Technology Transfer Office helps researchers aid their world

Transfer \tran(t)s-fur\ vb 1 a: to convey from one person, place or situation to another: b: to cause to pass from one to another.

Dr. J. Scott Hauger, DRI's vice president for government and business relations, believes the DRI/UNR Technology Transfer Office will help bring more technology-based small businesses to Nevada. (photos by Jackie Allen)

It's a simple definition, really, but a concept we couldn't get along without. You can't eat a peanut butter sandwich, for instance, until you transfer the peanut butter to the bread. You can't ride a bike until you transfer the energy from your legs to the wheels. And, you can't turn innovative technology into tangible benefits until you transfer it from the laboratory to the outside world.

That's the idea behind the newly formed Technology Transfer Office operated jointly by DRI and the University of Nevada, Reno, says its director Dr. Richard Bjur. "We work with the faculty and students at both institutions to identify novel inventions, protect those inventions and get them into the private sector to be of service to the community."

It's all about connections, concurs Dr. J. Scott Hauger, DRI's vice president for government and business relations. "The office ties research faculty to the business and industrial sector in a way that would not otherwise be there. It links them and ultimately allows everyone to benefit."

Of course, turning an idea or technological innovation into an actual product is not as simple as spreading peanut butter on a piece of bread. It can be a long and expensive process, fraught with legal pitfalls and mountains of paperwork, and it's something most researchers don't necessarily have the time and expertise to handle themselves.

Dr. Richard Bjur, director of the Technology Transfer Office, at work on the UNR campus where the office is headquartered. The state benefits, he says, from pooling the considerable resources of UNR and DRI. (Photos by Jackie Allen)

In the simplest, most linear terms the process goes something like this: A scientist conducts research that results in what might be a useful invention. The scientist files an invention disclosure form and the Technology Transfer Office then evaluates whether or not to take the next step—a patent application. "If it meets the legal criteria for a patent," Bjur explains, "if it is novel, useful and unobvious, and if it potentially has significant value, then we will apply for a patent to protect that invention."

The patenting process itself is complicated, taking as long as two to three years to complete.

"The ultimate goal is to license these patent rights to private-sector companies that will handle the marketing and manufacture of products and processes covered by these patent rights," Bjur says. "We independently investigate the potential market for each technology and identify potential licensees. They will commercialize the invention and certain royalties will come back to the institute where they can benefit the inventors and their various departments."

Perhaps the most famous example of a commercially successful technology transfer is Gatorade. The sports drink was developed in 1965 by University of Florida researchers responding to a rash of dehydration and heat-related illnesses on the school's football team—the Gators. The drink accompanied the Gators through a winning season in 1966, and in 1967, Stokely-Van Camp, Inc. secured the rights to market the sports drink nationwide. The rest is history—and on the shelves of grocery stores worldwide—and Gatorade royalties continue to support University of Florida programs and research projects.

Gator Array: Today's wide variety of Gatorade products evolved out of a sports drink developed in the 1960s by University of Florida researchers for the school's football squad. Gatorade is often acknowledged as one of the world's most successful tech transfer products. (Photo courtesy of the Quaker Oats Co.)

But Hauger points out that commercial success benefiting the inventor and institution is not the only, or even the primary goal of technology transfer. The real impact is more far-reaching, he says, and stems from linking a research community with a business community.

"Technology transfer leads to economic diversification for the state of Nevada—spinning off new tech-based business ventures, especially small businesses, generating jobs, funding additional research—it's a very positive cycle."

The numbers show that tech-based industries are beginning to recognize Nevada's favorable business climate. According to information released by the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada, the high-tech payroll in 2002 topped $1 billion for the first time in the state's history. And, with a reported growth of 58 percent from 1995 to 2001, Nevada was ranked 10th in the nation by the American Electronics Association for percentage increase in the number of high-tech jobs.

The Technology Transfer Office recognizes the importance of attracting and nurturing the types of companies that bring those high-tech jobs, Bjur says.

"Economic development and diversification is often based upon the success of small companies. We are looking to assist those businesses in technology fields and hope to build some small companies around the technology coming from these two institutions."

Of course inventors and institutions also gain something beyond revenues or royalties from successful technology transfer. "By securing rights to the intellectual property our researchers develop," Hauger explains, "we give them and the institution a competitive advantage in winning future research contracts. We can offer something others institutions cannot."

Researchers also stand to gain valuable experience and perspective, points out Bjur. "This creates opportunities for our faculty to work on practical solutions to real-world problems and to collaborate with successful companies."

Patent laws prevent Bjur from discussing works-in-progress in detail—publicity prior to a certain point in the process can undermine patent rights. But even a general overview reveals an intriguing array of areas being explored by would-be Nevada inventors. It's an array that reflects the depth of the research being conducted at DRI and UNR, where faculty collectively received more than $136 million in grants and awards in 2002.

Environmental issues are a main focus of research efforts at DRI, according to Bjur, particularly ways to improve environmental measurements. Examples include instrumentation that aids air quality monitoring by quantifying black carbon aerosol emissions, a device to more efficiently gauge precipitation at airports and other transportation centers and a device to measure wind-blown dust.

Researchers at UNR are also interested in environmental issues. They have developed technology to pull arsenic and mercury out of groundwater—a potentially vital service in Nevada, where early mining practices often left behind dangerous toxins.

Other areas being investigated at DRI and UNR include alternative energy, computing applications and sensor technologies. "We have researchers looking into different ways of generating electricity, especially ways that are more environmentally friendly," Bjur says. "We have some new software being developed to solve certain problems and new sensors with potential applications in biomedical fields and homeland security."

Nanotechnology is another growing area, he says, one that will interact with and augment other areas, especially alternative energy applications and sensor technologies.

The new Technology Transfer Office is up to the challenge of supporting such a broad range of research expertise. Hauger's previous experience includes seven years at the American Association for the Advancement of Science where he provided guidance to states establishing technology transfer programs.

Bjur, who holds a Ph.D. in pharmacology, is a professor of pharmacology at the University of Nevada School of Medicine and a registered patent attorney.

The office's licensing director, Val Fikovsky, is a registered patent attorney with an engineering background and previous experience in licensing early stage technologies for the University of California's systemwide Office of Technology Transfer.

Charles Whitaker serves as the office's business manager, as well as financial administrator for DRI's Division of Atmospheric Sciences, and Lisa Grey supports them all as office manager.

"It's a small office," Bjur concedes, "but we've covered the bases well and both institutions have been very supportive in getting the Technology Transfer Office off the ground and off to a strong start."

Joining forces, he says, made sense for both DRI and UNR. "In part, we did it because of the resources that both institutions would be able to contribute. Patenting and licensing are expensive processes and joining together gave us additional resources to create a more effective office."

But resources were only one factor, and Bjur believes that the partnership ultimately benefits everyone. "This was an opportunity to create synergy between these two institutions, both of which have so much to offer, and to serve better not only our faculty and students but the state of Nevada as well. We believe we can become a catalyst for economic innovation and growth in Nevada."

And that's one definition of a bright future.

-Jackie Allen