New Online Platform Drives Innovation by Connecting Ohio鈥檚 Research Universities with Industry
A new online research portal will more efficiently deliver research and innovation opportunities to both industry and Ohio鈥檚 academic institutions, facilitating partnerships, expanding workforce and funding opportunities, and fostering economic development throughout the region.
The Ohio Innovation Exchange (OIEx), launched today by the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE), connects industry with faculty, students, equipment, and facilities available at Ohio鈥檚 research universities. OIEx consolidates these academic resources from multiple universities into a single, searchable, and easily accessible web portal at . OIEx provides extensive search functionality and an intuitive interface that allows visitors to:
- Find relevant experts and suitable potential collaborators
- Explore each institution鈥檚 publications, patents, and equipment
- Connect with the OIEx network of industry liaisons to find more information and create relationships with researchers and institutions
An initiative of ODHE and built by research technology company Digital Science, OIEx was originally developed by four Ohio universities with industry support from the Ohio Manufacturing Institute. OIEx is now a publicly available platform that, in its current phase, provides industry in search of expertise with free access to more than 8,250 faculty members and 900 resources from the following universities:
- Case Western Reserve University
- Cleveland State University
- The Ohio State University
- Ohio University
- The University of Akron
- The University of Cincinnati
From research partnerships, intellectual property, and technology licensing opportunities to business development and even student internships, OIEx brings those connections to bear, and the scope of OIEx will expand further as other institutions join.
鈥淚t is critical to our state鈥檚 economy that we utilize every aspect of our knowledge and innovation talent across the public and private sectors鈥 said ODHE Chancellor John Carey. 鈥淲e鈥檙e incredibly proud of what we鈥檝e created with OIEx - better connecting the experts and resources at our state research universities to the industries that can utilize them to push their breakthrough ideas to fruition.鈥
鈥淲e have experienced much success working with universities to advance our research and product initiatives,鈥 said Margaret Barkett, associate director, the Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 not always obvious who we should partner with, so making those connections in a timely manner can be difficult. We鈥檙e excited to use OIEx to jump-start these partnerships, and our own innovations.鈥
鈥淥hio University is thrilled to join in the launch and successful operation of the Ohio Innovation Exchange. As a development partner since its inception, we believe, now more than ever, that OIEx represents a best-in-class solution to connect the resources of Ohio鈥檚 universities to the private sector,鈥 said Kevin King, director of industry partnerships at Ohio University. 鈥淢y office stands ready, as part of the OIEx Rapid Response Team, to ensure portal users are able to effectively link to Ohio University assets and translate their queries into valuable collaborations.鈥
鈥淥hio University鈥檚 ecosystem of innovation, research and entrepreneurship is a perfect fit for the Ohio Innovation Exchange,鈥 Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis said. 鈥淥hio University, its students and alumni added $2.9 billion to the state鈥檚 economy in 2016-17, and we look forward to increasing that further through the partnerships that will stem from the Exchange.鈥