With more than $325 million in research expenditures last year, the University of Nebraska system is well on its way to becoming a world-class research center. As research funding and innovation continue to climb, the potential for new discoveries and advances in engineering, health care and biotechnology also will increase.
In an effort to encourage inter-campus and interdisciplinary collaboration, the technology transfer offices at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Office of Technology Development) and the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNeMed) executed a collaboration agreement, which will streamline the invention disclosure, patenting, and licensing process for new discoveries created jointly by faculty, students, or staff at both campuses.
When a new discovery is created by researchers at both campuses, they may use either the UNL or UNeMed new invention notification form to describe their new discovery. Copies of their invention disclosure should be sent to both UNeMed and the Office of Technology Development. Researchers can find more information at www.unemed.com or www.otd.unl.edu.
Collectively, UNMC and UNL produce more than 120 new inventions each year, and each campus office leverages a large patent portfolio to encourage companies to license and further develop the new technology.
Collaboration between UNMC and UNL have resulted in the development of significant technologies such as a multi-functional, surgical robot capable of performing minimally invasive surgery. The technology has gained worldwide interest, including interest by the Department of Defense for use on the battlefield with wounded soldiers.
The technology would allow medics to insert the surgical robot into the wound, which could be viewed by doctors hundreds of miles away for early treatment and stabilization for transporting the patient. The project recently received more than $2 million in federal funds to further the research in this area.
Both UNMC and UNL agree the partnership will help increase the visibility of University of Nebraska technology and encourage the development of new collaboration between faculty, students and staff.
“A metaphor that our faculty might appreciate is that the most interesting chemical reactions often occur at the interface of two substances,” said James Linder, M.D., associate vice chancellor of research at UNMC and president of UNeMed. “The opportunity for faculty at UNMC and UNL to collaborate, with their different but complimentary knowledge, promises strong potential for new inventions.”
John Brasch, associate vice chancellor of technology development at UNL said, “The work that is and can be done collaboratively by faculty on both campuses will provide important start up and economic opportunities for our faculties and Nebraska.”