EAST LANSING, Mich. — Scores of technologies developed by Michigan State University researchers are being actively marketed online by MSU Technologies, the university’s technology commercialization office.
Accessible through the MSUT home page (www.technologies.msu.edu), more than 140 technologies – from preparing clays for use in nanocomposites to algorithm and circuit technology for high-speed communications – now are listed in topical and keyword searchable formats. More will be added in the coming months as new technologies are developed and screened for their commercial potential, “demonstrating the depth and breadth of research at Michigan State,” said Mike Poterala, the office’s executive director.
“Since MSU Technologies was formed, businesses, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs have expressed great interest in being able to review our portfolio of commercially promising technologies,” he said. “The creation of these technology listings makes that possible through a simple, user-friendly interface.”
Each listing contains a brief description of the technology, describes its potential benefits and possible applications and provides links to patents that have been obtained. A direct e-mail link to an appropriate MSU Technologies staff member is also included for those who want to request more information or to enter into licensing discussions.
MSU Technologies is responsible for commercializing the university’s extensive portfolio of inventions and copyrighted works created in the course of research conducted at MSU. It assesses the commercial potential of each technology disclosed to the office, and seeks to find the best path to commercialization whether through licensing to an existing company or by starting a new company.
MSU Technologies also is working to increase the disclosure of new technologies from faculty researchers, Poterala said. “We encourage researchers to disclose their inventions and creations to us at an early date to permit a timely evaluation of commercial potential,” he said. From there, discussions can include whether to patent an innovation, how it might be marketed and which external partners might be interested in and capable of commercializing the technology.
“MSU is a world-class research university, and we have a wealth of talented faculty here with innovative ideas,” said Ian Gray, MSU vice president for research and graduate studies. “It benefits everyone when MSU Technologies can help those faculty commercialize their intellectual property – the researcher, the university and the American economy. When you scan through our inventory of new technologies, you can see why we believe we are going to see remarkable progress in the coming years.”
###
Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.