US Army Corps of Engineers • Engineer Research and Development Center
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIEDDISCOVER | DEVELOP | DELIVER
Donald J. LeoCollege of EngineeringUniversity of Georgia
USACE Innovation SummitSeptember 17, 2019
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The “Push” and “Pull” of Innovation
US Army Corps of Engineers • Engineer Research and Development Center
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
SERVICE
RESEARCHTEACHING
What is Innovation? – The Public University Perspective2
Public U.
US Army Corps of Engineers • Engineer Research and Development Center
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
University Innovation Ecosystem3
Basic Research
Proof ofFeasibility
TechnologyDevelopment
TechnologyDemonstration
ProductDevelopment
Commercialization
BasicResearchGovernmentIndustrySelf-Funded
Applied ResearchIndustryGovernment
Research Parks
Innovation Hubs
Startup ActivityStudent/Faculty
University Intellectual Property
Licensing RevenuePublic U.“Marketplace”
US Army Corps of Engineers • Engineer Research and Development Center
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
How do universities measure innovation?• Creation of Intellectual Property
• Invention Disclosures• Patents
• Licensing Revenue• Number of Faculty and Student Startups• Economic Impact
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US Army Corps of Engineers • Engineer Research and Development Center
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
What are the major obstacles to innovation?5
Basic Research
Proof ofFeasibility
TechnologyDevelopment
TechnologyDemonstration
ProductDevelopment
Commercialization
BasicResearchGovernmentIndustrySelf-Funded
Applied ResearchIndustryGovernment
Research Parks
Innovation Hubs
Startup ActivityStudent/Faculty
University Intellectual Property
Licensing RevenuePublic U.“Marketplace”
How do we incentivize and
reward Innovation and Tech Transfer?
How to Teach Innovation?
It’s necessary for universities to do basic research
Lack of investment“The Valley of Death”
FinancialSustainability
Most university tech transfer must be subsidized
US Army Corps of Engineers • Engineer Research and Development Center
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
What are the major obstacles to innovation?6
Basic Research
Proof ofFeasibility
TechnologyDevelopment
TechnologyDemonstration
ProductDevelopment
Commercialization
BasicResearchGovernmentIndustrySelf-Funded
Applied ResearchIndustryGovernment
Research Parks
Innovation Hubs
Startup ActivityStudent/Faculty
University Intellectual Property
Licensing RevenuePublic U.“Marketplace”
How do we incentivize and
reward Innovation and Tech Transfer?
How to Teach Innovation?
It’s necessary for universities to do basic research
Lack of investment“The Valley of Death”
FinancialSustainability
Most university tech transfer must be subsidized
CULTURE
US Army Corps of Engineers • Engineer Research and Development Center
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
How can R&D-push and user-pull be coordinated?7
Basic Research
Proof ofFeasibility
TechnologyDevelopment
TechnologyDemonstration
ProductDevelopment
Commercialization
BasicResearchGovernmentIndustrySelf-Funded
Applied ResearchIndustryGovernment
Research Parks
Innovation Hubs
Startup ActivityStudent/Faculty
University Intellectual Property
Licensing RevenuePublic U.“Marketplace”
Faculty / Subject Matter Expert
Exchanges
Student Opportunities
Awareness of the tech transfer pipeline, possibly in conjunction public-private partnerships.
Robust Exchange of Information Technology Opportunities
US Army Corps of Engineers • Engineer Research and Development Center
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
What are the key challenges and opportunities for USACE?
• Creating sustainable partnerships with universities…• “Pulling” meaningful technologies, possibly in
conjunction with industry or the startup community.• “Pushing” the right information to universities so that
we are solving relevant problems.
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