01 3 2 | ORT P E L R A U ANN
From the Senior Vice President for Research & Innovation 2013 has been an exciting year for USF Research & Innovation. Our faculty continues to break new ground in the discovery of new knowledge, with increasing recognition nationally and internationally. We are proud to share with you some of the milestones, accomplishments and points of pride in research and innovation at the University of South Florida. n USF ranks 43rd in the nation for total research expenditures, among all U.S. universities, public or private (National Science Foundation 2012). n We rank 27th in total research expenditures among public universities (NSF 2012). n USF was awarded a record $413.6 million in research contracts and grants in FY2013. n Our College of Nursing ranks #1 in Florida and 24th among nursing schools nationwide to receive research funding from National Institutes of Health (NIH) in FY2012. n We rank among the top 15 in the Top 100 Universities Worldwide for U.S. Patents according to the Intellectual Property Owners Association/National Academy of Inventors (2012). n USF was in the top 15 for the number of startup companies and in the top 25 for the number of licenses and options, when compared to other U.S. universities in the most recent survey by the Association of University Technology Managers (2012). n Our Tampa Bay Technology Incubator (TBTI) is currently home to 42 resident and affiliate companies and growing. n In 2013, we launched two innovative programs that received national attention: the Seed Capital Accelerator Program for TBTIaffiliated companies based on USF technology to receive funding to help them get to market more quickly and the Revenue Incentive Patent Cost Sharing Program to allow participating inventors to receive an increase in net revenue from their inventions.
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n The National Academy of Inventors (NAI), founded at USF, has grown to over 3,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 200 U.S. universities and governmental and non-profit research institutions. n The USF Chapter of the NAI now has over 270 USF faculty, staff, students and alumni members, who collectively hold more than 1,400 U.S. patents. n In 2012-13, USF faculty were awarded 73 highly prestigious awards, including Carnegie Foundation/CASE U.S. Professor of the Year, the only 2 Sloan research fellowships awarded in Florida, 3 NSF CAREER awards, 5 NAI fellowships, and 4 Core Fulbrights, to name a few. n USF Faculty have received over 200 highly prestigious awards recognized by AAU, including a record 15 AAAS Fellows in 2012 and 6 AAAS Fellows in 2013. n USF ranked 5th among the country’s Best for Vets: Colleges 2014 (Military Times). Research, scholarship, discovery and a focus on driving innovation from the lab to the market are our touchstones, as we work with our local and state partners to drive economic development in Tampa Bay and Florida. Our success is the result of the dedication and commitment of our faculty, students, staff, colleges, departments, institutes, centers, leaders, colleagues and partners. We are proud to highlight and celebrate their accomplishments as we work together to build a better community, state, nation and world.
Paul R. Sanberg, Ph.D., D.Sc. Senior Vice President for Research & Innovation, USF System President, USF Research Foundation, Inc. Executive Director, Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair Distinguished University Professor
“
Research is what differentiates USF in both the State of Florida and on a national level. It is who we are. It is part of our DNA. We have achieved a great balance here at USF: we are both academic and entrepreneurial. Interdisciplinary collaboration has grown and inspired a culture of innova-
”
tion that defines our university. —
USF System President Judy Genshaft
USF Research & Innovation Paul R. Sanberg, Ph.D., D.Sc., Senior Vice President for Research & Innovation, USF System, and President, USF Research Foundation, Inc. Sudeep Sarkar, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Research & Innovation Valerie McDevitt, J.D., Associate Vice President for Technology Transfer and Business Incubation Lt. General Martin Steele, USMC (ret.), Associate Vice President for Veterans Research Rhonda Hendrix, Chief Operating Officer Rebecca Puig, Assistant Vice President, Sponsored Research and Research Financial Management Cheryl Byers, Assistant Vice President, Research Integrity & Compliance Robert Engelman, D.V.M., Assistant Vice President, Comparative Medicine Bill Baker, Ph.D., Director, Center for Drug Discovery & Innovation Patty Gamble, Chief Financial Officer & Director, USF Research Foundation
Photo: Aimee Blodgett | USF News
Allison Madden, Director, USF Research Foundation Operations
Dr. Paul R. Sanberg and President Judy Genshaft
USF Research & INNOVATION | Annual Report 2013 3
Annual Research Report
To Market, To
Market By ANN CARNEY | USF News
I
n September, an all natural skin protectant—similar to a liquid bandage but without the alcohol or acetone base—landed on the shelves at 856 Publix supermarkets. The Florida-based grocery chain was the second major retailer to stock the innovative spray-on product, called KeriCure, developed by USF alumna Kerriann Greenhalgh. Personal experience was the catalyst for the sting-free wound care product based on a novel polymer technology.
Just months into her USF Ph.D. program in 2004, Greenhalgh’s then-boyfriend nearly lost his hand when a cut between his thumb and forefinger became seriously infected. The experience made her realize there weren’t many over-the-counter wound care products available to keep people safe from infection. But it was Greenhalgh’s research in the laboratory, working with a nanoparticle drug delivery system, that made the organic chemist realize she could do something about it. “I was looking at the technology we had in the drug delivery system and found it was very similar to the skin; something clicked,” she says.
After graduating and accepting a position with a USF spinout, Greenhalgh continued tinkering with the product in a lab she set up in her garage. When the company where she was working announced plans to relocate, Greenhalgh elected to stay in Tampa, turning her focus full-time to the wound care product. By 2010, she’d achieved the perfect formulation. Even so, there was a lot Greenhalgh would have to learn to take her product to market. 28 USF MAGAZINE | www.usf.edu
4 USF Research & INNOVATION | Annual Report 2013
Photo: AIMEE BLODGETT | USF News
Working with USF chemistry professor Edward Turos, Greenhalgh focused her efforts on using the technology to develop a water-based topical product that could protect the skin.
USF alumna and KeriCure inventor Kerriann Greenhalgh in the lab.
USF MAGAZINE | Winter 2013 29
USF Research & INNOVATION | Annual Report 2013 5
“I was coming from a chemistry background with no business experience,” she says. That’s when she turned to USF Research & Innovation, where technology transfer—transferring research from the laboratory to the market—is a top priority.
Bringing Products to Market During the 2012-2013 fiscal year, USF launched nine new startup companies, executed 75 licenses and options for USF-developed technology, and received 185 invention disclosures from USF researchers—the first step toward filing a patent. It was a year of unprecedented growth for technology transfer at the university, one of only 63 public research
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universities in the nation named by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to its top tier for research productivity. Only 14 institutions in the nation had more start-ups than USF, and only 20 had more licenses and options, according to the most recent Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) survey. “We had a great year,” says Paul R. Sanberg, senior vice president for Research & Innovation, adding that the university earned an unprecedented $413 million in contracts and grants in the 2012-2013 fiscal year, and was issued 76 new U.S. patents. “We’re moving out of the ivory tower and into economic development. Translational research creates products that spin out to the community.”
Photos: AIMEE BLODGETT | USF News
USF was issued 76 new U.S. patents in the 2012-2013 fiscal year, according to Paul R. Sanberg, senior vice president for Research & Innovation, pictured with Valerie McDevitt, head of USF’s Technology Transfer Office.
“
Translational research creates products that spin out to the community.” – PAUL SANBERG
And those products create new jobs. Last year the university’s Tampa Bay Technology Incubator grew from 24 to 42 resident and affiliate companies that have generated more than 200 high-wage jobs in the region—jobs paying upwards of $65,000. “You have to have the product,” Sanberg says. “You have to be able to sell it; you have to be able to have an impact on the community.” For Greenhalgh, that meant working closely with USF’s Technology Transfer Office, led by Associate Vice President for Research & Innovation Valerie McDevitt, to obtain the necessary patents and licenses to protect the advanced platform polymer technology she developed with Turos, and secure funding to commercialize her line of wound care products with applications for the home, health care and veterinary settings. “USF understood it could make a really good product,” Greenhalgh says.
“They were really key in getting me in front of investors, especially in the beginning.” In 2011, Greenhalgh formed her company, KeriCure, Inc., with Turos as co-founder. Over the next year-and-a-half, the USF start-up raised $500,000 in private equity, received a $300,000 loan from the Florida Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research Seed Capital Acceleration Program, and was awarded a $32,500 matching grant from the Florida High Tech Corridor Council.
Research Contracts & Grants
2
And it was a final step in the research life cycle, where the journey to develop, protect and commercialize discoveries in the laboratory comes full circle.
Supporting the Research Life Cycle USF Research & Innovation supports researchers through every phase of the research cycle: securing funding,
Two months after the product’s launch in May 2013, KeriCure received its first purchase order from the Atlanta Division of Kroger, a commercial retailer with 200 stores in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and South Carolina. It was a major milestone for KeriCure, which today has five employees and eight interns, has created local jobs by
The Research Life Cycle
1
outsourcing manufacturing and distribution to companies in Tampa, and continues to share a strong relationship with the university.
Intellectual Property
KeriCure prototype and commercial product now available in stores.
3
Start-up Companies
4
Business Technology Incubator
5
Research Park
USF Research & INNOVATION | Annual Report 2013 7
“
We’re educating and promoting innovation, and the end result is products, jobs and technologies for the betterment of the community.”
protecting and developing intellectual property, establishing start-up companies, incubating new businesses and locating incubator companies in the university’s research park for continued growth and development. “It’s a natural trend of universities becoming more entrepreneurial,” Sanberg says, enumerating the benefits of technology transfer, including revenue generation, increased opportunities for funding, student success, faculty recruitment and retention, public benefit and economic development. “Research and innovation are prized here,” he says. “When prospective faculty come here they want to interview the research office, the technology transfer office and other faculty inventors.”
– PAUL SANBERG
Sanberg’s office has spent the last year celebrating the spirit of innovation at all levels of the university, from students to distinguished university professors. In the past 18 months, USF faculty have received more than 70 highly prestigious awards, including a record 15 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) fellowships and the only two Sloan research fellowships awarded in Florida.
In November, USF launched its Student Innovation Incubator, in partnership with USF CONNECT, the USF Center for Entrepreneurship, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council and Hillsborough County. The new incubator provides workspace and a collaborative business environment for USF students from all graduate and undergraduate disciplines to create and grow new businesses.
The National Academy of Inventors, founded at USF, today boasts more than 3,000 individual inventor members and fellows from more than 200 universities and governmental and non-profit research institutions. And plans are under way for a USF-sponsored Florida Inventors Hall of Fame.
Promoting Innovation USF grad and student inventor Alexei Novitzky presented his SkateCase (now called BriefSkate) at the Smithsonian Institution in December. The innovative skateboard doubles as a backpack and can transport a laptop, books, cell phone and more.
“We’re educating and promoting innovation, and the end result is products, jobs and technologies for the betterment of the community,” Sanberg says, adding that the more than $400 million in research grants and con-
USF grad and student inventor Alexei Novitzky presents his BriefSkate at the opening of the Student Innovation Incubator at the USF Research Park.
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Photo: AIMEE BLODGETT | USF News
Patented when Novitzky was still a graduate student, the invention first made its way to Washington, D.C., in 2012 for a conference on university innovation and entrepreneurship. USF President Judy Genshaft presented the one-of-a-kind skateboard as one of the wide range of products USF students are creating through the university’s ambitious focus on invention and patenting.
tracts awarded to USF this year could translate into as many as 8,000 new jobs—many going to students who will gain valuable experience to complement their studies.
Driving Economic Development “We’re creating a lot of economic growth,” he says. And that’s why Sanberg and his team are making a concerted effort to let the community know USF is eager to develop strategic partnerships. Along with new programs, including a ground-breaking revenue incentive program that allows inventors to partner with the university to earn more from their licensed inventions, and a seed capital accelerator program that allows Tampa Bay Technology Incubator affiliates to receive up to $50,000 in funding to quickly overcome immediate obstacles to commercialization, the university is rolling out the welcome mat to the Tampa Bay business community. The university has consolidated administrative space for its research operations; increased space for its highestfunded researcher, Jeffrey Krischer; turned the spotlight on innovation with electronic signage and television screens around the park; opened Cafe Connect to foster networking and collaboration between researchers and businesses; and increased the size of the Tampa Bay Technology Incubator. “If you’re a research university, you should look like one. You should act like one and the community should see you as a key player,” Sanberg says. “We have an impact on creating jobs. We want to show the community we’re open for business.” n
Spotlight on Innovation Celebrating the spirit of discovery is a major focus of USF Research & Innovation. Meet this year’s winners of the annual Outstanding Research Achievement Awards, recognizing faculty members for outstanding publications, awards and grants, and the Excellence in Innovation Awards, recognizing faculty who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in innovation and translational research. 2013 Excellence in Innovation Award Recipients Babu Joseph, Ph.D., Professor, & John N. Kuhn, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering Mark L. McLaughlin, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
2013 Faculty Outstanding Research Achievement Award Recipients Cesario Borlongan, Ph.D., Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, and Director of the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair, Morsani College of Medicine Chad Dickey, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine and Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute Benjamin Djulbegovic, M.D., Ph.D., Distinguished Professor and Director, Division of Evidence-Based Medicine and Health Outcomes Research, Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine David A. Eddins, Ph.D., CCC-A, Associate Professor of Communication Sciences & Disorders and Chemical & Biomedical Engineering, Colleges of Behavioral & Community Sciences and Engineering Earl McCoy, Ph.D., Professor of Integrative Biology, College of Arts and Sciences
Merry Lynn Morris, MFA, Instructor, School of Theatre and Dance, College of The Arts Meredeth A. Rowe, Ph.D., Professor and Endowed Chair of Nursing, College of Nursing
Wilbur Kearse Milhous, Ph.D., Professor, Global Health Infectious Disease Research Program and Associate Dean of Research, College of Public Health Steven A. Murawski, Ph.D., Population Dynamics/Marine Ecosystem Analysis Professor, Downtown Progress Peter Betzer Endowed Chair, Biological Oceanography, College of Marine Science Frances L. Ramos, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History, College of Arts and Sciences Alison Salloum, Ph.D., LCSW, Associate Professor of Social Work, College of Behavioral & Community Sciences, with a joint appointment in Pediatrics, Morsani College of Medicine John Skvoretz, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, College of Arts and Sciences Ira Sukrungruang, MFA, Associate Professor of English, College of Arts and Sciences Story first appeared in USF Magazine | Winter 2013
USF Research & INNOVATION | Annual Report 2013 9
Fellows of Science USF was among the top 10 organizations worldwide with six AAAS Fellows named in Photo: Judy Lowry
2013
(front) Gordon Fox, Mark Goldman, Robert Byrne, (top) Daniel Lim, Cindy Munro, Sudeep Sarkar
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n November 2013, six distinguished University of South Florida faculty members were elected as Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal, Science: n Dr. Robert H. Byrne, Distinguished Research Professor of Marine Science n Dr. Gordon A. Fox, Associate Professor of Integrative Biology n Dr. Daniel V. Lim, Distinguished University Professor of Cell Biology, Microbiology & Molecular Biology n Dr. Mark Stuart Goldman, Distinguished University Professor of Psychology n Dr. Cindy L. Munro, Professor of Nursing and Associate Dean for Research & Innovation n Dr. Sudeep Sarkar, Professor of Computer Science & Engineering and Associate Vice President for Research & Innovation
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Election as a Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers. The Association of American Universities (AAU) recognizes AAAS Fellows as an indicator of the distinction of an institution’s faculty. AAAS awarded fellowship to a total of 388 members in 2013 for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. With six Fellows elected this year, USF ranked in the top 10 worldwide for organizations with the most AAAS Fellows in 2013. It is the second year in a row that USF has been in the top 10 worldwide, and #1 in Florida. The university boasts a total of 43 AAAS Fellows among its faculty. “The University of South Florida is proud of the research, scholarship and service accomplishments of these outstanding faculty members,” said Dr. Paul R. Sanberg, AAAS Fellow and Senior Vice President for Research & Innovation at USF. “Our faculty are the key to our continued growth and success as a global research university.” n
Incubating
Success
USF opens a new business incubator for student entrepreneurs
O
n November 19, 2013, the University of South Florida launched the new USF Student Innovation Incubator (SII) at the USF Research Park in Tampa. University and community leaders joined USF President Judy Genshaft to cut the ribbon and officially open the student incubator. “To me, there is nothing more exciting and gratifying than to see that inventive spirit grow in our students,” said Genshaft. “There is no greater reward for those of us who are educators than to see students take their ideas and turn them into tangible action.” Fifteen student-run companies were selected for the first cohort from more than 40 applicants. The students are from the Colleges of Engineering, Business, Arts and Sciences, the Morsani College of Medicine and the Patel College of Global Sustainability.
Dez Williams pours a sample of his AquaMelon Water at the Student Innovation Incubator opening
The Student Innovation Incubator was founded by two USF graduate students, Dez Williams and Keosha Poole. Williams, who will graduate with an MS in Entrepreneurship in 2014, is also the founder of AquaMelon Water, LLC, a watermelon consumer goods company that is one of the first incubator companies. Poole is a dual Masters student with the Patel College of Global Sustainability and the College of Business Center for Entrepreneurship. “The incubator helps turn students' business ideas into reality,” said Poole. Williams agreed: “Student ventures with scalable, commercial potential are given access to high-tech office space and paired with industry mentors, subject matter experts, and community corporate partners to develop business plans and market-testable products and services.” The Student Innovation Incubator provides a workspace and a unique collaborative business environment for USF students from all graduate and undergraduate disciplines to create, launch and grow new businesses. The incubator was developed by USF Research & Innovation’s business arm, USF CONNECT, in partnership with the USF Center for Entrepreneurship, Florida High Tech Corridor Council and Hillsborough County.
Photos: Aimee Blodgett | USF News
“We are excited to launch USF’s Student Innovation Incubator,” said Paul R. Sanberg, Senior Vice President for Research & Innovation. “Having a student incubator on campus provides access for our students to resources such as mentors, space, and business guidance, with the goal of facilitating entrepreneurship and promoting job growth in our region.” Keosha Poole, Hillsborough Commission Chair Mark Sharpe, Dr. Paul Sanberg, President Judy Genshaft, Tampa City Councilman Mike Suarez, Florida High Tech Corridor Council President Randy Berridge, and other university and community leaders open the Student Innovation Incubator
“USF students are already on the cutting-edge of innovation,” said Genshaft. “That is what this incubator is all about – I can only imagine the brilliant ideas that will grow here.” n
USF Research & INNOVATION | Annual Report 2013 11
By the Numbers
Research & Innovation 2013
Primary Sources of
Federal Funding FY2013
Funding by
Project Type FY2013
Department of Veterans Affairs Other DHHS
8%
7%
National Science Foundation
7%
Department of Defense
4%
Department of Transportation
4%
Additional Sponsored Activities
35%
Other Federal
Research
56%
National Institutes of Health
61% Training
9%
Research $233,847,138
National Institutes of Health $91,701,966
Training $36,894,022
Other DHHS $12,337,389
Additional Sponsored Activities $142,890,028
Department of Veterans Affairs $10,953,388
Total $413,631,188
National Science Foundation $10,601,817 Department of Transportation $5,864,685 Department of Defense $5,724,151 Other Federal $13,915,933
Total Federal $151,099,329
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9%
Sources of
External Funding FY2013
Federal Government
37%
State/Local Government
17%
Corporate
Other
8%
5% Private
Private Partnerships
55%
46%
Foreign Foundation
30%
State/Local Government $72,047,247
1%
University
1%
Private Partnerships $190,484,612 Federal Government $151,099,329
Total $413,631,188
USF Research & INNOVATION | Annual Report 2013 13
By the Numbers
Multi-Year Trends Issued U.S. Patents per Fiscal Year 100 80 60 40 20 0
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 16 22 23 23 29 31 31 37 67 91 98 76
Start-Up Companies per Fiscal Year 12
License Agreements per Fiscal Year 80
10 60
8 6
40
4
20
2 0
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 1 1 4 6 5 4 6 4 5 8 10 9
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0
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 13 7 11 20 21 23 28 25 37 36 52 75
Contract & Grant Awards per Fiscal Year Millions $450 $400 $350 $300 $250 $200 $150 $100 $50 $0 Federal %
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
44%
47%
48%
40%
48%
48%
52%
46%
40%
37%
Federal
$128.0
$134.5
$149.3
$121.9
$171.5
$184.6
$203.2
$180.3
$165.5
$151.1
Total
$290.1
$287.2
$310.2
$308.4
$360.1
$380.3
$394.1
$391.8
$411.1
$413.6
Research & Development Expenditures per Fiscal Year Millions $500 $450 $400 $350 $300 $250 $200 $150 $100 $50 $0
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
50%
53%
55%
54%
58%
61%
62%
63%
61%
53%
Federal
$106.1
$126.9
$142.6
$153.7
$158.4
$169.9
$190.9
$246.0
$245.4
$239.9
Total
$213.4
$240.0
$259.2
$285.9
$272.7
$278.4
$309.5
$390.8
$400.7
$451.3
Federal %
USF Research & INNOVATION | Annual Report 2013 15
USF Research & Innovation 3702 Spectrum Boulevard, Suite 165 Tampa, FL 33612-9445 813.974-5570 Fax: 813-974-4962 www.research.usf.edu
Published January 2014
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