WVU Research Office

886 Chestnut Ridge Road

Morgantown, WV

Chestnut Ridge Research Building

• Office of Technology Transfer• Department of Homeland

Securities• WVU Business Incubator• Economic Development• Office of Sponsored Programs

Office of Technology Transfer at WVU

PresidentWVU Research Corp.

Director, Technology Transfer

Associate Director Licensing Associates

Student Interns Business Incubator

Technology Transfer is…

“The process of moving an unexploited body

of knowledge from a source organization to

another organization where it will be reduced

to practice and exploited commercially.”

Innovation is…

“The process of taking an invention and

turning it into a product which can be

marketed to the public for profit.”

Invention is…

“A new process, object or improvement that

did not exist previously and that is the

product of a unique idea.”

Commercialization is…

“The process of introducing a new product or

production method into the market to be sold

to the public for profit.”

Intellectual Property is…

“Any unique idea or creation, including

inventions, symbols, names and images.”

Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property can be divided into two

categories:

Industrial Property and Copyright

Intellectual Property

Industrial Property includes inventions, trademarks and industrial designs.

Industrial Property can be patented.

Intellectual Property

Copyright includes artistic works such as

novels, films and photographs.

Advanced Technology Applications

Lead Innovator: James E. Smith

Established in 2005 and incorporated in West Virginia.

Performs research into Wind Turbine designs

Advanced Technology Applications Has Developed…

Shape memory actuators for near surface circulation control.

Pinned connection to facilitate circulation control on a Vertical Axis Wind turbine.

Valve system for the control of air through turbine blades.

Advanced Technology Applications Has Developed…

Circulation Control Augmented Wind Turbine (CC-VAWT)

Circulation and Boundary Layer Control Augmented Vertical Axis Wind Turbine.

Control System for a CC-VAWT

The Bayh-Dole Act

In 1980, the Bayh-Dole Act was passed.

This allowed universities to retain titles to patents generated from federally-sponsored research.

The Bayh-Dole Act

Passing of the Bayh-Dole act led to an increase in University-owned patents.

From 1980-2000, the number of University-owned patents jumped from 200 to over 2500.

Famous University-Owned Patents

Product University

Citrical® calcium supplement University of Texas, SW Medical Center

Process for Taxol production Florida State University

HelixTM concrete reinforcement University of Michigan

Trusopt® drops glaucoma treatment University of Florida

Cisplatin and Carboplatin Michigan State University

Synthetic penicillin MIT

Gatorade ® University of Florida

TBI Innovations

Developed method to reduce the damaging effects of SLOSH energy absorption by reducing inelastic collisions in an organism.

Lead Innovator: David Smith

Leahy-Smith America Invents Act

Effective since September 16th, 2011

Changes U.S. Patent system from a “First to Invent” system to a “First to File” system.

Simplifies the patent application process.

Kendall/Hunt Publishing

Developed Laboratory materials for applied calculus.

Lead Innovator: Edgar J. Fuller

Quantex Energy

Quantex Energy is a Canadian company established in 2007.

They are a current Tenant from the WVU

Business Incubator

Quantex Energy

Has developed a process for converting

coal into crude oil, known as Coal to Liquid (CTL).

Quantex Energy

Quantex’s coal-to-liquid process is extremely efficient at producing synthetic crude oil (or Syncrude).

Quantex Energy

Coal to Liquid uses fewer resources, is 10-30

times cleaner than other processes, and

takes minutes instead of hours to produce.

Quantex Energy

Their coal to liquid process yields ~85%

liquid (by weight) of the coal put in.

Quantex Energy

Quantex plans to begin wide-scale

production of Synthetic Crude Oil (and other

industrial materials) in 2014.

Quantex will eventually

open plants world-wide,

creating thousands of jobs in

the surrounding

communities.

Quantex Energy

Quantex Energy

Just one of their planned facilities could

produce hundreds of thousands of barrels of

Syncrude each day.

Quantex’s Coal to Liquid process could

eventually help lessen dependence on

foreign oil and help combat a global energy

shortage.

Quantex Energy

Quantex Energy

Has committed $1.8 billion to research and

building commercial operating units.

Quantex Energy

Has a lab on WVU’s campus with plans to

build their own building in next 4 months.

If trials are successful, Quantex can begin

licensing their Coal to Liquid process to other

countries.

Quantex Energy

Quantex Energy

After constructing just three factories,

Quantex would be looking at about $20K-

$30K per day in royalties alone.

New Era Industries

Developed a high-temperature resin spread and infusion process to mass-manufacture composites.

Lead Innovator: Harris W. Armstrong

Firefly Energy

Developed method of making a carbon foam material from coal.

Lead Innovator: Alfred H. Stiller

Functions of WVU Office of Technology Transfer (OTT)

Manage Intellectual Property Portfolio

Commercialize WVU Technologies

Develop New Business Opportunities

Economic Development

Functions of WVU Office of Technology Transfer (OTT)

OTT will complete all paperwork for the

United States Patent and Trademark Office

(USPTO).

OTT will cover ALL expenses

Office of Technology Transfer Staff

2 patent attorneys with expertise in medicine, health sciences, chemistry, and biology

1 patent agent with expertise in engineering

1 patent attorney who runs the Business Incubator

Functions of the WVU Office of Technology Transfer (OTT)

OTT will compose Non-disclosure

agreements.

OTT will assist in connecting faculty with

potential investors, seed funds, and business

partners.

A Non-Disclosure Agreement Is…

“A legal contract between two or more parties

that outlines confidential material which the

parties wish to share with one another but

must remain confidential to any outside

party.”

Commercialize WVU Technologies

• Assistance in marketing

• Negotiate license agreement with external commercialization partners

• Provide access to legal assistance

Develop New Business Opportunities

• License WVU developed technologies

• Develop collaborative R&D agreements

• Create market entry

• Incubate start-up companies

Incubation of Start-up Companies

• WVU inventors may request to start a

company to further market their innovations.

• Can become tenants of the WVU

Business Incubator.

Incubation of Start-up Companies

Start-up companies may compete for

external funding such as the Small

Business Innovation Research Program

(SBIR) or the Small Business Technology

Transfer Program (STTR).

Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) is…

“A federal program which allocates 2.5% of

federal research budgets in excess of $100

million, to be distributed to small businesses

in order to encourage economic growth.”

Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR) is…

“A Federal program designed to expand

partnerships between small businesses and

nonprofit U.S. research institutions which, in

FY2010, awarded over $100 Million to

various small businesses.”

Oculus Development

Developed Standardized Sensor Pallet for Cargo Aircraft.

Lead Innovator: James E. Smith

Choosy Kids

Founded by Linda Carson, a WVU Associate

Professor in the school of Physical

Education.

Is a graduate tenant of the WVU Business

Incubator.

Choosy Kids

C.h.o.o.s.y. (Choose Healthy Options Often and Start Young).

Encourage physical nutrition and activity

among American children.

Choosy Kids

Relate to kids through music and identifiable

characters (Choosy).

Market healthy foods through their mascot,

Choosy.

Choosy Kids

“Choosy” mascot

developed through

focus-group testing.

Is featured on the box-

art of healthy foods for

kids to see.

Contact OTT if…

You have any questions or concerns about

intellectual property (IP).

You have, (or think you have) made an

invention.

Contact OTT if…

You intend to publish a paper/abstract, or give a

presentation on material that may constitute an

invention.

You are named as an inventor on a patent filed by

a company or another University.

Contact OTT if…

You are asked to provide unpublished

information to a company with whom WVU

has not signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement.

Contact OTT if…

You are asked to provide a company with

proprietary materials from your laboratory

without a signed Material Transfer

Agreement.

Contact OTT if…

You are approached by a company who

wishes to license technology from you or

WVU.

You would like to start a company based

upon technology developed at WVU.

Mannette Steel Drums

Founded by Ellie Mannette

Ellie Mannette is also known as “The father

of the modern steel drum.”

Is a graduate tenant from Incubator

Mannette Steel drums

Partnered with WVU in the early 1990’s to

produce instruments for the band.

Mannette now produces instruments for

musicians world-wide, thanks to help from

WVU.

WVU Funding for Fiscal Year 2011

Federal: $99,669,040

State: $36,435,893

WVU Funding for Fiscal Year 2011

Industry: $34,221,159

Private: $3,548,013

Total WVU Funding in FY2011

$173,874,105

Total WVU Funding in FY2011

62% of the nearly $174 Million in WVU

Funding was spent on Research and

Development.

Total WVU Funding in FY2011

The total amount of funding dedicated to

research and development has seen an

increase of $32 Million since 2005.

Proposals in FY2011

The Office of Sponsored Programs received

732 new grant proposals in FY2011.

Proposals in FY2011

The Office of Sponsored programs approved

448 grant proposals in FY2011.

In 2010…

Current and graduate tenants with the West

Virginia University Business Incubator

employed 148 full-time employees, and 57

part-time employees.

In 2010…

Business Incubator Tenants paid $8,942,160

in wages for the year.

Tenants received $6 Million in revenue and

raised $3.1 Million in grant funds.

In 2010…

The total amount spent by the Office of

Technology Transfer on research and

development of licensed technologies was

$3,478,351.

SABIC Innovative Plastics

Developed Flame Retardent Polymer Blend Compositions.

Lead Innovator: Sushant Agarwal

SustainU

Clothing company founded in 2009 by

Morgantown native Chris Yura.

Is a Graduate Tenant of the WVU Business

Incubator.

SustainU

Clothing is made from

100% recycled material.

Yura refers to this

material as “Fluff.”

SustainU

SustainU produces all material locally.

Using local resources cuts down on fuel

costs and emissions.

SustainU

Employs domestically, creating jobs within

the community.

SustainU employs over 400 people for

production.

SustainU

SustainU is able to produce 20,000 shirts

each month.

Chris Yura hopes to produce 80,000 shirts

per month by 2012.

SustainU

One pound of recycled yarn saves .5 gallons

of gasoline.

One ton of recycled cotton saves 1200

gallons of water.

SustainU

SustainU donates to non-profit groups

through clothing drives on college campuses.

SustainU

Has collected nearly 16.2 tons of clothing through their program.

Has visited 90 schools in 35 states as of August 16th, 2011.

SustainU

SustainU produces the

T-Shirts given to all

Adventure West Virginia

Students.

Shirts are light-weight

and durable.

SustainU

In August, Chris Yura was recognized as a

“Champion of Change” by President Obama.

Martek Biosciences

Developed Omega 3 Treatment for Brain Injury.

Lead Innovator: Julian Bailes