Office of Economic Development University of South Carolina Taking a leading role in Economic Development.

Office of Economic Development

University of South Carolina Taking a leading role in Economic Development

Office of Economic Development

Office of Economic Development

USC businessLINK was createdin October 2003 from five existing resources:

Office of Economic Development

CMAT IntellectualProperty

Industrial Agreements

USC Small BusinessDevelopment

Center

Incubator

USC businessLINK brings together:

USC Faculty

Office of Economic Development

What’s the benefit to you?

USC businessLINK streamlines your access to

faculty, staff, facilities and support services!

One call

One click

No delays

No hassles

No red tape

Office of Economic Development

USC businessLINK designed to support:

Small to medium manufacturers (CMAT)

Technology start-up companies (USC Columbia Technology Incubator)

Entrepreneurial/ Small business community (USC SBDC)

R&D Outsourcing (Industrial Agreements Unit)

Technology acquisition (Intellectual Property Office)

Office of Economic Development

Center for Manufacturing and Technology

Provides valuable technological, workplace,

business and training solutions to smaller

South Carolina manufacturers

Utilizes USC facilities and the expertise of

USC faculty, students, and staff at a

cost savings to the these clients

Expands clients’ operational effectiveness,

and helps them gain higher levels of

competitiveness

Office of Economic Development

Industrial Agreements Unit

Supports industrially sponsored programs and research with dedicated staff to negotiate:

Research Agreements

Master/Umbrella Agreements

SBIR/STTR Agreements

Intellectual Property Allocation Agreements

Material Transfer Agreements

Non-Disclosure Agreements

Clinical Trial Agreements

Teaming Agreements

Office of Economic Development

USC Columbia Technology Incubator

Home to student and non-student companies, and “Landing Parties” (established companies relocating to South Carolina or opening office in Columbia)

Requires a close working relationship with USC or Midlands Technical College

Provides opportunity for USC faculty, staff, and students to commercialize their ideas

Office of Economic Development

USC Small Business Development Center

Provides generally fee-free business counseling:

to existing business owners

to those wishing to start a business

One-on-one consultation

Special interest seminars

Information referral services

Supported with federal, state, and private funds

Office of Economic Development

Intellectual Property Office

Supports USC’s intellectual property

portfolio with:

Technology Assessments

Commercialization Planning/Implementation

Intellectual Property Protection and Management

Intellectual Assets and Resources Marketing

Invention Disclosure Management

License Negotiation & Management

Office of Economic Development

USC businessLINK is the right resource for today’s business environment

Trends - More companies outsourcing R&D

Expertise - Faculty possess specialized skills/talents

Workforce - Growth firms need trained workers

Equipment Needs - Companies do not want to buy

expensive, rarely used instrumentation

Culture - Companies want to locate in areas with

strong cultural environment.

Office of Economic Development

USC businessLINK supports South Carolina Competitiveness Initiative

Harvard Professor Michael Porter's study on South Carolina's competitive posture calls for increased support for start-ups and local firms, creation of new institutions focused on upgrading the local business environment, and more investments in research.

USC businessLINK supports all of these initiatives

Office of Economic Development

How are we doing that?

Marketing USC’s vast resources

to the business and economic development

communities

Streamlining the business and economic

development connection to those

USC resources

Increasing USC’s public-private partnerships

Office of Economic Development

What have we done so far?

Worked with almost 5,000 clients

Helped create or save more than 5,400 jobs

Supported business investments statewide totaling Over $207.4 million

Received over $32.6 million in industrial sponsored research revenue and almost $1.3 million in royalties

Office of Economic Development

What are we doing right now?

Working with more than 100 businesses

up and down the East coast (including

Fortune 500 manufacturers, individual

entrepreneurs, and venture capital firms)

Working with State agencies

Working on lean manufacturing, marketing and

business development, capacity utilization,

technology transfer, R & D, etc.

Office of Economic Development

What are we going to do going forward?

Strengthen public attitudes about USC’s support for area business community and economic development efforts

Provide research, development and support services, and resources that can produce a higher level of business competitiveness

Enhance private sector recruitment efforts

Office of Economic Development

You’ve got business challenges. We’ve got business solutions.

Call, Click, Connect…

Toll-free at 1-866-756-2883

www.uscbusinesslink.com

Office of Economic Development

You’ve got business challenges. We’ve got business solutions.

Or visit our new office in Downtown Columbia:

South Trust Tower

1201 Main Street

Lobby Level