WSU commercializing on student, faculty expertise

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FAIRBORN —

Local entrepreneurs are being encouraged to explore new partnerships with Wright State University to create businesses based on research conducted by faculty. The effort is part of a statewide push to bolster the state’s economy by creating new products, technologies and companies out of the $2 billion Ohio universities do annually in research.

Now, “a very, very small, minute amount” of that $2 billion results in commercialization, and quality jobs for Ohioans, said Wright State President David Hopkins.

That is because there are “too many roadblocks” for companies wanting to work with institutions of higher education, said Vinod Gupta, a member of the Ohio Board of Regents who led a task force that produced the “Advancing Ohio’s Innovation Economy” report.

Wright State is working to change that trend with unique relationships, such as sharing a faculty member with Dayton-based Mound Laser & Photonics Center for research and development. Wright State has also partnered with Jim Leftwich, former director of the Ohio Department of Development, to leverage his expertise. Additionally, the school is partnering to create a for-profit company that will take Wright State’s intellectual property to market, Hopkins said.

Read more at DaytonDailyNews.com