PURPOSE

Oklahoma State University’s Technology Entrepreneurship Initiative (TEI) is dedicated to identifying and supporting faculty-created technological innovations – innovations that were born inside OSU’s classrooms and laboratories. The mission of TEI is to accelerate the commercialization of viable concepts, inventions, and products while promoting a university wide spirit and understanding of entrepreneurship. The program launched in 2009 and faculty members are taking embracing the entrepreneurial spirit – already six promising technologies developed by OSU faculty in Stillwater and Tulsa are on the commercialization path.

OBJECTIVES

The Technology Entrepreneurship Initiative seeks to enhance the university’s status as a leading research institution through the promotion and marketing of some of its faculty members’ greatest innovations. The initiative enhances the culture of entrepreneurship by fostering cross-campus relationships through multi-disciplinary projects. The initiative will help grow Oklahoma’s reputation as a place where innovation is at the heart of achievement and where university investment is recognized as a value added contribution.

The TEI is also seeking to add significant value to the university’s intellectual property investment. It serves to provide an outlet for burgeoning student entrepreneurs to immerse themselves in hands-on experiential learning. Ultimately, the initiative creates a new corps of entrepreneurs who will leave OSU better enabled to enact positive change in whatever ventures they may join or lead.

LEADERSHIP

OSU’s Riata Center and the Office of Intellectual Property Management have joined forces to identify, mentor and accelerate campus research activities so that they can more profitably transition to entrepreneurial business ventures. The Program Director is Mr. Steve Wood, a successful technology entrepreneur and OSU alumnus. He is supported by Ms. Nola Miyasaki, Executive Director of the Riata Entrepreneurship Center, Dr. Steve Price, Vice-President of Technology Development, and Dr. Michael Morris, Head of the Department of Entrepreneurship. Steve works with faculty and doctoral students from all schools, colleges and departments on campus to support their innovations and connect them to resources that are critical for successful commercialization. Students from the Spears School of Business play an instrumental role in creating plans to take these innovations to market, and putting the plans into action by creating sustainable business ventures.

CIE SCHOLARS AND TECHNOLOGY ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Scholars Program were launched in the fall semester of 2009. CIE Scholars are the top students in the OSU MBA program. The leaders and shapers play a major role in the OSU Technology Initiative. With the help of EEE faculty support the CIE Scholars directly interact with the faculty innovators/inventors to lead the business planning efforts for commercializing these technologies. The Riata Center for Entrepreneurship has and will continue to invest in and support faculty research activities, through the CIE Scholars Program and through providing on-campus work space to help these fledgling businesses grow.

RELATED SUPPORT

To lend further aid to entrepreneurial faculty and enhance the OSU Technology Initiative, the Office of Intellectual Property recently launched CoSTART, a program that allows faculty members to take time from their teaching and research responsibilities to dedicate up to a year in pursuing a business venture based on their technology innovation. In addition, OSU provides laboratory space and equipment to faculty-led start-up ventures. The university will also assume the costs associated with searching and applying for patents as well as deferring licensing fees for faculty members interested in pursuing their own ventures. Finally, support is provided through the OSU Cowboy Bootcamps for Entrepreneurs and the Riata Entrepreneurial Internship Program.

PROJECTS FOR 2009-2010

1. Project: Novel Water Softening Technology
   Principal Investigator: Dr. Allen Apblett Associate Professor of Chemistry; OSU StillwaterThis innovative technology involves a way to remove the hard elements from water; primarily calcium and magnesium in a way that does not result in galvanic corrosion or high sodium levels which are risks of the current technology. The resulting products will employ a novel and totally different chemistry than found in commercial products today. The technology is environmentally friendly and recyclable.
2. Project: RFID Soap Dispenser
   Principal Investigator: Dr. Alan Cheville Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering; OSU Stillwater
   As the name implies this is a radio frequency device that monitors hand washing count by individuals. While some “compliance” based systems are coming to market, this technology is simpler and should be more affordable to a wider customer base. With the advent of stricter requirements for higher and higher health and safety standards this technology is expected to find a ready customer base.
3. Project: Video Reduction Technology
   Principal Investigator: Dr. Jay Hanan; Associate Professor Mechanical & Aero Space Engineering; OSU Tulsa
   This technology employs a neural network artificial intelligence to identify and reduce key information out of video scatter. Much video needs to be interpreted by various parties for graphic numbers or letters contained in older generation video. This is important before the advent of high definition and steady state recording devices. Numerous libraries exist that need key alpha/numeric restoration, but do not justify slow, costly visual interpretation.
4. Project: Constructing & Testing a Portable Balance and Stability Apparatus for the Elderly
   Principal Investigator: Bert Jacobson, Professor/ Head Educational Studies OSU Stillwater
   This innovative devise is a mechanical apparatus for preventing falls for elderly unstable users while exercising. Exercise is critical for continued health in the elderly, but often the staffing is insufficient to monitor exercise programs at elderly living facilities and commercial exercise businesses and therefore the elderly suffer from being limited or are ignored on such a vital part of their continued health.
5. Project: Developing Data Protection Software Based on Data Shuffling
   Principal Investigator: Dr. Rathindra Sarathy; Ardmore Professor in Management Science & Information Systems; OSU Stillwater
   The technology is advanced software to scramble data. The software operates on original confidential data that, when shuffled, yield the same reliability for sampling as the original data set without the operator having any knowledge or access to the original data. Further the shuffled data can be transmitted openly since the shuffled data cannot be reversed to reveal the original data. The Intellectual Property is owned jointly by the University of Kentucky and Oklahoma State University. A company has been formed (SecureAnalytics, LLC) and a website presence is under development which demonstrates the data shuffling routine. Preliminary market surveys of the target market segments have been conducted, with high commercial response.
6. Project: Xplosafe
   Principal Investigators: Dr. Allen Apblett Associate Professor of Chemistry and Dr. Nick Materer, Associate Professor of Chemistry, OSU Stillwater
   This is a project extending out of MBA student work with a technology in the Spring of 2009. Chemical technologies have been developed to provide a real-time detection and prevention system for improvised explosive devices (IED’s) and chemically related storage vessels with the potential for accidental explosion.  Following their presentation of the business plan at a national MBA business plan competition, two of the MBA students have formed a company based in Stillwater, and negotiated an equity sharing agreement with the inventors. The company has great commercial potential for not only military use, but for first responders, HASMAT clean-up, and laboratory safety. Prospective customers are currently in trial stages with the company’s products, initial production capabilities are being established, and financing is being sought. Technology development work also continues.