Successes and Statistics

OSU licensing and royalties totaled a record $2.5 million in Fiscal Year 2007.

Research projects throughout the University resulted in

• 25 new patents filed
• 19 patents issued
• 39 license/options execute
• 54 new invention disclosures

OSU’s Transparent Electronics Key to Solar Energy Breakthrough

Transparent transistors and optoelectronics created by researchers at Oregon State University and HP have found their first key industrial application in a new type of solar energy system that its developers say will be four times more cost-efficient than any existing technology. Xtreme Energetics, Inc., of Livermore, Calif., announced they will use the OSU inventions, on which HP holds the exclusive licensing rights, in technology they believe will convert sunlight to electricity at twice the efficiency and half the cost of traditional solarpanels. see more

Successful Crops

Research headed by James Carrington led to technology to “silence” certain genes in crop plants and was licensed to the Monsanto Company. The technology is expected to assist in the development of specific traits in major agricultural crops, but without many of the problems perceived to be associated with genetically modified plants. “The idea of introducing foreign proteins into crop plants has been troubling to many people. An appealing aspect of our work: we are not adding new proteins, but using very small RNA molecules that don’t have the potential to introduce toxicity or allergenicity,” said Carrington.

Smart Desktop

Smart Desktop, a startup company founded by OSU researchers Jon Herlocker and Tom Dietterich from the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, licensed the “Task Tracer” software technology from OSU, and will be developing further improvements to it. The software’s goal is to improve the productivity of information that workers use within task-oriented personal computer environments. It will also support collaborations in workgroups, by allowing the sharing of documents and task profiles. Smart Desktop was acquired by Pi Corporation within one month of signing the license agreement, but will continue to operate as a separate brand. This technology could potentially generate one of the largest real-world user activity research databases in the world.

Strong, Safe Wood Products

Researchers from the College of Forestry have developed a new group of adhesives that may revolutionize a large portion of the wood products industry - and have important environmental and economic benefits. Kaichang Li knew that adhesives commonly used for production of wood composite panels, emit carcinogenic formaldehyde, and are produced from petroleum-based products that are nonrenewable with finite reserve. Li has developed formaldehyde-free adhesives from abundant, inexpensive, renewable materials, including soy protein, tree barks and decayed wood. Materials made with these innovations are strong, water-resistant and environmentally friendly.

Sowing Innovation

Farmers require wheat varieties adapted to this region with high grain yield, disease and weed resistance, and enhanced marketing qualities. Growers and Oregon seek agricultural products that bring an increase in economic returns. Thanks to an innovative partnership of OSU and BASF, a private company, a variety of soft white winter wheat is fulfilling all of the above. On more than 320,000 acres in the Pacific Northwest, the potential for the state’s economy is growing. BASF first developed a hearty wheat, Clearfield. Jim Peterson, chair of OSU College of Agriculture’s renowned wheat breeding program, added marketable value with a crop that thrives in the Pacific Northwest, offers impressive yield and milling characteristics, and attracts top price. OSU’s Office of Technology Transfer has provided stewardship with a unique commercialization method, protecting intellectual property rights and preserving the plant’s integrity.

Clear Shape Software

OSU’s first equity license agreement involved an innovative California startup that implemented algorithms developed by OSU researchers Terri Fiez, Karti Mayaram and others to enhance the speed in software designs of semiconductor chips. The share value rose significantly in recent years, and the company was acquired by Cadence Design Systems, Inc.