One of the most common questions I get from business leaders is "What is the UW doing to make it easier to learn about and license UW innovations?" The answer, I'm happy to report, is a lot! (And the Seattle Times seems to agree.) The UW TechTransfer group, which facilitates UW research commercialization, has recently been working with others across our community to implement a number of improvements. To date, we have:

• Created a new External Advisory Board to help us:
  • Make our innovations available to local companies.
  • Connect with VCs and business development groups.
• Revamped the TechTransfer site to make it easier to:
  • Pursue business development opportunities.
  • Find available technologies.
  • Understand our licensing process.
• Debuted the LaunchPad program to:
  • Strengthen ties between business leaders and faculty.
  • Spur more start-up activity in Washington state.

Making these improvements is a high priority for me, not only because I want the University to be a better partner to you, but also because our state's economy benefits whenever UW innovations move out of the lab and into the marketplace.

Though we have made big strides, I don't think our work is done yet. We will continue to improve the way we do business with you. To do that, I need your ongoing feedback. Please send your thoughts and questions to me.

Sincerely,

P.S. My thanks to Enrique Godreau of Voyager Capital for his vote of confidence in the Seattle Times:

Seattle Times: "In 2006, what stood out in the Seattle area? Were there any trends, or did the area get stronger in any particular industry?"

Godreau: "The University of Washington turned it up a notch. In many areas, the senior leadership at the UW appears committed to leveraging its strength as the No. 1 publicly funded research institution in the country to deliver greater overall value to its constituents, to the state and to the world."

Profiles in Partnership

Ultreo & UW:
Partnering for Pearlier Whites
I want to share a great example of a local business working with UW TechTransfer to turn research into a product. Ultreo, Inc., a Redmond-based start-up, recently released a first-of-its-kind toothbrush that combines a precisely tuned sonic bristle with ultrasound waveguide technology invented by UW scientists. The project grew out of research being conducted in the UW Applied Physics Laboratory in collaboration with the Departments of Neurological Surgery and Pediatric Dentistry.

Jack Gallagher, Ultreo's CEO and president, lauded the results: "The ultrasound waveguide technology developed at the UW is a cornerstone of our product's exceptional cleansing ability. Without the expertise of UW scientists and engineers in this field, we would not be able to offer this revolutionary new product."

• Read the Seattle Times article about this partnership
• Learn how to start a company with UW technology

Top Dawg

Name: Oren Etzioni
Title: Professor,
Computer Science & Engineering
Why He Is One to Watch:
Oren Etzioni is part scientist, part entrepreneur. His scientific achievements -- such as an algorithm that predicts airfare fluctuations -- have led him to launch three companies: Farecast (named Consumer Product of the Year by the Washington Software Alliance), Netbot (acquired by Excite in 1997), and ClearForest (acquired by Reuters in 2007). He's also a venture partner with the Madrona Venture Group and has advised high-profile tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Northern Telecom, among many others.

• Learn more about Prof. Etzioni's work
• Find out how to hire a UW consultant

Discoveries & Opportunities

The Inside Story

Big Support from Olympia
for Innovation
In April 2007, the Legislature voted to spend $7.4 million to help Washington's higher-education institutions accelerate commercialization of research and gain a competitive financial edge in recruiting star entrepreneurial researchers. This investment came about, in part, as a response to Boeing, Microsoft, and other businesses partnering with the UW to provide recommendations about how to stimulate economic development.

Find out more about how the new state budget supports economic development.