Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer

Introduction

While FGCU is classified as a “comprehensive university” with primary emphasis on teaching, research has played a critical role in our growth and development and will continue to do so in the future. Since our inception, awards for research and sponsored programs have grown nearly five-fold, from just under $3 million in 1997-98 to an average of approximately $14 million annually over the last three completed fiscal years.

Unlike many comprehensive universities, FGCU made a commitment early on to support and encourage research. An appropriate infrastructure has been established, and FGCU is well positioned to continue in an upward trajectory in terms of funding and sophistication of research. The most recent indicator of research growth and sophistication occurred in January 2007 when FGCU filed its first U.S. patent application. Since this initial patent filing several other invention disclosures have been received by dedicated FGCU scientists and many have resulted in provisional patent applications.

FGCU is currently considering partners with an interest in licensing available technologies, and is seeking early stage investors to assist in developing and exploiting new intellectual property developed by FGCU scientists.

Real-world Examples of Research-driven Technologies

While most people understand that technology and innovation drive business, few truly understand that much of this innovation begins at research-performing universities, hospitals and institutes. 2011 Better World Report, published by the Association of University Technology Managers celebrates real-world examples of research-driven technologies. Academic technology transer--the process of protecting, licensing and commercializing these breakthroughs--enables companies to capitalize on innovative research advances and bring them to the marketplace. Some fascinating examples from the Report are:

How cow manure can be used to clean up soil;
How a teabag, activated carbon and a hair straightener can make an inexpensive water filter that could mean the difference between life and death;
How years of anonymous, often repetitive lab work built the foundation for a DNA microarray to monitor microbial populations--a breakthrough that could help detect a number of threats, from blow weapons to pathogens in the food supply; and
How students and their teachers build affordable, green modular homes and donate them to the community;
How a chance remark in a meeting led to a revolution in broadband technology; and
How a trip to the hardware store and a little ingenuity resulted in a more efficient tool to track disease-carrying insects.