“Turning research into profit is a tricky business. However, according to the Ohio Board of Regents, no institution of higher education in the state does it better than the University of Akron. UA is ranked first in the state with the highest rate of return-per-research dollar leading to the commercialization of technologies, the regent’s study said.”
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Turning research into profit is a tricky business.

However, according to the Ohio Board of Regents, no institution of higher education in the state does it better than the University of Akron.

UA is ranked first in the state with the highest rate of return-per-research dollar leading to the commercialization of technologies, the regent’s study said.

The ranking is based on the Technology Commercialization Incentive – a scoring system based on productive technology licenses, formation of start-up companies and direct industry research support by Ohio companies.

The University of Akron’s TCI score means that it is much more efficient than its peers at transferring technology to Ohio business and industry, said Harry Andrist, director of research and graduate programs for the Ohio Board of Regents. The score shows that the university does extremely well in producing new business start-ups in Ohio and in licensing new intellectual property to Ohio business.

The Ohio State University was ranked second, with Case Western Reserve University not far behind. Both schools have large medical complexes.

George Newkome is the university’s vice president for research and interim dean of the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering. He inherited one of the top polymer science programs in the nation when longtime director Frank Kelley retired in the fall.

The TCI score reflects our ability to turn research dollars into technologies commercialized by Ohio industry and to attract companies to Ohio, Newkome said.

Newkome credits the University of Akron Research Foundation, established in 2001, for UA’s effectiveness in commercialization because it created the framework for entrepreneurial relationships between the university and local industry.

One of UA’s technology success stories involves MemPro Ceramics Corp., a Colorado company that has been working with the university to develop industrial filtration products.

Without a doubt, UARF’s economic development goals for Northeast Ohio have been evident in all our interactions with the university, said John Finley, MemPro’s chairman and CEO which recently opened an office in Akron. Our relationship with UARF has been the single most important factor in attracting us from Colorado.

Other examples of UA’s successful technology transfers include an equity position in Akron Polymer Systems, a UA spinoff company manufacturing polymer thin films, and a collaboration with Biomedical Research Associates, a spinout company from Summa, providing product development and technical support for clinical trial services.

The TCI scoring system was initially formulated via consultations with university technology transfer officers, university research officers, state government professionals and representatives of Ohio business.

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