This award is to the Florida A&M University to support the activity described below for 24 months. The proposal was submitted in response to the Partnership for Innovation Program Solicitation (NSF-04556).
Partners The partners include Florida A&M University (Lead Institution), Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University; Jackson State Universtiy; Morgan State University; Norfolk State University; North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University; North Carolina Central University Southern University at Baton Rouge; Tennessee State University; United States Department of Commerce, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM); American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU); Greyhaed Associates; the Boeing Company;
The primary objectives are to stimulate new innovation among under represented segments of our population. The proposal creates several regional clusters that should benefit each region and collectively a cross regional benefit as the PI gathers the clusters together. The effort will create the framework and the methodologies to enable Minority Support Institutions (MSI) to participate in the technology transfer arena. Innovation will be developed in three phases including; infrastructure development; education and training; and outreach. The development of an electronic or, virtual technology tansfer office will provide infrastructure support for acceleratin the adminstrative and management of all technology transfer functions. A series of courses, modules, workshops and seminars will be used to equip adminstrative staff at MSI's with basic, intermediate and advance knowledge of the profession. Non-MSI's with demonstrated experience in taking new developments to the market place will serve as mentors to MSI's. The partnership will also involve collaboration with law schools whereby law school students learn about the profession of Intellectual Property Law, gain experience assisting with the preliminary processes for patenting and copyrighting and become involved ininnovation and entrepreneurship activities.
Potential Economic Impact Clearly, this proposal has the potential to markedly increase the paticipation of Minority Sercin Institution (MSI's) in the technology transfer and commercialization areas. A benchmarking study of non-MSI institutions doing $35-45 million in annual research would be very valuable in defining what those institutions are doing to successfully in technology transfer and how those practices might be adapted to benefit MSI's.
The intellectual merit of the project will result from the goal of stimulating new innovation, among under represented segments of our population.
The braoder impacts of the activity concentrate on bringing together a large number of diverse organizations that involve under represetned populations for the purpose of creating a self-sustaining innovation enterprise. This will result in graduates that have the ability to create small technology-based businesses or to create new products within existing companies.
