The University Spider for Upstate New York--a Web search-engine portal, www.Universityspider.com--will allow companies to quickly locate university experts for consulting help, sponsored research projects and technology licensing. The system also will allow researchers to link to potential collaborators in other institutions.
Businesses, universities and the community as a whole will benefit from this search engine, say technology transfer leaders at the partner universities: Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Rochester and University at Buffalo. "The system will help businesses connect with faculty where their expertise can be used to solve real-world problems," assert Jack Fraser, senior manager of technology licensing at UR Office of Technology Transfer, Marjorie Zack, director of RIT's Grants, Contracts and Intellectual Property office, and Lorraine Wappman, business advocate in the University at Buffalo's Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach office.
The Spider offers businesses access to top experts in many high-tech fields, giving them tools for a competitive edge. While companies benefit from the research/experts database, the universities gain from collaborative sponsored research arrangements and licensing agreements, as well as heightened visibility in the region.
The search engine works by "spidering" into departmental and faculty Web pages indexed by research interests. The system automatically tracks and updates data as site changes occur, and gives contact information for researchers or respective technology transfer offices.
"We designed the Spider to manage targeted sites in an organized fashion, selecting information in such a way that individuals can find what they want, quickly," explains Jim Cavagnaro, owner of TCN, the company that developed the Spider. "It's our knowledge-management tool customized for university and industry collaboration. The Spider is simple for business partners to use and universities to manage."
Cavagnaro describes the Spider's unique benefits as requiring minimal administrative support, simple installation with no IT department help needed and regular tracking and reporting of all searches and requests.
Most importantly, it allows universities to organize their intellectual property under one umbrella to communicate that to the business community.
At the fall Association of University Technology Managers meeting, the Upstate Alliance presented the pilot University Spider--to resounding interest from a number of other universities. They include Kent State University, Iowa State University, University of North Carolina system and University of Cape Town South Africa.
For more information on the first-of-its-kind University Spider, visit www.universityspider.com. To learn more about the Upstate Alliance and its mission to fuel innovators and the economy in Western New York, go to www.upstatealliance.org. The Alliance was funded by the National Science Foundation in its Partnerships for Innovation program (www.ehr.nsf.gov/pfi/)
MEDIA NOTE: To talk to Upstate Alliance for Innovation leaders, contact Laurie Maynard, 585-475-5094.