Technology Transfer

Critical to the continued success of nanotechnology is the transfer of the fundamental technology developed in the laboratory to commercially viable products, which create economic growth and provide improved performance. Thus, while a primary focus of the Center is on fundamental research, in select cases we are focusing on the utility of our innovations and taking advantage of our close collaborations with industry to develop intellectual property, transfer technology, and assist in pre-commercialization activities. Our interactions have resulted in 32 patents and we are developing license agreements. This progress in technical transfer has been aided by regular interaction with industry, which in some cases is semi-monthly phone calls, two face-to-face visits each year, and student internships. In addition, seven students have spent time in industry, and 12 industry personnel attended our Chautauqua course. NSEC has transferred technology via spin-off companies as well. We will continue to accomplish this important objective through:

• Continued interactions with industry. The NSEC researchers are interacting with a myriad of industries through a variety of collaborations and partnerships. Some of these are close collaborations and others are more informal.
• Continued internships for students in industry. This has been extremely successful, and we have found that personnel exchanges of as short as a month are fruitful.
• Continued interaction with the intellectual property offices at our respective institutions. We are developing a portfolio of technology that is marketable to industry. (See http://www.rpitechnology.com, http://www.otm.uiuc.edu/)