The $14 million in grants awarded last year under NSF's Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) have been supplemented with over $7 million for 12 new grants in 2001 to cover projects in 11 states involving more than 150 partner organizations.
"As we continue our efforts to link the broad-based scientific and engineering knowledge gained through basic research with the talent that exists in local communities to build a stronger economic base and workforce, we will tap new sources of innovative ideas," said Rita Colwell, NSF director. "These ideas will be translated into new businesses, products, services and educational programs - and will solidify our country's leading role in innovation."
The twelve lead institutions receiving new PFI awards include: Case Western Reserve, Cleveland; the University of Alaska, Anchorage; the universities of Maine, Southern Mississippi, Southern California, Pennsylvania and South Dakota; Montana Tech; Michigan Technological University; and Montana State, Northwestern and Wichita State universities. All are receiving an average of $600,000 over the next two to three years. The lead institutions are selected to act as catalysts in helping their surrounding communities transform research-based knowledge into innovations that create opportunities for new wealth and a broader economic base that benefit communities and the nation at large.
"NSF expects a lot from these institutions," says John Hurt, PFI program manager. "In addition to proposing significant activities and partnership arrangements, the lead universities must develop a concept for the kinds of innovation to be accomplished, and the potential economic and societal impact."
Examples of innovation that the grants are meant to foster might involve development of advanced new technologies to boost local economic growth. A university may serve as the research base, then incorporate its results into the corporate arena through knowledge and technology transfer. Corporate partners may develop the industrial processes for the innovation or product. Local governments or other non-profit activities may become a third leg in the partnership process by creating the climate for new businesses or funding the marketing of the product or innovation.
Innovation may also involve the spreading of knowledge through internships for high school students, undergraduate degree programs or research opportunities that provide local existing industries and economies a boost by enhancing the work force in number and in its knowledge and competencies.
"Talent exists in all corners of our great country, and these Partnerships for Innovation will help us continue to exploit and develop those talents," Hurt concluded.
For more information, see:
http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/press/01/pr0188.htm#attachment
PARTNERSHIPS FOR INNOVATION - 2001
Case Western Reserve University - 3 years Project will provide internships for local high school students, academic degree programs for undergraduates, internships for postgraduates as part of the master's degree program, student research activities in bioengineering or biomedical design to include a business plan for product commercialization and technology transfer.
Michigan Technological University - 3 years
Project will couple technology transfer and sponsored research programs, create an on-line database of inventory of knowledge assets at the academic institutions, and manage and share knowledge assets through internal collaborative relationships among partners.
Montana State University - 2 years
Project will develop new optical technology and incorporate it into various operational optical communications and computing systems. Montana State will do fundamental research. Partner companies will help develop and fabricate products. Not-for-profit organizations will ensure a pro-business climate for establishment of new small and medium-sized companies. State funding will help in product commercialization.
Montana Tech - 2 years
Project will develop systems through which educational resources can be rapidly deployed to the widely distributed population of Montana, develop on-line courses in concurrent engineering and collaborative commerce, and advance the state-of-the-art in collaborative methodologies.
Northwestern University - 3 years
Project aims to forge an effective partnership within the intermodal freight industry in Chicago through interdependent research, in-depth analyses of past, current and future trends of the intermodal freight industry and promoting the use of decision support tools through educational programs for the partners.
Wichita State University - 3 years
Project will use integrated virtual reality models of manufacturing systems to design, improve and operate the manufacturing systems, and teach the workforce (new graduates as well as current industry personnel) by integrating the curricula of the industrial engineering and manufacturing engineering programs at Wichita State University with real-world experience in manufacturing systems, and transfer of the computer modeling tools to industry.
University of Alaska, Anchorage - 3 years
Project will bring computer technology to remote communities, provide high school students with a vision of a career in science and engineering, connect students with professionals in industry and academia, provide industrial partners with a technologically trained workforce, and develop the enabling infrastructure necessary to sustain the effort long-term.
University of Maine - 3 years
Project will strengthen partnerships among the University of Maine, private industry, state organizations, forest product industry organizations and national laboratories to foster commercialization of composite reinforced wood and to develop innovative strategies for commercializing composite reinforced wood hybrids that can become models for other university research centers.
University of Pennsylvania - 3 years
Project will provide the infrastructure, curriculum development, teacher training and curriculum implementation for associates degree programs in nano- and nano-bio-technology by building an infrastructure that will leverage the power of high bandwidth communications for regional virtual classrooms and tel-experimentation. Includes outreach to high schools.
University of South Dakota - 3 years
Project includes creating a series of technology entrepreneurship education modules, modifying several existing business and entrepreneurship undergraduate and graduate courses to focus on technology and R&D businesses, and integrating university and private sector partners into technology evaluation and development teams to move innovations and technologies to market.
University of Southern California - 2 years
Project proposes to create and implement a national Technology Transfer and Commercialization Network. The activity will provide private sector partners that supply needed technology, financial and legal expertise; national labs, state and local governments that will assist in evaluating the program; and academic partners that supply vital content and structure to allow the partners and their clients to be successful innovators.
University of Southern Mississippi - 2 years
Project aims to develop a mechanism capable of translating polymer science and engineering discoveries to commercialization through development of new companies, and retention and enhancement of existing companies. Partners will develop, promote and sustain an accessible infrastructure for innovation and design and implement educational programs leading to the increase of the workforce.
Program contact:
John Hurt
(703) 292-5332/jhurt@nsf.gov