Tag: entrepreneurs

  • New Treatment Fixes Tooth Decay Without Drilling

    Researchers at University of Leeds in the U.K. have developed a way of treating dental decay that reverses the damage caused by acid and re-builds teeth, without drilling. The technology developed at Leeds has been licensed to a company in Switzerland for commercialization. Dental cavities are caused by a process that begins with bacteria, which…

  • Human Energy Harvesting Technology Developed, Commercialized

    Engineers at University of Wisconsin in Madison have created a technology that harvests and converts energy from normal human activities like walking into electrical power for portable electronic devices. The work of Tom Krupenkin and J. Ashley Taylor appears in a paper in the journal Nature Communications, and is the basis of a company formed…

  • University 2010 Start-Ups, Patents Rise; Licensing Stalls

    The number of start-up companies and U.S. patents applied for and issued based on research at American universities gained in 2010 compared to 2009, according to the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), an organization of technology transfer specialists. However, the licensing of those findings and creation of new products leveled off or fell in…

  • Ultrathin Electronic Patch Devised for Medical Applications

    Engineers in the U.S., Singapore, and China have developed a technology platform that makes possible electronic medical functions such as sensing or diagnostics in an ultrathin patch worn directly on the skin. The team that developed this technology, led by John Rogers of University of Illinois in Champaign, published its findings in this week’s issue…

  • To Grow Economies with Small Businesses, Think Local

    Economists at Pennsylvania State University have found that small, locally owned businesses and start-ups tend to generate higher incomes for people in a community. Stephan Goetz and graduate student David Fleming from the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development at Penn State published their findings in the August issue of the journal Economic Development Quarterly…

  • Univ. Research Leads to Mobile Transaction Security Advances

    Research by Georgia Institute of Technology engineering faculty has led to a new layer of security on transactions by mobile phones. The work of engineering professor Steven McLaughlin is also being commercialized by Whisper Communications, a company he co-founded to take the technology to market. The ability of smart phones and other mobile devices to…

  • Grad Student Develops Process to Recycle Paper Mill Waste

    A graduate student at Hebrew University in Israel has developed a method for converting paper mill sludge into eco-friendly industrial foams. Shaul Lapidot (pictured right), a Ph.D. candidate in agriculture, also started a company that licensed the technology and plans to take the process to market. A paper mill uses wood fibers long enough to…

  • Wireless Bridge Safety Sensor Developed, Commercialized

    An engineer at University of Maryland in College Park has developed a wireless, self-powered safety sensor for bridges, and started a company to take the device to market. Electrical engineering researcher Mehdi Kalantari says the sensor can provide public works authorities with an effective structural monitoring system for bridges at about 1 percent of the…

  • NSF Unveils Innovation Corps to Extend Innovation Impact

    National Science Foundation launched today its Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program, a public-private partnership to help turn scientific and engineering discoveries into useful technologies and products. I-Corps expects to support up to 100 projects at $50,000 a project. In I-Corps, NSF will ask members of the private sector to share their knowledge and experience with I-Corps…

  • 2011 Q2 VC Funding Up for Life Sciences, CleanTech Stalls

    Venture capital (VC) funds and the number of VC deals increased in the second quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter, with companies in the life sciences and semiconductors among those reaping the benefits. The data were collected by Thomson Reuters and published in the MoneyTree Report from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and the National Venture…