rESEArCH HIGHLIGHTS - Charlotte Research Institute - University ...

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2006-2007 Highlights of the Charlotte Research InstituteOpen for BusinessUNC Charlotte is increasingly looked upon as an engine for economic development and innovativebusiness applications in the Charlotte region. Through the Charlotte Research Institute, the university isin a unique position to create and implement strong business/university partnerships for researchand economic development. Open for Business is a three-year initiative that will drive that effort. UNCCharlotte has been selected by the UNC System’s General Administration to go beyond “best practice” businessrelationship-building to redefine the wayhigher education can better serve industry.In the project’s first year, a wide crosssectionof organizations (companiesranging in size from five employees tothousands; industries and trade groupsincluding everything from manufacturingto financial services to medicine) havebeen interviewed to crystallize a newform of higher education outreach withbusiness. The second year of the projectwill further refine and implement focusedrelationship-building, streamlined internalprocesses and business enhancementproducts to expand the university’s impacton the region’s business capabilities.Clyde Higgs, Vice President of Business Development for the N.C.Research Campus, shares his parameters for investing in biotechstart-up companies with attendees and participants at the 2007Five Ventures ® Competition hosted by CRI.Case Study: Digital Optics Corporationuniversity technology into commercialized product4Research/Invention/Patent - 1989-1991Start-up Company• Dr. Michael Feldman joins optoelectronicsresearch faculty at UNC Charlotte• Research in computer generated hologramsas optical interconnects at UNC Charlottein Cameron Applied Research Center• First patent filed Feb 1991Start-up Company - 1991-1992• Digital Optics incorporated byDr. Michael Feldman and Hudson Welch(graduate student).• DOC moves to UNC Charlotte Ben CraigCenter Business Incubator with 500sq ft of office space, 1 DARPAcontract, and 1 commercial contractGrowth/Production - 1993-1997• Staff increases to 4 employees• Participates in first trade show• Revenues double• Initial Venture Capital infusion• Second round of VC funding• Staff at 35 employees; Talent nowbrought in from other strategicorganizations
Kevin Drehmer, CEO, Tessera MicroOptics Center of Excellence(formerly Digital Optics) and Chair, CRI Board of Directors; UNCCharlotte alum Dr. Hudson Welch, Director of Engineering atTessera and co-founder of Digital Optics; Dr. Robert Wilhelm,Executive Director, CRI.Convening Academic Researchand IndustryAs a part of its charter to promote universityresearch and facilitate university/industrypartnerships, CRI successfully hosted severalconferences this past year. These conferenceseffectively convene faculty, students, startupcompanies, local industry, venturecapitalists, economic development officials,and healthcare and other service providers toencourage entrepreneurialism and researchpartnerships with the university.In October of 2006 & 2007, the 5th& 6th annual Charlotte Biotechnologyconferences hosted over 300 peopleon campus and focused on biomedicalresearch in the Charlotte community. InNovember 2006, CRI’s first TranslationalResearch Symposium brought together 100 biomedical researchers and local healthcare clinicians to developthe potential for a regional translational medicine program.The Five Ventures ® business plan competition and conference, in its 6th year, hosted keynote speakers JerryNeal and Jerry Bledsoe, entrepreneurs and authors of Fire in the Belly: Building a World-leading, High-Tech CompanyBusiness Attraction/RetentionProfit & Job Generation5Expansion - 1998-2000• Production expanded across opticalcomponent & integration products• Kevin Drehmer appointedpresident of DOC• Continued Venture Capital• DOC positioned as a leadingphotonic chip supplierQuality of LifeBoosting Local Economy - 2001-2005• DOC moves to 100,000 sf facility inUniversity Research Park• Economy rocked by terrorist events andhigh tech bubble. DOC diversifies acrossmultiple product lines: Diffractive diffusers,datacom, telecom, barcode scanners,government and defenseSale of Company - 2006-2007• Staffed by 83 employees;buy-out by Tessera Technologiesfor $59.5 million• Tessera’s Charlotte operationsstaffed by 100 employees providingproducts worldwideResearch Highlights 2006-2007
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