Transforming Technology into Licensing Opportunities
NRC recently held its fourth successful Business Case Challenge. The annual competition among teams from various NRC research institutes is a chance for employees to turn remarkable research into opportunities for valuable technology transfer.
Each team spent months working on their business cases in an effort to translate cutting-edge scientific discoveries from the laboratory into clear and focused statements outlining the commercialization potential of their projects.
Entries covered a broad spectrum of topics, from health and the environment to manufacturing and information technology. A key objective of the Business Case Challenge is to develop internal NRC expertise to clearly articulate business opportunities based on early-stage R&D.
You can learn more about many of the entries by reading the July and August issues of NRC Highlights. There you will find descriptions of a tool that will help doctors predict the success of burn treatment and breast reconstruction surgeries, as well as a new method for diagnosing prostate cancer with 98% accuracy. You can also learn about a new process for cleaning up environmental contamination caused by chlorine solvents, and a system for improving productivity and reducing disruptions in the manufacturing process.
The Challenge offered two categories for participation: one for researchers with a compelling plan for a New Venture based on NRC technologies, and one for new Technology Licensing opportunities to an existing company. NRC has a strong reputation for licensing innovative technologies. In 2004-2005 alone, NRC signed 105 licensing agreements.
Participation in the Business Case Challenge gave teams the opportunity to carefully consider the potential market and licensees for their work, evaluating their competition, and identifying key targets for commercialization.
In addition to their written submission, each team's research culminated in a presentation that outlined their technology's potential and their plan for getting it into the marketplace. Winners received NRC funding to aid in the continued development and marketing of their projects.
Technology transfer is very important to NRC. With 20 research institutes participating in innovative projects across the country, NRC is proud to support commercialization efforts that transform research and technologies from its labs into new companies, partnerships and industry collaborations. The annual Business Case Challenge is just one way that NRC is putting Science at Work for Canada.
For more information about new technologies and licensing opportunities from this year's Business Case Challenge, browse the team profiles.
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| NRC's Business Portfolio Office responsible for NRC's Business Case Challenge 2006. From l. to r.: Sylvie Brunette, Clement Langemeyer, Elizabeth White and Keith Gilchrist. |
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