On Friday, November 2, the University of Delaware hosted a conference on a business concept that has been a theme in CCM’s history for more than three decades:   knowledge-based partnerships. 

Organized by Patrick Harker, who became the University’s twentieth president on July 1, 2007, the conference brought together more than 400 “movers and shakers” from the First State to lay the groundwork for new alliances of business, government, and higher education.  CCM Director Jack Gillespie participated in a panel discussion on advanced materials at the event.

“We’re very impressed with the energy Harker has brought to Delaware,” Gillespie says. “His belief that knowledge must be given life in the marketplace and not just end up as ‘a journal report on a shelf somewhere’ is an important element of our mission here at CCM.  We also agree with him that innovation often appears at the ‘cracks between disciplines’ and that effective knowledge-based partnerships require all of the partners to be involved and invested from the beginning.”

Gillespie shared with the other panel participants CCM’s 34-year history of conducting basic and applied research, educating scientists and engineers, and transitioning technology to industry.  More than 200 people representing three colleges and seven departments currently participate in the Center’s activities; since the Center’s founding in 1974, more than 3500 companies have benefitted from CCM’s research.

While Gillespie noted that basic research is still a primary responsibility for both CCM and the University, he emphasized that the needs of industry can become academic research opportunities. In addition, industry participation is essential to achieve rapid technology transition and commercialization.

“The interdisciplinary research environment and open lab philosophy at CCM promote innovation and discovery, team-oriented research, and unique educational experiences,” Gillespie said.

Another advanced materials panel participant, Tom Connelly, executive vice president and chief innovation officer for DuPont Materials, pointed out that there are tremendous opportunities for advanced materials; “but it’s about value, not volume,” he said. “The world doesn't need more stuff, it needs smarter materials. It needs higher-performing materials.”

That concept too is highly compatible with the work CCM is doing.  “We have put a lot of effort into multifunctional composites during the past decade,” Gillespie says. “Advanced composite materials offer almost unlimited potential to incorporate a variety of functions—from fire-retardant and impact-resistant properties to self-healing and electromagnetic functions, all of which can be tailored to the specific application in question.”

Yet another theme of the conference was the role of the global economy in creating the need for knowledge-based partnerships. John Rabolt, panel moderator and chair of UD’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, noted that he had just returned from a 10-day trip to Hong Kong and Taiwan and was impressed with the enormous investment that their governments are making in the area of advanced materials.

“We at CCM have long recognized that international collaboration is at the forefront of science and partnerships,” Gillespie says, “and our commitment to this concept is reflected in the fact that dozens of international companies have been members of our consortium over the past 30 years. We have also hosted hundreds of international visitors and educated many students from other countries.”

The Center’s success to date has been achieved via a multi-faceted approach that involves support from companies through the consortium, block funding from centers of excellence, and complementary support from joint efforts with industry on SBIR and STTR programs.

 “What we’d like to do now is take our success to the next level and focus on promoting an entrepreneurship environment and creating new businesses and new jobs for the region,” Gillespie says. “As a first step in that direction, we will be talking with our partners from industry, state, and academia about how to move forward to initiate the next phase.  We want to continue to invest in long-term basic research, but at the same time create an environment that can lead to new technological breakthroughs and new businesses.”

In UD’s operating budget requests to the State for fiscal 2009, Harker asked for funding to create an Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships. “I think this is exactly what the University needs as we enter this era of knowledge-based partnerships,” says Gillespie.

“Our vision at CCM is to establish a collaborative research and development partnership with industry and government,” he continues, “to promote research and innovation and accelerate technology transition in advanced materials.”

According to Gillespie, fulfilling this vision will require a variety of complementary strategies, including establishment of incubator space, co-location of scientists and engineers to create interdisciplinary teams, and incorporation of a business strategy and state support.

“Above all,” he says, “we have to foster entrepreneurship among students, faculty, and staff, leading to new Delaware businesses, new products, and new jobs.”

Kristi Kiick, UD associate professor of materials science and engineering

Photo courtesy of UDaily

CCM Affiliated Faculty Member Publishes Article in Prestigious Journal

Kristi Kiick, Associate Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and a CCM affiliated faculty member, recently published an article on polymer drug design in the prestigious journal Science. Kiick has collaborated on several Center projects, including work with Assistant Director Shridhar Yarlagadda on self-healing polymer systems.

While polymers have been used for some time in such medical applications as absorbable sutures and the coverings for “gel caps,” their use in more complex treatment therapies and diagnostics is more recent. Kiick and her research group are using biological methods to synthesize well-defined polymers, with potential applications to not only human health but also such challenges as renewable energy and sustainability. 

Following publication of the article in Science, Tracey Bryant of UDaily interviewed Kiick about this work on “designer therapies.” 

View Story in UDaily

CCM is pleased to announce the 9th International Conference on Textile Composites (TEXCOMP9), to be held at the University of Delaware John M. Clayton Hall from October 13 through 15, 2008. The goal of TEXCOMP is to promote knowledge in the field of textile composites

By bringing together scientists and engineers active in a variety of disciplines, the conference provides a dedicated forum for discussions and reports on recent advances in textiles and their composites.

Please visit the TEXCOMP9 Website for more information.