(Posted 5-19-99)
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
N.C. A&T, UNCG SIGN JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT
FOR KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EFFORT
Dr. Patricia
Sullivan
|
Dr. Edward Fort
|
GREENSBORO -- An affiliation agreement to engage in joint
research and development projects, to be known as the Knowledge-Based
Economic Development initiative, was announced today by North Carolina
Agricultural and Technical State University and The University of
North Carolina at Greensboro.
The new initiative calls for creation of a center to allow
research faculty at both institutions to stimulate and conduct
scientific research in selected topical areas that has the potential
for generating new business ventures in the Triad. Chancellors of the
two universities signed the affiliation agreement during a press
conference held at the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce.
It was announced that the Weaver Foundation of Greensboro will
provide a portion of the center's initial funding. The foundation will
provide $100,000 annually for the first five years. UNCG and N.C. A&T
must match the amount with $100,000 each for the period.
As envisioned, the new initiative will provide research that
can lead to patents and to the creation of new businesses and
companies of the future.
Dr. Edward B. Fort, chancellor at N.C. A&T, said of the
affiliation: "Greensboro stands at the threshold of greatness. This
joint venture with A&T and UNCG perfectly positions the faculties of
these two excellent institutions for opportunities of cooperation in
the scientific research realm. The gains which these two campuses can
promulgate in this arena are far reaching and the birthing of this
concept represents extraordinary potential, economic development wise,
for the future.
"Our scientists from both campuses will come together and
develop new approaches to bettering mankind's existence on earth and
moving these concepts from the test tube status of laboratory
investigation to the technology transfer reality of expanded economic
development in the
Triad and beyond.
"The bottom line in this joint venture is jobs creation. We
will invent a new paradigm associated with defining the relationship
between joint ventured laboratory investigations and operationalizing
of technology transfer realities which dramatically change the manner
in which economic development begins and evolves in this city."
UNCG Chancellor Patricia A. Sullivan said: "This affiliation
agreement and its proposed center to focus on knowledge-based economic
development holds tremendous potential for both universities and for
the Triad. The plan behind this agreement is farsighted and bold. It
recognizes the high-quality research which takes place at UNCG and
North Carolina A&T and it will enable faculty members at both
institutions to collaborate in research that can help create the
businesses of tomorrow. The involvement of faculty and administrators
at both campuses in developing the plan is critical for our future
success.
"I am very appreciative of the leadership of John Lauritzen in
facilitating our collaborative work to date. He has kept us focused on
long-term objectives while respecting the academic decision-making
process.
"The potential of this agreement is great. Both institutions
are centers of research and information technology and each campus has
unique program strengths. We believe that the proposed center will
become a powerful force for economic development for the Triad. This
proposal underscores the tremendous importance of academic,
industrial, business and governmental collaboration in economic
development. We are very excited about the prospects for the center,
and are ready to move ahead on it."
As part of the agreement, the two universities will seek to
jointly establish a center with knowledge-based economic development
as its focus. Potential areas of research might include environmental
quality; molecular biology, cell biology and biochemistry; food and
nutrition; computing; materials; and human factors. The center's
purposes will be the following:
* Coordinate joint research and development projects involving
the faculty, staff and students of both universities;
* Seek external funding to enhance research and development of
transferable technologies;
* Seek and procure office and laboratory facilities as needed
for research and development activities;
* Facilitate partnering agreements with third parties;
* Coordinate the technology transfer process for the purpose
of stimulating economic development.
The agreement calls for the campuses to create a nonprofit
foundation to receive, hold and invest private monies, royalties and
private grants which may result from the research and development
activities of the center. Plans also call for hiring an executive
director of the center who will be responsible for planning and
implementing research projects. The director also will play a major
role in seeking external funding from federal, state, industry and
private agencies. In addition, an advisory board made up of prominent
individuals from business, industry, universities and government will
be formed.
Faculty members at UNCG and N.C. A&T will form research teams.
The teams will develop research proposals, seek funding from public
and private agencies, and conduct basic and applied research on
problems of regional, state and national importance. A site for the
facility has not yet been identified.
Both Chancellor Fort and Chancellor Sullivan played central
roles in planning the initiative and the center which will be formed.
Both indicated that similar initiatives have fostered economic
development in other cities.
Plans for the new initiative have been under way since 1997,
when Fort and Sullivan conceptualized the idea. They asked John
Lauritzen, former vice president of Lucent Technologies and head of
the board of directors of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce; Dr.
Edward Uprichard, UNCG provost; and Dr. Harold Martin, vice chancellor
for academic affairs at A&T, to work on the concept.
Planning activity intensified last fall, when a planning task
force was appointed. Its members included both chancellors; Lauritzen,
Uprichard and Martin; Dr. Ernestine Psalmonds, vice chancellor for
research at N.C. A&T; Charles McIntyre, vice chancellor for business
and finance at N.C. A&T; Phil Richman, UNCG vice chancellor for
business affairs; Lucien "Skip" Capone, university counsel at UNCG;
Dr. Robert Shepherd, interim vice chancellor for development and
university relations at N.C. A&T; Benjamin Rawlins, special assistant
to the chancellor for legal counsel at N.C. A&T; Dr. Richard L. "Skip"
Moore, UNCG vice chancellor for university advancement; Dr. Robert
Gatten, UNCG professor of biology; and Robert Swab, senior manager of
KPMG LLP.
UNCG Provost Dr. Edward Uprichard said: "This research
initiative signals the Piedmont Triad that N.C. A&T and UNCG intend to
play a leadership role in shaping knowledge-based economic development
in this area for the 21st century. It marks the beginning of a long
journey, but a journey that can be successful if the universities, in
partnership with business and industry and the community, can work and
think together in new ways. It will be challenging and exciting, but
not without risks. Clearly, this joint venture is a bold step forward
toward inventing the businesses of tomorrow and enhancing the quality
of life for the citizens of the Piedmont Triad."
Dr. Harold Martin, provost at N.C. A&T, said: "The proposed
Knowledge Based Economic Development initiative with A&T and UNCG is
an exceptional opportunity for both universities and our faculties as
we create a tremendous way to extract successful university research
and program ways to stimulate economic development throughout the
broader community. These types of collaborative efforts are becoming
a more important part of the expanded role for universities. A&T and
UNCG will essentially be serving as the catalyst to ‘grow new jobs'
and expand the economic development base for the community we serve."
In addition to the Weaver Foundation funding, officials at
UNCG and N.C. A&T are optimistic that additional funding for selected
research projects will come from federal and foundation grant support
and by contract relationships with industry and research
organizations.
N.C. A&T State University has an enrollment of more than 7,350
students and offers a broad range of programs at the undergraduate and
master's levels, and offers graduate studies leading to the Ph.D.
degree in electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. It
operates one of three engineering schools in the UNC system. The
total support which A&T gleans from federal and non-federal sources
for research amounts to $28 million.
UNCG, one of the three original institutions in the
Consolidated University of North Carolina, has an enrollment of almost
13,000 students. External grants and contracts totaled $18.4 million
at UNCG for 1997-98. UNCG has been a doctoral-granting institution
since the early 1960s. It now offers doctoral study in 15 areas and
has broad programs at the undergraduate and master's levels.
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