From the Chancellor
Celebrating the Spirit of Innovation
One of the most gratifying things about visiting A&M System universities and agencies is learning about the breadth and scope of research being conducted across the state. Meeting with researchers and seeing their work firsthand reminds me that the A&M System touches the lives of countless Texans, even in ways that are not immediately apparent.
Since 1980, when Congress passed the Bayh-Dole Act that allows universities to patent discoveries made through government-
funded research, universities have increasingly focused on the transfer of research to the marketplace. Today, this effort nationwide adds more than $40 billion to the country’s economy each year and supports more than a quarter of a million jobs through product licensing.
The A&M System is a relative newcomer to this effort. An office for technology licensing was created at Texas A&M in 1992 and was moved to the System level in late 2005, where it expanded its scope of services to include the formation of start-up companies around technologies developed by A&M System researchers.
In keeping with the spirit of innovation found across the A&M System, we have quickly become a major player in the national arena. The Office of Technology Commercialization has processed more than 2,600 inventions created by A&M System faculty and staff, which have generated revenues exceeding $60 million related to intellectual property rights.
The Office of Technology Commercialization ranks among the top 10 technology transfer offices in the United States in the number of licenses executed annually with small businesses. This is a remarkable indicator of success.
As David Packard, a co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, once said, the driving force for the development of new products is not technology, and not money, but the imagination of people.
We are blessed with an abundance of imagination in the A&M System, which makes me confident that we can increase our odds for success by continuing to support our scientists and researchers.
Five A&M System scientists and inventors whose research exemplifies the spirit of innovation received Innovation Awards at a luncheon hosted by the Office of Technology Commercialization in February.
George Chiou, a professor of neuroscience and experimental therapeutics at the Texas A&M Health Science Center, is a leader in the research and development of new drugs for eye diseases.
Mark Holtzapple, a chemical engineering professor and Texas Engineering Experiment Station researcher, holds numerous patents and is an internationally known expert on converting biomass to useful, cleaner burning fuels and fuel-efficient engines.
Timothy Phillips, a toxicology professor in Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine, conducts research on molecular toxicology with an emphasis on food-borne and environmental contaminants.
Emile Schweikert, a chemistry professor at Texas A&M, has worked to interface the university’s research resources with the outside world through the Industry-University Cooperative Chemistry Program.
Henry Taylor, a distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering and Texas Engineering Experiment Station researcher for 21 years prior to his death in April 2006, received an award posthumously for his numerous patents and inventions, including a fiber-optic intrusion detection sensor for monitoring movement over a long distance.