10 Year Review - The University of Akron

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ASSESSING THE REGION That sets the stage for describing in more detail the University’s technology transfer activities in 2001, and the ensuing actions of the OTT and UARF in the following decade. Drawing liberally from, and in many instances directly quoting Associate Vice President Wayne Watkins’ June 2010 Congressional testimony, as well as his paper entitled ―Strategies for Small Technology Transfer Offices: Doing More, with Less,‖ when we arrived in Akron in 2001, we found a public urban university, 25,000 students, exceptionally strong programs in advanced materials and chemistry and, specifically, polymers and plastics (UA is a leading institution in polymers). The University possesses a quality engineering school, a relatively unknown, but outstanding law school with a strong intellectual property focus, and a business school with a newly formed entrepreneurship program and strong sales, marketing and international business programs. The University of Akron does not have medical, veterinary or pharmacy schools although there is a freestanding regional medical and pharmacy school (Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine and Pharmacy) with which UA is affiliated. Despite just over $20M in research expenditures in 2000, and a portfolio of 350 patents, Akron had no significant licensing income and just one University spinoff company. Northeast Ohio is home to four public universities, but is struggling economically due to the loss of steel and automobile industries, and especially rubber and tire manufacturing. The region has been trying to redefine itself as the polymer capital of the world, and has a good number of large, medium, and small manufacturing companies, many of which are involved in research. Unfortunately, many manufacturing companies lose ground to outsourcing and the realities of the new global economy. We believed this area was long on technology and capital (although quite conservative capital) and short on entrepreneurship, particularly technology-based entrepreneurship. We found a region with its greatest opportunities for growth in the strategic clusters of advanced materials and biosciences. Also worthy of mention is that we found a city that experienced its heyday in the middle of the 20th century. Akron, Ohio, was considered by many to be America's All American city, notwithstanding that it lived in Cleveland's shadows. Our assessment uncovered the existence of silos …both figurative and literal. The former Quaker Oats grain silos, located in downtown Akron, provided a great metaphor for our efforts as they had been transformed into a modern hotel. We frequently use visuals of the before and after silos to communicate the message that our assets, although historically figurative silos, can become effective community assets with vision and commitment to change. The figurative silos included lack of collaboration among the universities, industries, municipalities, and chambers of commerce. We also found 25
silos among University departments, colleges, programs, professors, and administrators. We found silos among capital providers, entrepreneurs and technology providers and an industry base that was frequently very closed and internally focused. Like the visionary who saw a potential hotel in the Quaker Oats silos, we sought to find potential in the resources of Northeast Ohio and Akron. Some positive signs for economic growth included the University's commitment to creating the new materials for the new economy, as well as a university president, who is a national and international leader in technology transfer and research related engagement. It was the outreach and technology transfer leadership of the University president that provided Dr. Newkome the opportunity and flexibility to pursue an aggressive strategy to achieve the University’s research and regional economic development goals. BEGINNING TO BUILD One of our first steps was to engage the faculty, some of the more talented of whom had become frustrated with the University’s technology transfer management. Many of these faculty members had developed a mistrust of the system, and had little desire to participate in achieving the new goals. Through active support, education, openness, rapid response, and flexibility in meeting needs, many key researchers are now supporters of the Office of Research efforts. Still, a number of state statutes and compulsory rules inhibited the progress that was sought by the president and trustees. Thus, we formed a University-related research foundation to facilitate University technology transfer, to administer industry contracts with the University, and to house our outreach efforts. A separate, stand-alone research foundation provides us with a more entrepreneurial organization to respond to industry opportunities and needs. It allows us to hold equity, and provide indemnities to private research sponsors. We formed the University of Akron Research Foundation (UARF), as a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3), with a corporate charter to benefit the University and our community. We invited members to the Board of Directors, who had a passion for the community and understood the role of a university in economic competiveness, to become part of our community partnership. The majority of the directors are not UA personnel. We chose directors who had a healthy perspective of investing resources for an expected long-term benefit. UARF entered into an agreement with The University of Akron allowing UARF to participate and administer all of UA’s industry-sponsored research agreements. In this capacity, UARF essentially functions as the university's fiscal agent. 26
Page 1 and 2: TEN YEAR REVIEW 2001-2010 Dr. Georg
Page 3 and 4: Appendix 1 Dr. George R. Newkome Ac
Page 5 and 6: Office of the Vice President for Re
Page 7 and 8: INTRODUCTION TO THE UA GRADUATE SCH
Page 9 and 10: Enrollment Not surprisingly, along
Page 11 and 12: Degrees Awarded Awarded graduate de
Page 13 and 14: GRADUATE SCHOOL INITIATIVES The com
Page 15 and 16: THE FUTURE OF THE UA GRADUATE SCHOO
Page 17 and 18: INTRODUCTION TO THE ORSSP The Offic
Page 19 and 20: OHIO RESEARCH AWARD DOLLARS *Source
Page 21 and 22: RESEARCH FACULTY *Source: The Unive
Page 23 and 24: AWARD DOLLARS Total Award Dollars b
Page 25: A DECADE IN TRANSITION At the turn
Page 29 and 30: eimbursed, 40% goes to the inventor
Page 31 and 32: permitted and provided for the expa
Page 33 and 34: OTT & UARF ACTIVITIES We have been
Page 35 and 36: AUTM Active Licenses 45 40 35 30 33
Page 37 and 38: $7,000,000 License Revenue $6,000,0
Page 39 and 40: $6,000,000 UARF Net Assets $5,000,0
Page 41 and 42: Appendix 1 Academic Curriculum Vita
Page 43 and 44: Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry,
Page 45 and 46: Bipyridines: Synthesis, Complexatio
Page 47 and 48: 37. Hassan, M. L.; Moorefield, Kott
Page 49 and 50: 79. Zhang, W.-B.; Tu, Y.; Ranjan, R
Page 51 and 52: 3. Invited Speaker, "Nanomeric Cons
Page 53 and 54: MEETINGS 1. Newkome, G. R.; Mishra,
Page 55 and 56: GRANTS Itemized Research Grants 1.
Page 57 and 58: Visiting 1. Ms. Francesca Cardullo
Page 59 and 60: Medicine. 11:145-161. Mark Tausig,
Page 61 and 62: Amod Pyakuryal, Mark Tausig, Sree S
Page 63 and 64: EDUCATION and ACTIVITIES 1963 Juris
Page 65 and 66: Entrepreneurial Studies Fellow Coll
Page 67 and 68: companies to access on an as needed
Page 69 and 70: Developed technology transfer polic
Page 71 and 72: Intellectual Property Management,
Page 73 and 74: Appendix 3 Graduate Headcount-Fall
Page 75 and 76: UA Graduate Headcount-Ethnicity by
Page 77 and 78:
Headcount-Ethnicity Continued Maste
Page 79 and 80:
Headcount-STEM/Non STEM Continued D
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10 Year Review - The University of Akron

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