January 27, 2005
Commercialization of UW technologies is goal of fund
A joint project between the UW and the Washington Research Foundation (WRF) will drive the commercialization of five promising UW technologies.
The new Technology Gap Innovation Fund (TGIF) has sponsored five UW investigators to develop their leading-edge technologies, which were chosen for their strong commercial potential. The funding provided by the TGIF program will support additional research and prototype development that will enhance the commercial prospects of the projects.
In the Fund’s first year, the UW committed $500,000 from royalties and licensing fees generated by UW TechTransfer, and the WRF provided a gift of $250,000.
The grantees and their projects for the first round of funding are:
- Alex Jen of Materials Science and Engineering, whose development of a prototype white organic light-emitting diode device will enable high-quality lighting that is environmentally friendly, bright, and adaptable to any shape, design, and color.
- Paul Muchowski of the Department of Pharmacology, whose award will fund the automation of a screening method for rapidly generating drug targets and drug candidates for neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.
- Robert M. Sweet of the Department of Urology, who developed a virtual simulator to train new surgeons on a common procedure to treat enlarged prostate, and whose grant will fund translation into a PC-compatible format and other improvements.
- David T. Linker of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, whose grant will support refinement of a lightweight, non-invasive device for long-term monitoring of atrial fibrillation, which will aid in the reduction of stroke and congestive heart failure.
- John W. Gastil of the Department of Communication and John D. Wilkerson of the Political Science Department, for the re-versioning and integration of their popular simulation software Election Day and LegSim into Desktop Democracy, a software package designed to give high school students true-to-life experiences in the electoral and legislative processes.
“TGIF will enhance our ability to license and create startup companies around UW technologies,” said UW TechTransfer Vice Provost James Severson.
WRF President and CEO Ronald Howell said, “I think this fund can help create, and enhance, UW intellectual property. I hope that it increases our choices for thinking about startups.”
TGIF funds are solicited twice per year. The next round of TGIF applications will be accepted until March 7. For more information or to apply, visit http://depts.washington.edu/techtran/tt/TGIF/.
The WRF helps Washington State research institutions capture value from their emerging technologies through intellectual property management and startup investment activities.
UW TechTransfer facilitates the commercialization of new innovations arising from UW research through managing and licensing intellectual property rights.
Second-round proposals due March 7
Preproposals for the second round of applications for the Technology Gap Innovation Fund (TGIF) are due in the office of UW TechTransfer on March 7.
The purpose of the TGIF is to further the development of UW innovations with commercial potential. The primary focus will be projects that require additional research or prototype development to make them suitable for licensing or a company start. Proposals must demonstrate a high probability of enhancing the commercial opportunities for UW innovations.
The TGIF is a Royalty Research Fund. For its first year of operation $750,000 is available to fund projects under the TGIF. The UW has committed $500,000 from royalty and licensing fee income generated by the University’s technology transfer program, and the Washington Research Foundation has provided a gift of $250,000. Maximum awards will be $50,000.
The TGIF welcomes applications for commercially oriented research and development on UW innovations from all faculty and professional staff. While most applications will probably address inventions or copyright-based projects, eligibility extends to all forms of intellectual property that have already been disclosed or reported to UW TechTransfer.
Undisclosed inventions, unreported intellectual property, or intellectual property of any kind that is not held by the UW is not eligible for this program. However, interested faculty and professional staff are encouraged to disclose discoveries and innovations with commercial potential to UW TechTransfer in anticipation of making an application.
A more extensive explanation of the TGIF and an application form are available at http://depts.washington.edu/techtran/tt/TGIF/. Questions regarding the application procedure should be directed to Cathy Manzanares Herda, UW TechTransfer, Box 354990, 206-543-0905, TGIF@u.washington.edu.
