When it comes to University research and the $1.82 million in inventions licensed in 2003, administrators and inventors agree that the University isn’t a business as much as it is an engine for new knowledge, social change and innovative research.
The University — which manages thousands of licensing agreements and has produced hundreds of products to date, categorized in bioscience research tools, software and electronic multimedia, and education technologies — has seen a record-setting year.
The University’s money-making productivity has quadrupled from the $554,000 in revenue for 2002. For inventions, the number jumped from an average of eight per year between 1996 and 2000 to 36 new inventions in 2003.
Despite the rapid pace of University research and innovation, Office of Technology Transfer Director Don Gerhart said new inventions will always reflect a need for social change instead of a goal for more licensing dollars.
“Inventors and researchers will not be creating products to bring in more revenue for the University,” he said. “The tail doesn’t wag the dog.”
As required by federal law, the University reinvested $1.6 million of all licensing revenue generated for 2003 into funds for inventors and contributing research labs. The remainder of the revenue went to the office of technology transfer to help build its portfolio of licenses and patents.
Vice President of Research Rich Linton said the recycling of funds is part of “an innovation cycle,” which completes itself every time faculty-driven applied research causes direct societal benefits.
“The University’s basic mission hasn’t changed,” Linton said. “We’re not trying to become a business. We are supporting our faculty in creating new knowledge and making a greater impact on society.”

Making products

and solving problems
At the University in 2003, bioproducts brought in $490,000, software and multimedia brought in $1.08 million and education technology brought in $250,000.
“It isn’t that these inventions are profitable,” Gerhart said. “They are an expression of the University’s mission to disseminate the fruits of new knowledge into the world.”
An example of a bioscience tool is the invention of monoclonal antibodies, which are engineered organisms designed to detect specific substances and support cancer research. A computer bridge player and the Atlas of Oregon book and CD versions are among this year’s software inventions. One electronic multimedia invention is a special magnet used during functional magnetic resonance imaging studies that helps take pictures of the brain.
One of the key education technology successes is the University’s School Wide Intervention System, which provides intervention strategies to address violence and destructive behavior through school programs and social service agencies. Led by invention leader and education Professor Rob Horner, the system is designed to ensure school safety and the healthy social development of K-12 students.
“Through the freedom to explore different research possibilities, we can solve real social problems,” Horner said.
As a Web-based software application, the School Wide Intervention System uses office discipline referrals to build more student-behavior support. The system has the potential to positively impact schools and create revenue for further University research using the new data. Horner said the program has spread to 1,000 schools in 30 states and three different countries.
The School Wide Intervention System accounted for most of the leap in revenue this year through new and existing licensing programs, and the University didn’t get a penny of profit from it.
“The University gets nothing for the licensing we do,” Horner said. “All the revenue we get goes back to making the cost as cheap as possible for the program participants.”
One program, called Oregon Career Information Systems, accounted for 55 percent of the University’s licensing revenue for 2003. Currently licensed in 13 states, the program helps students and job-seekers do career searches through a set of databases and handy computer tools.
Other inventions brought in $837,000 in 2003, which more than doubled the $335,000 earned in 2000.

Keeping up with the elites
Although the $78 million the University garnered in federally funded grants is “modest” compared to larger institutions, Gerhart said, the school’s performance in 2003 has increased licensing income per research dollar and the number of inventions per $1 million of research.
“The University is now likely performing at or above the median rates for the elite group of research universities that reports to AUTM,” Gerhart said.
AUTM — the Association of University Technology Managers — does licensing surveys every four years based on information gathered from 117 of the most research-intensive institutions in the United States.
According to an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, the University’s licensing income per dollar of research spending has jumped from $0.004 to $0.022, while the national median of AUTM-reporting universities was $0.01 from 1996 to 2000.
For inventions, the University’s 2003 rate was approximately at 0.46 inventions per $1 million of research, while the national median of AUTM-reporting universities was equal to 0.4 from 1996 to 2000.
To put this information into context, CalTech brought in 0.04 licensing dollars per research dollar while MIT brought in 0.03 licensing dollars per research dollar, from 1996 to 2000.
“The University will be watching with great interest as comparison values for these technology transfer measures are published in the coming months and years,” Gerhart said.
Although Oregon State University established a technology transfer office 12 years before the University, about $300,000 more revenue was earned in Eugene for 2003.
“This year’s numbers really reflect a maturation of technology transfer at the University,” Gerhart said.

Spurring growth
Linton said this year’s accomplishments are significant because the state of Oregon does not provide any funds for University research, at least not yet.
“The University is an engine for economic growth at local and statewide levels,” Linton said. “Hopefully, we can get the state to reinvest in our efforts to improve job creation. “
Looking forward to the productive and lucrative research years ahead, Linton said University research is shifting to biological, information and material sciences, or combinations of chemistry and physics.
Gerhart said he eagerly anticipates the new innovations.
“I’ve been very impressed by the quality of research performed by the faculty thus far,” Gerhart said. “I expect more good things to come.”
In order to remain competitive among reputable research universities, Gerhart said he expects the technology transfer office to grow to accommodate for each new University invention.
“Hopefully,” he said, “we will be able to remain as a portal for research results and studies to move into the world outside of academia.”