Research in our CCI has great potential to impact the electronics and sustainable energy markets. For example, new morphon-included polymers or methods for predictive control of morphology, if proven through our research to tailor the polymers’ optoelectronic properties, could be transferred to key industries to foster development of materials utilized in plastic electronic devices. Such breakthroughs could produce materials that are both cheaper to produce and consume less energy, ultimately leading to reduced cost-per-use for consumers.
Notably, one innovative research outcome of the Phase I CCI – the enhancement of commercial computational software to include capabilities for calculating Raman spectra, a powerful tool for predicting structure-function relationships – is already being developed further in conjunction with the software’s manufacturer.
In Phase II of the CCI we seek to create a research environment that encourages collaboration, exchange and translation of innovative concepts in chemistry at all levels – faculty, postdocs and students. Crucial guidance from both external (industry) and internal (university) resources for innovation and tech transfer will help us to identify CCI research than can be translated to innovations. These innovation partners will assist in the planning and execution of the appropriate logistical steps to successfully transfer these innovations into products, including invention disclosure/provisional patent filing, establishment of start-ups, and interfacing with venture capitalists. Another key component of our innovation plan is the education of CCI students and postdocs on the fundamentals of innovation and its importance to society.
External Innovation Partners (EIPs)
The CCI’s Phase II External Innovation Partners (EIPs) consist of large corporations (3M, IBM) and start-ups (Schrödinger, Nanoterra, Plextronics, SensorBit, FiberRio, and Polyera). Three of these start-ups, Schrödinger, FibeRio and SensorBit, were co-founded by CCI investigators. Each of these companies will appoint a representative to interface with our CCI. This team of EIP representatives will help the CCI to achieve and maintain a market-based focus by providing guidance regarding current electronics and energy market needs and their associated barriers.
Internal Innovation Partners (IIPs)
The CCI’s Internal Innovation Partners (IIPs) consist of each partnering university’s technology transfer office. The IIPs will be asked to evaluate this information for potential market impact, and to suggest to the CCI which outcomes are best poised to be patented and translated to commercialization. The IIPs will then assist the CCI with conducting appropriate market research to file patents and in identifying investors, including our EIPs, who are interested in licensing these discoveries. The IIPs will also provide expertise and well-established infrastructure to assist in the formation of start-ups if such opportunities arise from CCI research. The CCI Phase II team is experienced in working closely with their respective tech transfer offices in this manner, having filed a total of 44 patents and licensing 9 of those to start-ups and other companies.
Education in Innovation
In their daily research in the laboratory, student and postdoc researchers are in closest proximity to potential innovations. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that these junior investigators develop a trained eye for identifying promise for innovation in their research, and that they are knowledgeable of the means by which their research can be translated to innovations. The IIPs at each of the five CCI institutions offer unique educational experiences for students and postdocs to participate in. CCI students and postdocs at each university share their educational experiences to determine which elements of their respective innovation education programs are impactful to them and which aren’t. From this exchange our CCI is building a constructive roadmap for fostering innovation across multi-institutional research programs.
