Faculty Accomplishments

 

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MARTEKMartek Biosciences, a company that made extensive use of Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech) venture-building and biotechnology programs during its early stages, entered an agreement on December 21 to be acquired by the Dutch company Royal DSM NV for $1.1 billion. An early portfolio company in Mtech's Technology Advancement Program (TAP) incubator, Martek also leveraged Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) funding to determine how to best to scale-up its microbial processes through Mtech's Bioprocess Scale-Up Facility (BSF; see below).

Paice, LLCPaice LLC, an Mtech Technology Advancement Program (TAP) incubator graduate company formed in 1992 to develop hybrid vehicle technology that promotes lower emissions, superior driving performance and fuel-efficient operation of internal combustion engines, has reached a settlement with Toyota after six years of patent disputes. Toyota agreed to license all 23 of Paice's domestic and foreign patents, the last of which expires in 2019. Terms of the licenses remain confidential. Paice LLC and Ford Motor Company entered into an agreement for the license of Paice's breakthrough 1994 hybrid vehicle patent (U.S. Patent 5,343,970). The terms of this license are also confidential.

DSCSDataStream Content Solutions LLC, a graduate of the Mtech Technology Advancement Program (TAP) incubator and a leading provider of federal legislative and regulatory data and advanced content management systems to information businesses, publishers and governments, was acquired by the Dolan Company on December 1.

Squarespace, Inc. and Lurn, Inc.Squarespace Inc. and Lurn Inc., two companies founded by former Hinman CEOs students while in the program, have been named to the Inc. 500 list of the country's fastest growing companies for the second straight year. Squarespace is an industry-leading Web publishing platform founded by UM alumnus Anthony Casalena '05. The company reported $5.4 million in revenue for 2009, with a 713 percent three-year growth rate. Lurn offers a broad range of e-learning technologies and services. The company reported $7.1 million in revenue for 2009, with a 609 percent three-year growth rate.

MIPSMtech's Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program (MIPS) awarded $3.3 million to 16 teams of Maryland companies and faculty members developing commercially promising technology products. Funding supports research in the laboratories of participating University System of Maryland faculty, who work closely with partner companies to advance their products. All funding goes to the faculty members conducting the research and development on company products. The projects, which span the state of Maryland, include floating wetlands to clean the Chesapeake Bay, bolts that change color as they are tightened, faster Internet-via-satellite upstream, wireless sensors for monitoring home energy use, bioremediation for restaurant oil, and a backup mass-emergency electrical system. Treatments, vaccines or tests for anthrax, malaria, influenza, staph infections and infertility were also included.

MTECHThe Mtech Bioprocess Scale-Up Facility, used by commercial clients, will double its facilities and staff, expand into Shady Grove, acquire new equipment, and create a pilot plant for biofuels in College Park through the support of a $200,000 Shared Resource Grant from the Maryland Biotechnology Center.

Techno-SciencesTechno-Sciences, Inc. and the Clark School have won two commercial development contracts from the Bell/Boeing and Boeing Phantom Works teams to support DARPA's Mission Adaptive Rotor Program. A team including Clark School Professor Norman Wereley (aerospace engineering) and principal investigator Curt Kothera of Techno-Sciences, a Clark School spin-off company, will lead analysis and component-level evaluations of pneumatic morphing technologies for the Bell/Boeing next-generation tiltrotor aircraft and Boeing Phantom Work's advanced, single-rotor attack helicopter. Vehicle integration and flight testing will follow over the next four years.

Carol Espey-WilsonOmniSpeech LLC, a company developing technology that mimics human perception to make speech clear in cellular and related communications, won the 2010 $50,000 SAIC-VentureAccelerator Competition. Developed by Professor Carol Espy-Wilson (ECE/ISR, pictured) and ECE alumnus and research associate Tarun Pruthi (M.S. '03 and Ph.D. '07, electrical engineering), OmniSpeech also won the grand prize in the Rockville (Md.) Economic Development Inc. (REDI) StartRight! Women’s Business Plan Competition. Professor Espy-Wilson was named a Maryland Daily Record Innovator of the Year.

FlexEl LLCFlexEl LLC, a company created by ECE faculty that is currently developing rechargeable, flexible, thin-film batteries, was named company of the year in the technology transfer category at the 2010 Maryland Incubator Company of the Year Awards.

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