospital. He cites research that indicates 31 percent of nurses do not swab NIS connectors when reconnecting IV lines to catheters. Those that do perform swabs rarely spend the 30 seconds recommended, thus reducing the alcohol’s effectiveness. These disconnected male luer and NIS connectors pick up unwanted bacterial “hitchhikers.” (more…)
RSVP for Dec. 7th Leonardo After Hours
Wednesday, December 1st, 2010Please join The Leonardo and USTAR teams at our next Leonardo After Hours event – “High Tech Crime and Countermeasures” on Tuesday, Dec. 7 from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m.
Expert presenters will recount real-world stories of how today’s cyber criminals use and target technology – and the countermeasures law enforcement, government, industry and researchers are using to stop them. You’ll also see how an early stage ocular polygraph works, and witness a live demo of a mini surveillance copter.
LOCATION/DIRECTIONS: This event will be held at The Leonardo Garage, located at 375 North 500 West in Salt Lake City. (Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=375+North+500+West%2C+Unit+B%2CSalt+Lake+City%2CUT). From downtown, head north on 300 West. Turn left at the first light after West High School (300 North). As soon as you drive over the railroad tracks, turn right. The Garage is on the left (look for The Leonardo sign). Leonardo After Hours is produced by The Leonardo and USTAR, with support from CH2M Hill.
The event and appetizers are free, and we’ll have a cash-only bar. Please RSVP to Chris at 801-531-9800 or rsvp@theleonardo.org.
For more information, including a list of speakers and preview video, please visit http://www.theleonardo.org/programs/leo_after_hours/.
Tune in for a story about the event by Jennifer Napier Pierce an KUER Thursday morning – www.kuer.org.
