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一直在与代工厂进行试验，以确定并协助小型初创公司从事ERC研究中产生的技术。这项提议的努力将扩大铸造厂作为区域经济发展的更广泛的基础，并实现三个目标：1)确保从QoLT中心衍生出来的公司比初创公司更快、更稳固地出现，2)使QoLT铸造厂成为QoLT ERC的永久特征，3)完善和规范ERC的技术转让过程。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商业化的方法，该方法已经显示出有希望的迹象。这种方法比传统的学术研究在更早的阶段就将非技术的、基于市场的考虑注入到技术和产品开发中，并将许多分析并行化，从而加速了传统的线性过程。在接下来的三年里，它将通过跟踪和分析每个产品定义和公司形成来改进，以开发对适当干预的各种开发周期的理解，从而产生一个模型和一组标准，以便在随后的努力中优化资源应用。拟议的努力将实施和评估一项战略，以缩小资金缺口（通常称为“死亡之谷”），这是新兴的技术公司在从大学向私营部门过渡时所经历的。来自卡内基梅隆大学和匹兹堡大学工程、计算机科学、商业、创新管理和法律专业的学生参与其中。增强的Foundry努力将更好地理解如何吸引非技术学生进入技术商业化，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，从而创造新的就业机会和经济活动。强烈的商业化需求吸引了更多的工业成员。扩大的代工厂将提高QoLT中心衍生公司的成功概率，从而缩短QoLT生成技术的上市时间。这将对匹兹堡地区产生可衡量的经济影响；五年内将创造100多个就业岗位。QoLT代工厂很可能成为ERC和其他学术研究商业化的典范，提高它们作为经济引擎的价值。对社会的影响可能是巨大的，因为这个项目将作为一个综合的研究/教育/技术商业化模式，可以在宿主校园和其他地方扩展。这项活动透过生活质素科技发展的性质，扩大残疾人士的参与。

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.