Posts Tagged ‘innovation’
Posted July 6th, 2011 by admin
The first International ITN Biotechnology Forum was hosted by Lebanon Valley College (LVC). Speakers presented from LVC, Penn State Harrisburg (PSH), and Powell Law Associates. Researchers from the National University of Singapore and BSES Limited, formerly the Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations, in Australia also spoke of their work involving in-vitro plant development and sugarcane species commercialization. These visitors were courtesy of Dr. Sairam Rudrabhatla - having that week been guest lecturers in the Research Experience for Undergraduates EU (REU)program at PSH. In attendance were also the cohort of REU students and numerous PSH graduate researchers, biology and chemistry.
Below are a few highlights of the session:
Dr. Courtney M. Lappas, of Lebanon Valley College and formerly with NIH, illustrated how T cells affect inflammatory conditions and the effects that adenosine analogs can have on controlling unwanted responses. She has studied the effects that these compounds along with certain genetic factors can have on the condition. In particular, chronic granulomatous disease and graft-versus-host disease show improvements when the adenosine receptors are controlled.
Dr. Shobha Potlakayala of Penn State Harrisburg illustrated her recent work on providing blight resistance in American Chestnut. This builds on her earlier work in developing a systemic acquired resistance in plants through understanding the effects of expression of particular genes. SAR enables the plant to resist diseases like the blight by accumulating, typically, salicylic acid. Success in genetically creating SAR in Chestnut along with the ability to rapidly culture and test shoots [and then confidently grow multitudes of resistant shoots] will be a great improvement in restoring the population (with genetically pure, rather than back-crossed, specimens) over traditional methods.
Mr. Marvin Powell, former patent attorney for Pfizer Inc. and now of Powell Law Associates LLC spoke on patenting and protecting an invention, and on initial pitfalls in the path toward commercialization. Topics included: precisely defining and documenting the invention along with its history and all of its possible uses and variations; outlining the problems solved and why other solutions are less effective; anticipating how competitors might copy it and the critical features to protect. As an instructor on IP for Lincoln University, he desires to inspire the students along with faculty to bring their work (properly protected, of course) forward into the market.
Dr. Prakash Kumar studies the regulation of shoot development and plant yields at the National University of Singapore. This includes plant hormone (cytokinins and gibberellins) signaling effects on shoot development. An over twofold increase in biomass and seed yield can be obtained by introducing genetic modifications modifying the hormone signaling. These methods show promise in both food and fuel crops. The team was recently awarded a patent covering these developments: Putative Cytokinin Receptor And Methods For Use Thereof.
Prakash Lakshmanan, Program Leader Molecular Breeding at BSES, has studied salinity tolerance and water relations and currently leads the development and delivery of genetically modified (GM) sugarcane from the bench to the field. For more than a century, BSES has led research, development and extension services for Australian sugarcane production - now having 17 stations in Queensland and New South Wales. Rapidly propagating new cultivars, improving yields, better uptake of nitrogen, and extending the harvest season are among the projects underway.
Check out our entire list of forums and events, we welcome you to join the discussion!
Guest post by Malcolm Furman.
Tags: biomass, biotechnology, blight resistance, food, fuel, innovation, Lebanon Valley College, Malcolm Furman, Penn State Harrisburg, plant genetics, Powell Law, sugarcane
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Posted May 3rd, 2011 by admin
How can the concept of “innovation” be boiled down to elements that impact company revenue? ITN recently brought in manufacturing company CEO, Richard Dennis, of Die-Tech to share his strategy at the CREDC Manufacturers’ Roundtable.
Dennis shared several points, but one that generated a bunch of follow-on questions was his policy that employees are evaluated and financially rewarded by how many ideas they bring to the table each month that get implemented, outside of their core area - meaning thinking outside the box. This innovative thinking could be product or systems related, didn’t matter, although Dennis pointed out that “product innovation alone is the least profitable and easiest to duplicate.” Reducing the turnaround time in a large stamping process is worth thousands, if not millions of dollars, and requires his employees to think differently. After implementing his “ideas” expectation, Dennis’ data points to a significant increase in annualized gross margin per employee.
Dennis has similar expectations for his partners. About a year ago, he tasked our organization with pulling together a meaningful group of faculty who could discuss the current trends in health care, as it related to potential market opportunities in metal stamping. (I blogged about this in a May 2010 post.) During the roundtable, Dennis shared the results of this endeavour: The information discussed during the faculty session enabled Die-Tech to close $100,000 of revenue in the medical segment in 2010, and helped expand his pipeline to $1,000,000 in 2011.
Dennis has worked hard to develop a strong culture of innovative thinking at his metal stamping business and is constantly on the hunt for people and partners who can improve its top line growth. By linking with organizations like ITN that connect CEO’s with local, bright, minds on the college campuses, business leaders can potentially speed market expansion and better understand how to translate innovation into customer solutions.
Tags: business growth, college, Die-Tech, faculty, innovation, Innovation Transfer Network, manufacturers, market research, revenue pipeline, university
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Posted September 9th, 2010 by admin
Using descriptors like “academentia” as part of his spirited economic development presentations, Jerry McGuire dares to challenge traditional thinking in business and academia. Sitting at the eye of a thriving east coast mega-region, Mr. McGuire is experienced in helping colleges and universities create significant value, and bottom-line results, in a fast-paced business environment.
As the Associate Vice-Chancellor for Economic Development at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Mr. McGuire is slated to deliver an energetic and thought-provoking presentation, Seconds vs. Semesters, speaking to corporate CEO’s, faculty and students at Elizabethtown College on Monday, October 25, 2010. The Innovation Transfer Network (ITN), South Central PA’s bridge between the private sector and a network of academic institutions, is pleased to host Mr. McGuire and provide a platform for him to share examples of what works and what doesn’t in kick-starting an economic transformation.
Over the coming weeks, ITN will release snippets outlining other cool interactive elements of the event which will take place at the KAV, at Elizabethtown College. The opportunity to host such a lively guest means ITN is planning a unique mix of media, networking and content meant to fuel an ongoing discussion! Visit this blog weekly to keep up and register for this event.
Tags: business, collaboration, Elizabethtown College, faculty, innovation, Innovation Transfer Network, Jerry McGuire, Seconds vs Semesters, students, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
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Posted June 25th, 2010 by admin
The region’s first gaming meeting between faculty and businesses kicked off in June, as the SSGX group (simulation and serious games) met at JPL in Harrisburg. A lively clan from across South Central PA came together to discuss several important topics around creating a gaming hub and raising awareness of the talent in this region.
With the growth of gaming across the country, several issues were raised between attendees. How do we define gaming in this region? What are the current projects underway in the group? What challenges does the region face in terms of growth in this sector? One topic bantered about was the need to educate businesses that “gaming” does not equate to “playing.” New technology and the influx of a younger generation has created the opportunity for more effective, engaging, learning tools. The ability to interact with a scenario, while learning new material, decision-making skills or “how to” accomplish a task is an important element to employee training and growth.
As you might expect, the group is a tech savvy bunch and plans to communicate between meetings using Ning.com (http://ssgx-cpa.ning.com) Join the group virtually, or network in person at the next meeting slated for September 8th, tentatively set at Millersville University. (email ITN directly at itnwk@psu.edu)
Tags: business networking, faculty, innovation, Innovation Transfer Network, JPL, serious gaming, simulation, South Central PA, SSGX
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Posted May 28th, 2010 by admin
The prevalence of “non-invasive” and “minimally invasive” surgery, and products that support these procedures, was a hot topic during a brainstorming session between manufacturing company, Die-Tech, and faculty researchers from area health care campuses. Like many companies, Die-Tech is on the look-out to expand their competitive edge and recognizes the value of faculty expertise located within striking distance of their operation. As an ITN business innovation partner, Die-Tech asked ITN to coordinate a brainstorming lunch with industry trends and innovation as the featured dish.
Reaching into our network, ITN pulled together talent from the Penn State College of Medicine and Lancaster General Health. Both academic institutions understand the need to be connected with industry and the importance of hearing straight from a CEO. In these meetings, faculty hear first-hand the practical challenges a management team faces from customers and competitors. In turn, the executives hear how new technology is being tried and tested by experts and what impact the new health care regulations are having at premier health care campuses. These insights assist executives like Richard Dennis, President, Die-Tech and Anson Flake, CEO of HydroWorx, in steering product development and strategic marketing as they aim to develop the answer to specific industry problems.
Tags: Die-Tech, faculty expertise, HydroWorx, innovation, Innovation Transfer Network, Lancaster General Health, medical devices, Penn State College of Medicine, researchers
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Posted January 26th, 2010 by admin
Assisting a funded project through the next steps of commercialization is the objective of ITN and our seed grant program. An interesting meeting in the healthcare space took place recently when ITN hosted a small gathering of business professionals, a faculty project leader funded by ITN, and their corporate partner. Project participants were looking for input and possible road blocks on future funding, feedback on the business model and guidance on intellectual property. Our industry connections allowed ITN to pull together business executives from the life sciences, medical, legal, investment, and economic development sectors as a sounding board for the project team.
Steve Hulse of JPL talks with JoAnn Lawer of Lancaster General Hospital
As is usually the case, the draft business model initiated more questions than answers, focusing on which end-users would be willing to part with cash for the product and the true value-add to a customer. It was clear that innovation in healthcare can be a tricky ride as companies try to navigate the HIPPA and new technology guidelines. With input from those in medical and healthcare education, the conversation turned to opportunities around licensing, product integration and/or tweaking the existing concept to target a different set of customers.
Mel Billingsley (left) of the Life Sciences Greenhouse, Alan Snyder of Penn State Hershey Medical Center, and Eric Darr of Harrisburg University.
This type of engagement between faculty and corporate project teams is invaluable to those immersed in development. The discussion allows the team to consider additional issues around realistic sales channels, legal concerns, and business development questions before they head too far down the road and it’s painful to turn around. It was a great example of the willingness of the business community here to support new business ideas and the entrepreneurial activity created when faculty and small business connect.
Whether the team decides to ditch the project completely, dig deeper into the market to find answers, or alter their current strategy, this type of discussion is worth hitting the brakes for a 90 minute time investment to support business innovation. At the end of the day we’ll either have a new company, a new division, a new product (or some variation of the three) or smarter executives and faculty primed for the next opportunity. Either way, the road ahead looks promising.
Tags: healthcare, HIPPA, innovation, Innovation Transfer Network, medical, patient education, product development, start up companies, technology
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Posted November 3rd, 2009 by admin
This is a guest post by ITN’s Faculty Liaison, Malcolm Furman
Greetings All! Over the past couple months we all have been pretty busy with the website, a few events, and meeting new people. If you haven’t yet done so, have a look at my new grant highlights page, “Mal’s Picks.” If you don’t see your particular interest in that short list, give me a call – I have a reserve in the file.
In my travels around the region, I have renewed contact with Lebanon Valley College – meeting four professors over the summer and meeting their new Dean, Michael Green and a few more faculty for lunch. So far we have seen Chemistry and Biology faculty and recently Jennifer and I had a great meeting with the Digital Communications group. Moving south to Franklin & Marshall College, I met Curtis Hare and Claude Yoder. As it turns out, these folks comprise only a small fraction of the Chemistry talent in the ITN community. I am also working with a few faculty on Requests for Research [RFRs], a pathway to sponsored research for which our Out of Cycle Seed Assistance Grants may be particularly useful.
ITN has received referrals from industry, including Ben Franklin Technology Partners, DCED, and from HACC. These range in purpose from heat sinks, to concrete, materials recovery to computer and electronics applications, and maybe a power plant. I am encouraged by the alternative fuels work being done at Penn State Harrisburg and Dickinson College. There is great opportunity for collaboration among the schools for these and other projects.
The IT and computer science connections I have made so far span Shippensburg Univeristy to Millersville University. The sophistication in gaming and simulation technology in the region is commendable. Jennifer met the guys from VGI Phila (VideoGame Growth Initiative) and they’ll be coming to meet ITN for what we hope will be a lively discussion. Call me (717.948.6455) if you want to join the meeting.
For many of our faculty I am finding links to federal grant solicitations, not only in gaming, but in materials, devices, and human factor developments. As we move forward I believe these grant programs will become important components in the commercialization process – providing sufficient resources to the project partners to reach the critical mass needed to go to market. Having spent three days at the Federal Laboratories Consortium regional meeting gave me a sense of the opportunity that exists in making those connections work. I will be writing about that in more detail later.
In addition to my activities with faculty, I’ve also met with Fred Botterbusch of MANTEC, our regional IRC. Being able to expose our faculty to the wider connections in the business community, and vice versa will be a great advantage. While I haven’t listed all of the meetings, calls and letters fielded from my cubicle over the past couple months; please know that one way or another, I have made some connection with all of the schools. I do enjoy projects that “stink, glow or burn” but I am also involved and excited about the many opportunities I find here. In addition, when I have spoken of our activities to the business community or organizations, like the FLC, there is much interest in what we are doing – and usually a request to become involved or stay informed. Until next time….
Tags: commercialization, computer science, concrete, faculty, federal labs, funding, gaming, grants, innovation, Innovation Transfer Network, materials, Pennsylvania, research, VGI Philly
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Posted August 25th, 2009 by admin
P&G is one of many companies who have invested in the concept of openly recruiting new ideas and talent from outside their employee talent pool. Their website, P&G Connect, asks for “game changing” products, technology and business models and beckons innovators to submit. “Connect & Develop” is their mantra.
The “Connect & Develop” concept has slowly trickled down to main street communities particularly as business owners struggle to survive the current economic climate. Our recent interaction with corporate execs and owners confirms the notion that companies of all sizes are now more open to identifying and partnering with outside entities. This new way of “thinking outside the cubicle” is opening many doors here for collaboration. At a recent meeting with one Cumberland county-based engineering firm, we learned of their 2009 initiative to accelerate innovation. The company has developed a formal ideas submission process, including screening and committees, to quickly kill or act on ideas brought forth by employees. (This also has the side benefit of energizing employees.) Once the idea is deemed to have merit, organizations like ITN can provide further due diligence to save time and speed the process. Faculty active in a chosen industry segment can be identified by the ITN team and connected with the company’s project leader. (This process of identifying and connecting will be further accelerated in September, when ITN’s online Enclave community launches.) The ability to support a product or market launch with third party research offers companies ammunition to run the concept “up the flag pole” and seek the CFO’s blessing.
In addition to corporate meetings, we’re also talking with organizations like MANTEC, whose hot-button is helping manufacturers and other companies innovate and drive top line growth. ITN can sift through the faculty at local colleges and universities, find pockets of expertise, and identify willing and available candidates for a specific project. From there, it can be as easy as hosting a lunch discussion to see if the project has potential. For company project managers, interaction with researchers and experts outside the business offers a new perspective and perhaps different ways of looking at a product or process. On the flip side, it also helps the faculty understand that when you move from theory to practice, many other factors come into play – financial, market timing, employee motivation, customer demands.
In other meetings, Managing Director Asher Epstein of the University of Maryland’s Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship, shared a few of his lessons learned with me. One such lesson includes figuring out how to get faculty/students and industry (which includes both investors and business owners) together as quickly as possible in the idea generation process. From his perspective (and the Center’s 23 years of experience) the faster research and ideas meet real-world obstacles and opportunities, the sooner all parties can determine the viability of a project and move it to execution, or the trash can.
Tags: Asher Epstein, college research, commercialization, Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship, faculty, faculty collaboration, faculty research, innovation, Innovation Transfer Network, MANTEC, Pennsylvania technology transfer, product development, small business, University of Maryland, university research
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Posted June 24th, 2009 by jjh27
The International headquarters of the Innovation Transfer Network is about to be revealed. It’s not in London or Paris, it is in Harrisburg, Pa on Seventh Street. Some might call our digs at East Gate modest. The accomplishment isn’t really the location, it’s the fact that an organization focused on bringing faculty and business together is jumping head first into the interactive media world.
With well over 40 projects funded, we felt it was time to tell the story, literally. Photostreams are already posted, along with video of an entertaining and informative session by Inc. magazine’s Norm Brodsky. Soon we’ll begin loading clips of the team, funded projects, interesting faculty work and lively private sector companies engaged with our network of colleges and universities.
As the clock winds down to the new site launch our equipment is charging and the team is running for cover from the video camera. (They can run but they can’t hide!)
Stay tuned. In the meantime, if you’d like to check out a few ITN photos, here’s a preview.
Tags: colleges, faculty research, Inc magazine, innovation, Innovation Transfer Network, Norm Brodsky, Pennsylania, small business, universities
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