Panel: Converting innovation to commercialization: Information re-use from the research sector to the public sector

There exist many centers within the academic and government environments which have as its mission providing a catalyst for moving ideas to commercialization, in order to create jobs and enhance the economy. For example, The von Liebig Center at the University of California at San Diego, The Deshpande Center at MIT and the Inventor Resource Center at North Carolina State University provide researchers the opportunity to investigate the potential of commercialization. As another example, The Center for Commercialization of Advanced Technology (CCAT) at San Diego State University is a technology commercialization and transition collaborative partnership of academia, industry, and government. The Center is funded by the Office of Naval Research, the Office of Secretary of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security and focuses on identifying innovative technologies that address “critical homeland security and national defense challenges” and in moving these technologies through the prototype stage to full deployment systems in the commercial marketplace.