Industrial Outreach - Section in Development
MRSEC industrial outreach programs vary considerably from one center to another. Center Directors, staff and faculty are generally available to discuss potential collaborations, interactions and partnerships. Involvement in MRSEC activities by industrial scientists and engineers benefits those organizations in many ways. Besides access to the latest scientific discoveries and innovations in the Universities, research programs can often be jointly designed to address issues of mutual interest. Getting to know the students through collaborative interactions prior to being available on the job market also gives the company a considerable edge in hiring the best talent. Indeed, the majority of MRSEC trained students and postdocs are hired by industrial R&D or manufacturing organizations. Since the MRSECs attract faculty that are interested in interdisciplinary and (collaborative research, it is easy to interact with an entire community of researchers through the MRSEC and to build external relationships with faculty inclined to forming partnerships. Many individual MRSEC faculty members are available for consulting and other arrangements as well.
Industrial Partnerships
The MRSECs are actively engaged with industry to stimulate and facilitate knowledge transfer and strengthen links between University based research and its applications. Many different programs have been locally developed to address specific needs and opportunities. Individual activities may include:
- Affiliate programs
- Funding from the Nanoelectronics Research Initiative
- Industrial externships
- Joint development/use of Shared Equipment Facilities
- Joint seminar series/workshops
- Licensing opportunities
- Other partnerships
- R&D programs
- SBIR/STTR or other funding
- Startup Companies
- Visiting scientist/engineer programs
Industry Highlights [more]
June 02, 2009 :: Flexible RF Inductors by Transfer Printing
Large area electronics fabricated on flexible substrates, generally plastic sheets, are attractive for potential low manufacturing costs, the possibility of incorporating disparate types of materials, and applications such as large area displays and electronic paper. Complex integration approaches, especially multilayer structures, can be difficult as many tools are not compatible with the plastics. Maryland MRSEC researchers collaborating
March 09, 2009 :: Fundamental MIT MRSEC research enables life-saving technology
Technology based on fundamental studies carried out within our MRSEC is now saving lives at hospitals across the country: over 175 novel endoscopic surgical procedures per week are being carried out across 250 medical facilities in the U. S. using high-power laser radiation delivered by OmniGuide photonic fibers.
May 15, 2008 :: BASF Advanced Research Initiative at Harvard
BASF, a major international chemical company headquartered in Germany, has established a major research initiative at Harvard, the BASF Advanced Research Initiative, that will provide up to $4M/yr in research support.
April 07, 2008 :: Materials Research Outreach Program (MROP)
The annual 3-day program is held in late January to showcase the materials research capabilities of UCSB. The MROP has evolved from a polymer-focused program to a broad materials-themed event over the past 6 years, and features a combination of “latest and greatest” research presentations by UCSB senior students, post-docs, and faculty as well as featured guest
March 14, 2008 :: Printed Organic FETs on Plastic
In a collaboration with an industrial manufacturer of aerosol jet printers (Optomec, Inc.), Lodge, Frisbie, and their students have demonstrated successful low voltage operation of an array of ion-gel gated OFETs printed on flexible polyimide substrates. Every component of the OFETs was printed—the metal electrodes (gold colloidal ink), the semiconductor (poly(3-hexylthiophene), and the gate insulator (the new ion gel material).