Technology Transfer and Economic Development

at Rutgers University

Michael J. Pazzani

Vice President for Research and Economic Development

Professor II, Computer Science

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

http://vpr.rutgers.edupazzani@rutgers.edu

Rutgers: A Long and Rich History

• Founded in 1766, 10 years before the United States became a nation

• Eighth oldest university in America• Became the State University of

New Jersey in 1956• $433M in Sponsored Research in

2010

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey– Camden

• Urban • Professional (Business and Law)• Undergraduate +2 PhD programs

– Newark• Urban • Professional (Business and Law)• Undergraduate• Small Ph.D. programs

– New Brunswick• Suburban• Flagship• Land Grant• Comprehensive AAU Research University• Undergraduate• Large Ph.D. Programs• No Medical School (Currently)

Rutgers New Brunswick Overview• Faculty: 2100 • Undergraduate: 32,000• Graduate and Professional:

9,000 • Approximately 100 bachelors &

100 graduate degree programs• 360,000 alumni (200,000 in NJ)• 600+ buildings on 5 distinct

campuses in New Brunswick and Piscataway

Companies want multi-faceted university relationships

1. Educated and diverse workforce– Interns– New graduates become employees– Short courses for current employees– Degree programs for current employees– Recruiting contacts with alumni

2. Joint government grants

3. Sponsored R&D projects

4. Seminars

5. Access to specialized equipment and facilities

6. Neutral ground for meetings and discussions

7. IP to license

Economic Development: Creating an internal ecosystem• Office of Vice President of Research and Economic Development

– Office of Technology Commercialization– Office of Research and Sponsored Projects– Office of Research Alliances– Office of Proposal Development– Laboratory and Animal Services– Associate Vice Presidents: Research, New Ventures, Economic Development

• Other Offices– Career Services– Corporate and Foundation Relations– Business School

• Small Business Development Center• The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship and Economic Development• Camden Office of Economic Development and Small Business Development Center

– Agricultural Extension– Office of Continuous Education and Outreach

• Centers– NSF Engineering Research Center– NSF Industry & University Cooperative Research Program

Key Issues and Questions• Can you match the needs of companies, investors and

entrepreneurs with the offerings of the university?– Can companies find what they are looking for?– Do opportunities fall between the cracks?– Are you maximizing the university's value to its stakeholders?

• Can you create synergies between disparate activities?– Animal Facilities Sponsored Project License– Internship Full Time Employment Sponsored Project– Short Course Consulting Sponsored Project

• Can you measure the full impact of the university’s activity on economic development?

Example Activities

• Research with Economic Impact• Focused Incubators for NJ Companies• Helping Students with Mobile Apps• Use of Equipment• Masters of Business and Science Degree• Searching Rutgers• Technology Commercialization• Coming Soon: Rutgers University Innovation Park

Protein Data Bank

• The PDB provides information for studying the structures of 60,000 biological macromolecules and their relationships to sequence, function, and disease

• Used by thousands of academic and industry researchers everyday

• Referenced in over 5000 papers and 2000 patents

• Funded by NSF, NIH, DOE• Precompetitive, Free Resource

Food Innovation Center: Bridgeton, NJ

RU Studying• Build decks of flash cards on your Android

device or on the web

• Sync decks between devices through the cloud

• Users can effortlessly share decks

• Easily modify, combine, and customize decks

• API built for extensibility to allow for expansion to other platforms

• App is flexible enough to be used in multiple fields by students of all ages

Use of Equipment

Master of Business and Science

• Combines graduate courses in business with science• Over 20 tracks including

Biotechnology & GenomicsDrug Discovery & DevelopmentStatistics & BiostatisticsSocial Networking & Media

• $700,000 grant from NSF to initiate•http://mbs.rutgers.edu/

Find It at Rutgers

Find It at Rutgers

Get Involved otc.rutgers.edu

• It’s not Tech Transfer– Write Paper, Get Patent, License, Get Check

• It’s Technology Commercialization– Conduct Research (curiosity driven or meet market need)– Publish Papers– Help Write Patent Specification– Help Create Marketing Material– Meet with potential licensees or investors– Consult or conduct research with commercializers

Streptomycin: 1943

15,000 Gallon Fermentor

Rutgers-Industry Collaboration

Biomaterials

• Research activities at Rutgers resulted in technology commercialization efforts in four start-up companies (REVA Medical, TyRx Pharma, Lux Biosciences, and Trident) which, over the last five years, have attracted almost $250 million in private equity funding

• More than 100 jobs in NJ

Internal Support for Commercialization and Economic Development

• Proof of Concept Fund• J&J and Rutgers in vivo fund• Disruptive Innovation Fund

• CEOs-in-residence and mentor network

• Committee on Corporate Partnerships

For Small and Large Companies: Move HereComing Soon-- Rutgers Innovation Park