51社区 helping lead state鈥檚 innovation surge as a founding partner of the Ohio Innovation Exchange
51社区 continues to play a pivotal role in the Ohio Innovation Exchange (OIEx), a novel, multi-university digital platform that continues to bridge the gap between academia and industry by strategically connecting businesses to academic expertise and cutting-edge research that are driving innovation.
November 13, 2024
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The is an industry-sought, higher education-driven, and state government-sponsored initiative of the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) providing searchable access to university expertise, research services, and shareable resources from a growing list of research-active universities across the state. Viewed as a public good, OIEx is an early-stage resource discovery tool, industries seeking expertise have the ability to browse that state鈥檚 innovation marketplace and discover what is possible.
51社区, a founding university partner in the statewide initiative, is helping to advance the state鈥檚 business and industry research capabilities while playing a crucial role in driving economic vitality and technological advancement across Ohio.
鈥51社区's continued involvement in the Ohio Innovation Exchange highlights not only its robust research infrastructure but also its ongoing dedication to driving economic growth and technological advancement through strategic academic-industry partnerships,鈥 said Timothy Cain, project director of OIEx and associate professor in biomedical sciences at 51社区.
Partnering to create innovation outcomes
Since 2020, OHIO has secured over $1M in three successive rounds of Ohio Third Frontier Research Incentive funding leading the multi-university team of professionals guiding feature enhancements, cultivating broad industry awareness, and expanding the initiative to now include , according to Cain, who serves as principal investigator.
Providing access to nearly 12,000 STEM-focused faculty and 2,350 research support resources, the platform derives its powerful search functionality from the 500,000 bibliographic citations and abstracts mined and associated with profiled users. OIEx now makes it easier for industries to find relevant expertise, potential collaborators and licensable innovations.
"The recent designation of OHIO as an R1 university (Carnegie Classification denoting Very High Research Activity), is a meaningful recognition of our discovery ecosystem 鈥 our people, resources, and commitment to innovation," said Eric Muth, OHIO's vice president for research and creative activity. "The State鈥檚 investment in OIEx is helping connect industry to our university innovators and our peers across Ohio will have a greater economic impact than any individual institution could have alone. I am pleased that OHIO has played such an important leadership role in this statewide collaboration.鈥
Solving real-world problems 鈥 together
Stacy Strauss, director of the OHIO Innovation Center noted that OIEx partnerships often start with information about potential collaborators that OIEx provides and are a testament to both the University's robust ecosystem of innovation and its critical role in solving real-world problems.
鈥淢y team frequently uses the Ohio Innovation Exchange to source research partners and other resources on behalf of our tech startup clients,鈥 Strauss said. 鈥淗aving a robust platform at the ready is critical to ensure that we 鈥 and, by extension, our clients 鈥 have a source for connections that benefit commercialization.鈥
In addition to OIEx, OHIO鈥檚 involvement in the further amplifies its impact on the state鈥檚 economy. The OIF connects capital and expertise to emerging companies in Ohio, fostering a vibrant environment for startups and innovation.
As a founding investor, 51社区 has helped facilitate the growth of businesses that contribute to over $10 billion in market value and serve a diverse range of industries and institutions.
About the Ohio Innovation Exchange
The Ohio Innovation Exchange was developed with the support of the Ohio Manufacturing Institute, the research technology company Digital Science, and the Ohio Technology Consortium 鈥 an operational extension of the Ohio Department of Higher Education. These partners ensure that the platform effectively meets the needs of both academic institutions and industry partners.
Profiled OHIO faculty can read more about the statewide initiative and their OIEx profile.
As OIEx continues to expand, it aims to include more institutions, thereby enhancing its capacity to drive economic growth and innovation across Ohio.