10 Year Review - The University of Akron

A DECADE IN TRANSITION
At the turn of the 21 st century, University of Akron President, Dr. Luis Proenza, and the
Board of Trustees began an initiative to emphasize the growth, development, and status
of the research capability of the institution. To that end, The University of Akron
introduced Dr. George Newkome as the new Vice President for Research in 2001. Dr.
Newkome’s first priority was to establish an efficient intellectual property (IP)
management system.
Dr. Newkome enlisted the services of two seasoned business attorneys to create a
technology management office (Office of Technology Transfer) as a part of the
University’s Office of Research. The OTT’s objectives are to identify, evaluate, protect
and commercialize the results of the University’s research and development programs.
Under Ohio statutes, any inventions made by employees of a public institution, or
through the use of public facilities, belong to the state. Ownership of the invention is
thus transferred from the inventor to the institution. Further, under the federal Bayh-
Dole laws, institutions may acquire titles to the inventions made under federal funding
and are required to commercialize the inventions for the benefit of the society, the
institution and the inventors.
While these statutes provided a framework and requirement for the commercialization of
university inventions, there were also rules and statutes that inhibited full
commercialization opportunities. For example, neither the inventors nor the University
could own equity in startup companies that used the inventions, nor provide facilities to
assist in startup operations. Prohibitions against indemnifications also curtailed some
research and commercialization opportunities, and strict interpretations of conflict of
interest rules provided additional barriers.
To address and overcome these obstacles, The University of Akron Board of Trustees,
established the University of Akron Research Foundation (UARF) in 2001. Based on a
model created and developed by Dr. Newkome at the University of South Florida, and
currently the model for the Florida public university system, UARF’s mission is to
support the University. UARF is a separate corporation governed by an independent
board and, thus, can operate outside of the foregoing state constraints regarding the
University’s activities. Under contract with the University, UARF manages the
University’s commercialization activities as well as industry-sponsored research
projects.
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