TTU System Researchers Receive Commercial Development Grants
Office of Technology Commercialization completes first round of funding.
March 22, 2011 | Written by David McClure
The Texas Tech University System has announced four awards in the first funding round of its Commercial Development Grant Program. The $1 million, three-year program was announced last fall as a way to expedite the commercial development of ‘market-ready’ technologies created within the TTU System.
Researchers receiving commercial development grants are:
Dwayne Paschall from the School of Allied Health Sciences at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, to complete prototype development of a patented system which provides adaptive filtering of voice data using a multi-voice tracking system.
Mark Lyte from the School of Pharmacy at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, to develop a powdered formulation of a bacillus growth enhancer that can be used to improve the effectiveness of probiotics and for enhanced commercial enzyme production.
Robert Shaw from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Texas Tech University, for research expanding the application of patented aptamer technology to new enzyme targets in major areas of bacterial resistance.
Eric Hequet from the Fiber and Biopolymer Institute and Hamed Sari-Sarraf from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas Tech University for commercial development of a machine vision system that digitally measures the properties of stain release and material shrinkage in fabrics.
"We feel fortunate to have an internal grant program focused on the commercial development of our technologies,” said David L. Miller, vice chancellor for Research and Commercialization. “We believe that all four of these grant recipients have an excellent chance of moving their technologies to market, which will not only benefit the public but also provide an economic return for our research investment.”
The Commercial Development Grant Program provides researchers at the TTU System institutions with grants of up to $50,000 for the commercial development of their research. Early stage investment in these technologies helps attract the attention of private investors and venture capitalists, as well as state and federal agencies. The program is administered through the TTU System Office of Technology Commercialization.
About Office of Technology Commercialization
The Texas Tech University System Office of Technology Commercialization works with
university researchers to bring their discoveries and inventions to the marketplace.
The office works to protect the intellectual property developed through university
research and bring it to the public through licensing agreements and the creation
of start-up companies.