Description
In this such a brief criteria concerning cri staff has prior entrepreneurial experience.
Creating Impact from University Innovations.
Northeastern University’s Center for Research
Innovation (CRI) is an impact-driven initiative
bridging the gap between laboratory research
and need-based solutions. The CRI serves as
the University-wide portal between industry and
leading-edge innovations from Northeastern’s
use-inspired research portfolio. A majority of
the CRI sta? has prior entrepreneurial
experience, creating an agile and responsive
team focused on the translation of University
innovations into tangible solutions through
licenses, spin outs and collaboration. The CRI's
dedication to establishing ongoing dialogue with
industry informs Northeastern’s progressive
research, enabling a productive balance
between exploration and implementation.
Our Mission
With a generous gift from alumnus Richard D’Amore (’76), the Center for
Research Innovation was formed in 2011, based on D’Amore’s vision of
accelerating impact from Northeastern innovations. With innovation as the
catalyst, and entrepreneurship as a mindset, the Northeastern landscape is
rich with opportunities for manifesting D’Amore’s vision.
It seems hard to believe that a year has passed since the start of the Center for
Research Innovation (CRI). It was a busy year of reorganizing, establishing
relationships, and creating a plan to optimize the e?ect of CRI resources. In its
?rst year of operation, CRI focused its e?orts on restructuring the technology
transfer operation to provide a high level of service and developed pilot
programs and events to ful?ll our mission of accelerating impact from
Northeastern’s innovations.
In the following pages you will see a snapshot of what has been achieved
together in the CRI’s ?rst year of operation within the Northeastern
community. Whether it is faculty members with a desire to see their
innovations to market, successful alumni entrepreneurs mentoring the next
generation of Northeastern entrepreneurs, or students whose passion for
new ventures reaches every corner of the campus, the CRI facilitates
connections for value-creation around commercialization. As such, the CRI
cannot claim its successes as purely its own; the achievements we are
celebrating are a direct result of the collective drive, vision and determination
of our University’s community as a whole.
This year was only the beginning. We approach FY13 with great excitement as
we launch new programs, continuing to grow our CRI services. Northeastern
University continues to build momentum and the Center for Research
Innovation team is inspired in its mission, energized to accelerate the
advancement of University innovations into applied solutions.
Tracey Dodenho?
Director
Commercialization
Process
Research
Scouting
Invention Disclosure Form
Assessment
Protection
Commercialization
Reinvest in
Commercialization
Revenue
Marketing
License to Existing Business
or Assist Formation of a
Spin Out Business
Commercialization is the process of
translating innovative research into
high-impact solutions through industry
relationships and/or spin out vehicles.
Our Team
Over the course of the past year, the CRI has established key operating milestones, including: a fully-sta?ed o?ce
with a combination of entrepreneurial and intellectual property experience, a patent database, electronically
archiving historical intellectual property ?les as well as establishing processes for ensuring data integrity with new
intellectual property ?lings, a re-branded website with resources and connections to innovations available to license,
and an operations manual to ensure continuity of service for the Northeastern community.
For the ?rst time in 2012, the CRI benchmarked the technology
spin outs from Northeastern. Spin out companies are a key
element for manifesting innovations in the marketplace. The
programs that the CRI is spearheading are engineered to
accelerate the pace of spin out activity, involving partnerships
across the colleges and alumni and student organizations.
SUCCESSFUL SPIN OUTS IN 2012
5
A total of 13 Northeastern spin outs have
been recorded in the last 5 years, 38% formed
during the ?rst year of CRI operations.
SPIN OUT
SPOTLIGHTS
3-Spark
Zephyr Energy Corp.
Embedded Electronics Lead Assembly (EELA)
technology gives 3D print users the unique
ability to design and fabricate parts with
custom sensors and electronics embedded
inside. The technology can be delivered as a
stand-alone add-on unit or integrated into
future 3D printers.
• Easily add intelligence to devices
• Sense de?ection inside small or thin shapes
• Medical braces and orthotics
• Hydraulic impellers
• UAV circuitry in wings
• Small mobile robots
• Build custom devices with sensors
• Custom medical rehab tools
• Computer-interface devices
• Consumer home products and toys
• Defense
• Educational tools for engineering
and science
Develop and commercialize a non-rotating wind
energy generator (NRWEG). The NRWEG system
uses wind energy to induce oscillations in a
suspended horizontal beam. This reciprocating
motion is used to generate electricity via
magnetic induction.
This device has numerous advantages over
traditional wind generators, including its lower
wind speed requirement, compact design, and
safe operation. The NRWEG’s radical design is
also less visually obtrusive, easier to deploy and
maintain, and less susceptible to airborne threats
(e.g. bird debris) than rotating wind turbines.
88%
INCREASE
Invention disclosures are where the glimmer of impact
begins. They represent the identi?cation of a new
approach to a problem, and are the lifeblood of any
innovative and entrepreneurial ecosystem. The CRI has
made a dedicated e?ort to ensure that the disclosure
process is transparent for inventors, and the e?ort has
manifested in a dramatic increase in disclosure rates.
This is important to the CRI, as we are beginning to
properly address the needs of the research community
at the University. It is important to the broader
Northeastern community, as it increases our ability to
accelerate the pace of innovation.
Invention Disclosures
107 57
FY11 FY12
A patent application is the ?rst “line in the sand” regarding inventorship. Our new sta? includes a licensed patent
attorney, making the cost of ?ling an initial “Provisional Patent Application”* low enough that it can be incorporated as
part of our standard intake routine. This means that inventors have more options early on regarding publications,
collaborations, and discussions around their inventions without the risk of losing intellectual property.
Patent Applications Filed
105
35%
INCREASE
FY12
FY11
78
*For details on the types of ?lings, please visit the Intellectual Property Glossary
on the CRI website at www.northeastern.edu/research/cri/tech-transfer/ip-glossary
CRI has established a robust patent analysis
and commercialization review process as
standard operating procedure. The number of
patent applications that continue through the
process * will be focused on those having the
greatest chance of defensible patent
protection and commercial viability, optimizing
the value for both the inventor and the
University.
Quality Patents
Congratulations to our
Northeastern Inventors!
*For details on the patent application process, please visit the Intellectual Property Glossary on the CRI website at
www.northeastern.edu/research/cri/tech-transfer/tech-transfer-process
9/13/2011 Patent No. 8,016,893 Gear Bearing Drive
10/4/2011 Patent No. 8,031,514 Bistable Nanoswitch
10/4/2011 Patent No. 8,031,927 Medical Image Processing
12/13/2011 Patent No. 8,076,151 Ultra-Sensitive Temperature Sensing and Calorimetry
3/27/2012 Patent No. 8,142,370 Electro-Rheological Fluid Brake and Actuator Devices Using the Same
5/8/2012 Patent No. 8,172,577 System and Method for Knowledge Transfer with a Game
5/8/2012 Patent No. 8,173,628 Steroidal Antiestrogens and Antiandrogens and Uses Thereof
6/26/2012 Patent No. 8,206,267 Virtual Ankle and Balance Trainer System
6/26/2012 Patent No. 8,206,773 Nanoloom for Controlling Polymer Assembly
9/27/2011 Patent No. 8,025,607 Instrumented Handle and Pedal Systems for
Use in Rehabilitation, Exercise and Training Equipment
FY12 Issued Patents
Whether an innovation is commercialized through a spin out or an existing company, a license is the vehicle that enables the
business to invest, develop and monetize the invention. An option is a short period of time set aside for the negotiation of a
license agreement, generally resulting in a license agreement. Tracking the license and option agreements are an important part
of monitoring the success of the CRI over time. We begin this year with a benchmark in order to better see the results of our
commercialization e?orts as they manifest. Like tending a garden, the result of a well-managed license portfolio should start to
generate an uptick in license revenues within the next few years as licensees develop and launch in the commercial markets.
FIVE
Licenses & Options
$251,451 FY12
License
Revenue
Of active licenses, nearly 20% have been executed in FY12.
An Inter-Institutional Agreement, or IIA, is a critical underpinning to
e?ectively manage the budgetary and ownership aspects of intellectual
property. Universities and hospitals enter into an IIA when they
collaborate on research that produces intellectual property. The details
of the IIA lay out who will lead patent acquisition, the allocation of costs,
con?dentiality provisions, and who will share in any revenue. Failure to
execute an IIA leaves Northeastern University vulnerable to the
prospect of co-collaborators licensing the invention out from under the
University.
Inter-Institutional Agreement (IIA)
INCREASE FROM FY11 to FY12
x6
FY11 - 0 | FY12 - 6
GEW 2011
Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) is the world’s largest celebration of the
innovators and job creators who launch startups that bring ideas to life, drive
economic growth and expand human welfare. The initiative kicked o? in 2008,
launched by former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Carl Schramm, the
president and CEO of the Ewing Marion Kau?man Foundation. Since then, it
has grown to 115 countries—with nearly 24,000 partner organizations
planning more than 37,000 activities that directly engage more than 7 million
people.
The Center for Research Innovation not only hosts events during GEW, but
aggregates the entrepreneurial activity on campus to create one united event.
Global Entrepreneurship Week 2011 included 14 events across the week, nine
of which were hosted by CRI. The CRI events included breakfast learning
sessions and lunch workshops in topics such as venture funding, prototyping
and intellectual property strategies. The week was capped o? with an internal
kicko? event to introduce the Northeastern community to the CRI, featuring a
panel of successful entrepreneurs including a faculty member, two alumni and
a current student. In addition, the Founder and CEO of Quirky (a
crowd-sourcing consumer products ?rm with $40M in venture funding), Ben
Kaufman, provided the keynote address and participated in the panel
discussion. With approximately 250 people attending the CRI events over the
course of the week, GEW set the tone for the CRI as a resource and catalyst for
entrepreneurship around University innovations.
14
NORTHEASTERN
EVENTS
9
CRI HOSTED EVENTS
BEN KAUFMAN
CEO, QUIRKY
WWW.QUIRKY.COM
250
ATTENDEES AT
CRI EVENTS
RISE 2012
With a focus on the integration of innovation and entrepreneurship, the former
Research and Scholarship Expo provided a unique opportunity for rebranding
and expansion. Renaming the event to the Research, Innovation and
Scholarship Expo, or RISE, the CRI expanded the event to include an annual
showcase for Northeastern researchers and scholars to celebrate their
scholarly achievements and highlight innovations with commercial potential,
catalyzing the integrating entrepreneurial thinking into the presentation and
review.
RISE:2012 broke new ground with the participation of industry judges (50% of
the judges were investors, entrepreneurs and executives), the total number of
judges participating (up to 75 from 18 the previous year), the addition of “pitch”
training for the presenters, an online judging portal for the judges, the standard
poster format, and the sheer number of participants – a 30% increase from the
previous year with over 400 abstracts submitted. The presence of industry
judges motivated students to re?ne and polish their presentations, as
evidenced in the quality of their RISE pitches and high scores. This same
attention to quality carried over into all aspects of the event and has set a new
standard for the University, paving the path for accelerating commercialization
activity from student and faculty research innovations.
The event culminated in a separate awards ceremony, replacing printed
certi?cates with display-worthy trophies, and recognizing outstanding work
with $1,000 prizes for excellence in Research, Innovation, Scholarship and
Entrepreneurial Potential.
50%
INDUSTRY JUDGES
316%
INCREASE IN JUDGES
30%
INCREASE IN ABSTRACTS
2000+
ATTENDEES
Industry Engagement
The CRI has been actively positioning Northeastern as a resource for companies looking for external expertise and innovations.
Companies we have hosted for capability reviews include Johnson & Johnson, Parker Hanni?n, Northrop Grumann, P&G and
Novartis. We have also raised Northeastern’s visibility by attending industry events, such as BIO2012, the world’s leading biotech
event with over 20,000 attendees. Events like BIO can be very fruitful if managed well; Northeastern left the show with 50 leads,
and was the only university to have a video interview circulated to the 24,000 members of BIO. We were also the only university
featured on Astra Zeneca’s website highlighting the events at BIO. As with licenses, these relationships take time to develop into
engagements, but the CRI is well on its way toward realizing value from these connections.
Entrepreneurial Culture
The CRI is testing and piloting programs, many times acting as the catalyst to initiate a new program with a
partner entity. The following programs were piloted in FY12, and have realized measurable success. They are
providing the foundation for new programs that are being developed in FY13, which promise to continue to
demonstrate tangible outcomes.
Awarded Prototype Fund gifts of up to $2,500 to an individual or group to aid in making a prototype.
Prototype Fund
Description
CRI funded six awards, established the program and passed the baton to IDEA to continue within the Center
for Entrepreneurial Education. Supporting funds were given to IDEA to fund the program for three additional
rounds (nine awards).
Outcome
Partner
IDEA and Entrepreneurs Club
Partner
Various Student Organizations
CRI provided funding to student run programs to promote events and broaden entrepreneurial awareness on
campus, including Entrepreneurs Club and Husky Startup Challenge.
Entrepreneurial Support
Description
CRI funded two Audience Favorite Awards given to students at HSC and provided basic programmatic
expense support for student organizations throughout the ?scal year.
Outcome
CRI funded industry relevant proof-of-concept, coming from Northeastern laboratories.
Venture Catalyst Pilot Award
Description
As a result of the pilot Venture Catalyst funding, a spin out company was formed and went on to win an i-Corps
award as well as an SBIR award. This success provided the model for a broader Venture Catalyst Program being
piloted with the individual Colleges.
Outcome
Two pilot commercialization co-ops helped move technologies closer to an industry relevant
proof-of-concept. This contributed to value creation and tangible commercialization progress, including
recruitment of a spin out CEO, recruitment of mentoring teams, and further validation of the technology’s
relevance in the market.
Outcome
Partner
Provost
Partner
Various Colleges
CRI funded cooperative education students to help with commercialization of concept from Northeastern
laboratories.
Commercialization Co-ops
Description
Center for Research Innovation
Northeastern University
900 Renaissance Park
360 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
617 373 8810
[email protected]
www.northeastern.edu/cri
doc_989572074.pdf
In this such a brief criteria concerning cri staff has prior entrepreneurial experience.
Creating Impact from University Innovations.
Northeastern University’s Center for Research
Innovation (CRI) is an impact-driven initiative
bridging the gap between laboratory research
and need-based solutions. The CRI serves as
the University-wide portal between industry and
leading-edge innovations from Northeastern’s
use-inspired research portfolio. A majority of
the CRI sta? has prior entrepreneurial
experience, creating an agile and responsive
team focused on the translation of University
innovations into tangible solutions through
licenses, spin outs and collaboration. The CRI's
dedication to establishing ongoing dialogue with
industry informs Northeastern’s progressive
research, enabling a productive balance
between exploration and implementation.
Our Mission
With a generous gift from alumnus Richard D’Amore (’76), the Center for
Research Innovation was formed in 2011, based on D’Amore’s vision of
accelerating impact from Northeastern innovations. With innovation as the
catalyst, and entrepreneurship as a mindset, the Northeastern landscape is
rich with opportunities for manifesting D’Amore’s vision.
It seems hard to believe that a year has passed since the start of the Center for
Research Innovation (CRI). It was a busy year of reorganizing, establishing
relationships, and creating a plan to optimize the e?ect of CRI resources. In its
?rst year of operation, CRI focused its e?orts on restructuring the technology
transfer operation to provide a high level of service and developed pilot
programs and events to ful?ll our mission of accelerating impact from
Northeastern’s innovations.
In the following pages you will see a snapshot of what has been achieved
together in the CRI’s ?rst year of operation within the Northeastern
community. Whether it is faculty members with a desire to see their
innovations to market, successful alumni entrepreneurs mentoring the next
generation of Northeastern entrepreneurs, or students whose passion for
new ventures reaches every corner of the campus, the CRI facilitates
connections for value-creation around commercialization. As such, the CRI
cannot claim its successes as purely its own; the achievements we are
celebrating are a direct result of the collective drive, vision and determination
of our University’s community as a whole.
This year was only the beginning. We approach FY13 with great excitement as
we launch new programs, continuing to grow our CRI services. Northeastern
University continues to build momentum and the Center for Research
Innovation team is inspired in its mission, energized to accelerate the
advancement of University innovations into applied solutions.
Tracey Dodenho?
Director
Commercialization
Process
Research
Scouting
Invention Disclosure Form
Assessment
Protection
Commercialization
Reinvest in
Commercialization
Revenue
Marketing
License to Existing Business
or Assist Formation of a
Spin Out Business
Commercialization is the process of
translating innovative research into
high-impact solutions through industry
relationships and/or spin out vehicles.
Our Team
Over the course of the past year, the CRI has established key operating milestones, including: a fully-sta?ed o?ce
with a combination of entrepreneurial and intellectual property experience, a patent database, electronically
archiving historical intellectual property ?les as well as establishing processes for ensuring data integrity with new
intellectual property ?lings, a re-branded website with resources and connections to innovations available to license,
and an operations manual to ensure continuity of service for the Northeastern community.
For the ?rst time in 2012, the CRI benchmarked the technology
spin outs from Northeastern. Spin out companies are a key
element for manifesting innovations in the marketplace. The
programs that the CRI is spearheading are engineered to
accelerate the pace of spin out activity, involving partnerships
across the colleges and alumni and student organizations.
SUCCESSFUL SPIN OUTS IN 2012
5
A total of 13 Northeastern spin outs have
been recorded in the last 5 years, 38% formed
during the ?rst year of CRI operations.
SPIN OUT
SPOTLIGHTS
3-Spark
Zephyr Energy Corp.
Embedded Electronics Lead Assembly (EELA)
technology gives 3D print users the unique
ability to design and fabricate parts with
custom sensors and electronics embedded
inside. The technology can be delivered as a
stand-alone add-on unit or integrated into
future 3D printers.
• Easily add intelligence to devices
• Sense de?ection inside small or thin shapes
• Medical braces and orthotics
• Hydraulic impellers
• UAV circuitry in wings
• Small mobile robots
• Build custom devices with sensors
• Custom medical rehab tools
• Computer-interface devices
• Consumer home products and toys
• Defense
• Educational tools for engineering
and science
Develop and commercialize a non-rotating wind
energy generator (NRWEG). The NRWEG system
uses wind energy to induce oscillations in a
suspended horizontal beam. This reciprocating
motion is used to generate electricity via
magnetic induction.
This device has numerous advantages over
traditional wind generators, including its lower
wind speed requirement, compact design, and
safe operation. The NRWEG’s radical design is
also less visually obtrusive, easier to deploy and
maintain, and less susceptible to airborne threats
(e.g. bird debris) than rotating wind turbines.
88%
INCREASE
Invention disclosures are where the glimmer of impact
begins. They represent the identi?cation of a new
approach to a problem, and are the lifeblood of any
innovative and entrepreneurial ecosystem. The CRI has
made a dedicated e?ort to ensure that the disclosure
process is transparent for inventors, and the e?ort has
manifested in a dramatic increase in disclosure rates.
This is important to the CRI, as we are beginning to
properly address the needs of the research community
at the University. It is important to the broader
Northeastern community, as it increases our ability to
accelerate the pace of innovation.
Invention Disclosures
107 57
FY11 FY12
A patent application is the ?rst “line in the sand” regarding inventorship. Our new sta? includes a licensed patent
attorney, making the cost of ?ling an initial “Provisional Patent Application”* low enough that it can be incorporated as
part of our standard intake routine. This means that inventors have more options early on regarding publications,
collaborations, and discussions around their inventions without the risk of losing intellectual property.
Patent Applications Filed
105
35%
INCREASE
FY12
FY11
78
*For details on the types of ?lings, please visit the Intellectual Property Glossary
on the CRI website at www.northeastern.edu/research/cri/tech-transfer/ip-glossary
CRI has established a robust patent analysis
and commercialization review process as
standard operating procedure. The number of
patent applications that continue through the
process * will be focused on those having the
greatest chance of defensible patent
protection and commercial viability, optimizing
the value for both the inventor and the
University.
Quality Patents
Congratulations to our
Northeastern Inventors!
*For details on the patent application process, please visit the Intellectual Property Glossary on the CRI website at
www.northeastern.edu/research/cri/tech-transfer/tech-transfer-process
9/13/2011 Patent No. 8,016,893 Gear Bearing Drive
10/4/2011 Patent No. 8,031,514 Bistable Nanoswitch
10/4/2011 Patent No. 8,031,927 Medical Image Processing
12/13/2011 Patent No. 8,076,151 Ultra-Sensitive Temperature Sensing and Calorimetry
3/27/2012 Patent No. 8,142,370 Electro-Rheological Fluid Brake and Actuator Devices Using the Same
5/8/2012 Patent No. 8,172,577 System and Method for Knowledge Transfer with a Game
5/8/2012 Patent No. 8,173,628 Steroidal Antiestrogens and Antiandrogens and Uses Thereof
6/26/2012 Patent No. 8,206,267 Virtual Ankle and Balance Trainer System
6/26/2012 Patent No. 8,206,773 Nanoloom for Controlling Polymer Assembly
9/27/2011 Patent No. 8,025,607 Instrumented Handle and Pedal Systems for
Use in Rehabilitation, Exercise and Training Equipment
FY12 Issued Patents
Whether an innovation is commercialized through a spin out or an existing company, a license is the vehicle that enables the
business to invest, develop and monetize the invention. An option is a short period of time set aside for the negotiation of a
license agreement, generally resulting in a license agreement. Tracking the license and option agreements are an important part
of monitoring the success of the CRI over time. We begin this year with a benchmark in order to better see the results of our
commercialization e?orts as they manifest. Like tending a garden, the result of a well-managed license portfolio should start to
generate an uptick in license revenues within the next few years as licensees develop and launch in the commercial markets.
FIVE
Licenses & Options
$251,451 FY12
License
Revenue
Of active licenses, nearly 20% have been executed in FY12.
An Inter-Institutional Agreement, or IIA, is a critical underpinning to
e?ectively manage the budgetary and ownership aspects of intellectual
property. Universities and hospitals enter into an IIA when they
collaborate on research that produces intellectual property. The details
of the IIA lay out who will lead patent acquisition, the allocation of costs,
con?dentiality provisions, and who will share in any revenue. Failure to
execute an IIA leaves Northeastern University vulnerable to the
prospect of co-collaborators licensing the invention out from under the
University.
Inter-Institutional Agreement (IIA)
INCREASE FROM FY11 to FY12
x6
FY11 - 0 | FY12 - 6
GEW 2011
Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) is the world’s largest celebration of the
innovators and job creators who launch startups that bring ideas to life, drive
economic growth and expand human welfare. The initiative kicked o? in 2008,
launched by former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Carl Schramm, the
president and CEO of the Ewing Marion Kau?man Foundation. Since then, it
has grown to 115 countries—with nearly 24,000 partner organizations
planning more than 37,000 activities that directly engage more than 7 million
people.
The Center for Research Innovation not only hosts events during GEW, but
aggregates the entrepreneurial activity on campus to create one united event.
Global Entrepreneurship Week 2011 included 14 events across the week, nine
of which were hosted by CRI. The CRI events included breakfast learning
sessions and lunch workshops in topics such as venture funding, prototyping
and intellectual property strategies. The week was capped o? with an internal
kicko? event to introduce the Northeastern community to the CRI, featuring a
panel of successful entrepreneurs including a faculty member, two alumni and
a current student. In addition, the Founder and CEO of Quirky (a
crowd-sourcing consumer products ?rm with $40M in venture funding), Ben
Kaufman, provided the keynote address and participated in the panel
discussion. With approximately 250 people attending the CRI events over the
course of the week, GEW set the tone for the CRI as a resource and catalyst for
entrepreneurship around University innovations.
14
NORTHEASTERN
EVENTS
9
CRI HOSTED EVENTS
BEN KAUFMAN
CEO, QUIRKY
WWW.QUIRKY.COM
250
ATTENDEES AT
CRI EVENTS
RISE 2012
With a focus on the integration of innovation and entrepreneurship, the former
Research and Scholarship Expo provided a unique opportunity for rebranding
and expansion. Renaming the event to the Research, Innovation and
Scholarship Expo, or RISE, the CRI expanded the event to include an annual
showcase for Northeastern researchers and scholars to celebrate their
scholarly achievements and highlight innovations with commercial potential,
catalyzing the integrating entrepreneurial thinking into the presentation and
review.
RISE:2012 broke new ground with the participation of industry judges (50% of
the judges were investors, entrepreneurs and executives), the total number of
judges participating (up to 75 from 18 the previous year), the addition of “pitch”
training for the presenters, an online judging portal for the judges, the standard
poster format, and the sheer number of participants – a 30% increase from the
previous year with over 400 abstracts submitted. The presence of industry
judges motivated students to re?ne and polish their presentations, as
evidenced in the quality of their RISE pitches and high scores. This same
attention to quality carried over into all aspects of the event and has set a new
standard for the University, paving the path for accelerating commercialization
activity from student and faculty research innovations.
The event culminated in a separate awards ceremony, replacing printed
certi?cates with display-worthy trophies, and recognizing outstanding work
with $1,000 prizes for excellence in Research, Innovation, Scholarship and
Entrepreneurial Potential.
50%
INDUSTRY JUDGES
316%
INCREASE IN JUDGES
30%
INCREASE IN ABSTRACTS
2000+
ATTENDEES
Industry Engagement
The CRI has been actively positioning Northeastern as a resource for companies looking for external expertise and innovations.
Companies we have hosted for capability reviews include Johnson & Johnson, Parker Hanni?n, Northrop Grumann, P&G and
Novartis. We have also raised Northeastern’s visibility by attending industry events, such as BIO2012, the world’s leading biotech
event with over 20,000 attendees. Events like BIO can be very fruitful if managed well; Northeastern left the show with 50 leads,
and was the only university to have a video interview circulated to the 24,000 members of BIO. We were also the only university
featured on Astra Zeneca’s website highlighting the events at BIO. As with licenses, these relationships take time to develop into
engagements, but the CRI is well on its way toward realizing value from these connections.
Entrepreneurial Culture
The CRI is testing and piloting programs, many times acting as the catalyst to initiate a new program with a
partner entity. The following programs were piloted in FY12, and have realized measurable success. They are
providing the foundation for new programs that are being developed in FY13, which promise to continue to
demonstrate tangible outcomes.
Awarded Prototype Fund gifts of up to $2,500 to an individual or group to aid in making a prototype.
Prototype Fund
Description
CRI funded six awards, established the program and passed the baton to IDEA to continue within the Center
for Entrepreneurial Education. Supporting funds were given to IDEA to fund the program for three additional
rounds (nine awards).
Outcome
Partner
IDEA and Entrepreneurs Club
Partner
Various Student Organizations
CRI provided funding to student run programs to promote events and broaden entrepreneurial awareness on
campus, including Entrepreneurs Club and Husky Startup Challenge.
Entrepreneurial Support
Description
CRI funded two Audience Favorite Awards given to students at HSC and provided basic programmatic
expense support for student organizations throughout the ?scal year.
Outcome
CRI funded industry relevant proof-of-concept, coming from Northeastern laboratories.
Venture Catalyst Pilot Award
Description
As a result of the pilot Venture Catalyst funding, a spin out company was formed and went on to win an i-Corps
award as well as an SBIR award. This success provided the model for a broader Venture Catalyst Program being
piloted with the individual Colleges.
Outcome
Two pilot commercialization co-ops helped move technologies closer to an industry relevant
proof-of-concept. This contributed to value creation and tangible commercialization progress, including
recruitment of a spin out CEO, recruitment of mentoring teams, and further validation of the technology’s
relevance in the market.
Outcome
Partner
Provost
Partner
Various Colleges
CRI funded cooperative education students to help with commercialization of concept from Northeastern
laboratories.
Commercialization Co-ops
Description
Center for Research Innovation
Northeastern University
900 Renaissance Park
360 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
617 373 8810
[email protected]
www.northeastern.edu/cri
doc_989572074.pdf