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:
- 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."
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.
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.
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Quarterly: Vol. 1,
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