A partnership between Song Liu and Zach Wolff matches research with business skills.
The University of Manitoba (U of M) has come up with a unique way of supercharging research opportunities for students and faculty and attracting new funding. The Transformational Partnerships program is making intellectual property from collaborative research available to industry partners free of charge unless and until the company involved starts making money from any new technology developed on campus. Not only has the program enhanced research opportunities, says Dr. Darren Fast, director, Technology Transfer Office (TTO), it has brought $1-million in additional research funding to the university.
"The Transformational Partnerships model recognizes that industry needs control of intellectual property; it's both leverage and an asset," says Dr. Fast. "So we decided that if they're paying for the research, we should allow them to manage, control and own that intellectual property," says Dr. Fast. The program has attracted both investment and collaborative opportunities across a wide spectrum of disciplines including engineering, chemistry and medicine, but also has potential in agriculture, social sciences and fine arts.
"In addition to our technologies and expertise getting marketed to a whole range of people who may not have had access to them before, our students and faculty are working in collaborative situations that are enhancing their skills and preparing them for the world they are going to be working in one day," says Dr. Fast. "This adds value to the economy at all levels and makes the university a more active contributor to the whole value cycle." A knock-on benefit of the program is the way it has enhanced cross-cultural relationships within the university itself, leading to more collaboration between business school students and researchers.
According to Stuart Henrickson, executive director of entrepreneurship, on-campus researchers are now pitching their ideas directly to U of M business students. It was through this process that MBA hopeful Zach Wolff met Dr. Song Liu, an associate professor in the department of textile sciences who is developing a unique compound that can be used as a sterilizing agent on both fabrics and surfaces, including hospital gowns and medical devices. In addition to providing stable and powerful disinfecting capabilities without the drawbacks of harsh chemicals, the compound does not promote antimicrobial resistance, a major problem in the hospital setting where mutating germs present an ongoing threat of infection.
Intrigued by Dr Liu's presentation, Mr. Wolff and his group developed a plan to commercialize the compound and eventually formed Exigence Technologies with his partner Sheri Governo and Dr. Liu. Both sides have benefited enormously from the collaboration. "It allowed me to learn and grow in a more complete way," says Mr. Wolff. "I understand now that there needs to be cross pollination between research labs and industry; researchers need to be aware of economic realities, and a business person has to comprehend the science because ultimately they're going to be the party developing it."
For Dr. Liu, working with the Technology Transfer Office has been both transformative and liberating. "In addition to helping me through the patenting process, the TTO introduced me to Zach," says Dr. Liu. "I'm a researcher and I want to focus on research. Zach is a business person with management skills that I don't have. He's exactly the kind of person I need to move this forward."
For Stuart Henrickson, who stickhandled the meet-and-greet between Dr. Liu and Mr. Wolff, it's a validation of the process. "My job is to connect people, and it's really great when it turns out this way," he says. "These kinds of successes are encouraging an increasing number of MBA students to get involved, and every day the phone is ringing with potential industry partners lining up in search of research opportunities and students like the Exigence team to help them develop workable business strategies."
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