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A sticker developed at the University of Arizona changes color when fruit is ripe. It could hit store shelves in about a year.
Benjie sanders / arizona daily star 2006
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UA eyes flat federal funding
The University of Arizona ranked 21st among U.S. universities for the research funds it attracted and spent in fiscal year 2006, according to the most recent figures from the Association of University Technology Managers.
The UA spent $535.8 million on research in fiscal 2006, up from $530.2 million in the prior fiscal year, according to the association's report.
Schools that top the research expenditure ranks are noted for their academic excellence, and holding one of those top spots can "help attract the best students and best faculty," said Leslie Tolbert, the UA's vice president of research, graduate studies and economic development.
However, though figures are not yet completed, the UA's expenditures are likely to remain about the same for fiscal year 2007, Tolbert said.
"Many universities are going flat — federal funding is going flat. We're hoping we hold out at $536 million, though that may be optimistic," she said.
Indeed, federal funding for science and engineering research nationwide failed to outpace inflation in fiscal year 2006, according to a report from the National Science Foundation.
Federal research funding fell 0.1 percent in 2006, after adjusting for inflation.
University research depends on government funding, with 70 percent of all research expenditures at the UA coming from federal dollars.
University research spending
School fiscal 2006 spending (in millions)
1 University of California (systemwide) $3,036
2 Johns Hopkins University $1,757
3 Mass. Inst. of Technology $1,213
4 University of Washington $936
5 University of Wisconsin-Madison $832
6 Univ. of Illinois- Chicago, -Urbana $808
7 University of Michigan $797
8 State University of New York $725
9 Stanford University $699
10 Penn State University $657
21 University of Arizona $536
86 Arizona State University $132

Business

UA's research bears fruit, but struggle remains to maintain funding

By Michelli Murphy
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 01.16.2008
The University of Arizona improved on efforts to commercialize its technologies in several areas in 2007.
The most recent figures released by the UA show the number of patent applications, faculty invention disclosures and licensing agreements were up last year from fiscal year 2006.
But there were some setbacks, as patents issued and licensing income fell, according to figures from the UA Office of Technology Transfer.
The UA's tech-transfer chief said he's pleased with fiscal 2007 results that show a 23 percent increase in patent applications, an 18 percent increase in invention disclosures by faculty members and an uptick in the number of licensing agreements.
Patrick Jones, director of the UA Office of Technology Transfer, attributed the upward trends to rising faculty interest in commercialization and a stronger effort by his office to better serve the faculty.
The office has reached out to faculty toiling in the UA's labs, with seminars on the tech-transfer process and other outreach efforts.
But, with three full-time licensing associates and approximately nine full-time employees total, the tech-transfer staff is "very small for a university this size," Jones said.
Licensing income down in fiscal '07
For fiscal 2007, the UA's licensing income was $1.2 million, down from $1.7 million in fiscal year 2006.
Patents issued fell to 10 from 15 in fiscal 2006, while licensing income also dropped, according to the UA tech-transfer office. However, applications for patents grew to 125, from 102.
Many people had hoped to see more growth in the revenue numbers, Jones said.
"But it's the part of the process we can't control. In a sense, we're charging rent for access to the technology," he said.
UA had a busy year in another important area of tech commercialization — the formation of new startup companies spun off from university-owned technology. The Arizona Board of Regents approved three UA startups in fiscal 2007.
Among them was Climate Appraisal Services LLC, which offers customized reports on the environmental risks associated with any spot in the continental United States.
Academic research means little unless it's used to benefit the community, said Jonathan Overpeck, a UA geosciences professor and a junior partner and scientific adviser to Climate Appraisal along with two other UA faculty members.
That's why Overpeck and his colleagues teamed up with former banking executive David Purcell to launch Climate Appraisal Services.
The company's service is one way that scientific research is helping "citizens make decisions in their day-to-day lives," Overpeck said.
A UA startup launched in fiscal 2007 may be headed for your grocer's produce aisle.
RediRipe LLC has developed a sticker that changes color when a piece of fresh fruit or vegetable turns ripe.
Mark Riley, a UA associate professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering and a partner in RediRipe, said the company hopes to land its products on store shelves in about a year.
Taking the long view
While it can take years for an invention to go from the UA's labs to the marketplace, the staff of the tech-transfer office takes a long-term view of tech transfer, said Nina Ossanna, who works part time as the tech-transfer office's health science licensing associate and part time as the business director for the Bio5 Institute.
Faculty members are advised to proceed with the commercialization process only at the appropriate time — even if that means waiting, she said.
"We don't work for the numbers," she said, but rather do what's best for the technology.
The university recognizes how understaffed the tech-transfer office is, said Leslie Tolbert, the UA's vice president of research, graduate studies and economic development.
The UA has just approved the creation of one more licensing associate position, Tolbert noted.
The new staff member will split time between the tech-transfer office and the College of Optical Sciences, Tolbert said, citing the success of Ossanna's position with Bio5.
Future growth will depend on the state budget, she said. If the $44 million budget cut proposed by Republican lawmakers is approved, the Office of Technology Transfer is not likely to grow.
"If the governor prevails, there are exciting things we can do," Tolbert said.
● Contact NASA Space Grant intern Michelli Murphy at 573-4197 or at mmurphy@azstarnet.com — Michelli Murphy
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