QoLT Foundry - New Business Development Generating from an ERC's Research

QoLT工程研究中心（ERC）致力于开展所需的研究，以推进提高老年人和残疾人生活质量所需的技术。 该ERC一直在试验一个铸造厂，以确定和帮助小型初创公司的工作技术产生的ERC的研究。 这一拟议的努力将扩大铸造厂作为区域经济发展的更广泛基础，并实现三个目标：1）确保从QoLT中心产生的分拆公司比初创公司更快，更稳健，2）使QoLT铸造厂成为QoLT ERC的永久特色，3）完善和编纂ERC的技术转让流程。 这项工作是ERC、卡内基梅隆大学和匹兹堡大学、工业、地方基金会和区域经济发展组织之间的合作。知识价值：该项目将改进ERC中已经显示出希望迹象的商业化方法。这种方法在比传统学术研究早得多的阶段就将非技术性的、基于市场的考虑因素注入技术和产品开发，并将一些分析并行化，从而加快了传统的线性过程。在今后三年中，将通过跟踪和分析每个产品定义和公司组建来完善该框架，以了解各种开发周期，以便进行适当干预，从而为后续工作中优化资源应用提供一个模型和一套标准。拟议的努力将实施和评估一项战略，以缩小新兴技术公司在从大学向私营部门过渡时所经历的资金缺口（通常被称为“死亡谷”）。来自卡内基梅隆大学和匹兹堡大学的工程、计算机科学、商业、创新管理和法律专业的学生参与其中。 Foundry的扩大工作将更好地了解如何吸引非技术专业学生参与技术商业化，并正式评估所有类型学生的参与。更广泛的影响：更广泛的影响主要集中在产生新的商业实体，创造新的就业机会和经济活动。强大的商业化需求吸引了更多的工业成员。扩大后的Foundry将提高QoLT中心分拆公司的成功概率，从而缩短QoLT技术的上市时间。匹兹堡地区将产生可衡量的经济影响;五年内将创造100多个就业机会。QoLT Foundry很可能成为ERC和其他学术研究商业化的典范，增加其作为经济引擎的价值。对社会的影响可能是巨大的，因为该计划将作为一个综合的研究/教育/技术商业化模式，可以在整个主机校园和超越。这项活动通过QOL技术开发的性质扩大了残疾人的参与。

The QoLT Engineering Research Center (ERC) is devoted to carrying out research needed to advance technology needed to improve the quality of life of the aging and disabled. This ERC has been experimenting with a Foundry to identify and assist small start-up firms working on technology arising from the ERC's research. This proposed effort will expand the Foundry as a broader base for regional economic development and achieve three objectives: 1) ensure that spin-off companies emerge from the QoLT Center more speedily and on a sounder footing than might otherwise be possible for start-up firms, 2) make the QoLT Foundry a permanent feature of the QoLT ERC and 3) refine and codify the ERC's technology transfer processes. The effort is a partnership between the ERC, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, industry, local foundations, and regional economic development organizations. Intellectual Merit: This project will improve a methodology for commercialization in the ERC that is already showing signs of promise. That methodology injects non-technical, market-based considerations into technology and product development at a much earlier stage than traditional academic research, and parallelizes a number of the analyses so that the conventionally linear process is accelerated. Over the next three years it will be refined by tracking and analyzing each product definition and company formation to develop an understanding of the various development cycles for appropriate intervention, thereby generating a model and set of criteria for optimizing resource application in subsequent efforts. The proposed effort will implement and evaluate a strategy for narrowing the funding gap (commonly referred to as the "Valley of Death") that nascent technology based companies experience while transitioning from university to private sector. Students from Carnegie Mellon and University of Pittsburgh in engineering, computer science, business, innovation management, and law are involved. The augmented Foundry effort will develop a better understanding of how to draw non-technical students into technology commercialization, and formally assess participation of all types of students.Broader Impact: The broader impacts are strongly focused on generating new business entities that will create new jobs and economic activity. The strong commercialization imperative has attracted additional industrial members. The expanded Foundry will improve the probability of success of QoLT Center spin-off companies, thereby reducing the time-to-market for QoLT-generated technology. There will be measurable economic impact in the Pittsburgh region; well over 100 jobs should be created within five years. The QoLT Foundry will very likely become a model for commercialization of ERC and other academic research, increasing their value as economic engines. The impact to society could be substantial as this program will serve as an integrated research / education / technology commercialization model that can be scaled across the host campuses and beyond. This activity broadens the participation of those with disabilities through the nature of QOL technology development.