Article by AL.com – May 2020 – Duct tape, Jeeps, Ray-Bans, bug spray in cans, super glue, frozen juice concentrate, and microwave ovens. These items have one thing in common: they were developed at the behest of the United States government before they were available to consumers. Government research and military spending take on challenging issues of unknown scopes and winding paths. Our unique military-industrial complex spins out countless innovations in pursuit of larger goals. In the process of getting the first astronauts to the moon in 1969 and the shuttle program thereafter, Huntsville, Alabama’s growing cluster of aerospace contractors participated in research that led to innovations like infrared thermometers, ice-resistant airplane wings, and wireless headsets. Aerospace and defense companies are built to innovate, and public-private partnerships are emerging to help pair ideas with market opportunities. In Huntsville, The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has created a tech business ecosystem called the Invention to Innovation Center (I2C).
“Going commercial” is no longer a negative approach, as many organizations are exploring ways to enter commercial markets. In some cases, it can be difficult for government organizations to capitalize on their discoveries beyond the immediate applications for which they were developed. However, with experienced support, the DoD’s multi-purpose solutions and intellectual property can be leveraged outside the defense sector. “When working on government projects, we tend to focus on technical performance, cost, and schedule; but we must learn to look at these advancements in technology and how they might contribute to our national economic growth. Our company is positioned to help bring these advanced technologies and products to other sectors of the economy,” said Harold Brewer, Co-founder and Chairman of the Board at Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation (INTUITIVE). “Naturally, the aerospace and defense industry generates some of the world’s most innovative and cutting-edge technologies. Our approach of hiring the brightest minds and taking on challenging projects has resulted in a great wealth of advanced technologies for INTUITIVE and for our customers. With our experience in commercialization, INTUITIVE—alongside our government counterparts—can help utilize these discoveries to develop commercial projects and processes, which can ultimately benefit the economy by creating jobs,” Brewer added.
In 1980, Congress enacted the bi-partisan Bayh-Dole Act, which paved a way for private industry to take innovations from government-funded projects to market. The goal was to stimulate the economy and bolster innovative companies. Between 1996 and 2015, licensing related to Bayh-Dole contributed almost $600 billion to GDP and supported around 4 million jobs. In other words, it worked. Still, there are hurdles to bringing products or technologies to market. It can be a distraction from the bread and butter of a business to get into product licensing without the knowledge. It can also be difficult for startups to see the upside of various innovations without counsel. There are definitely ideas that could be utilitarian and profitable that do not find a path to the marketplace. Further, the Bayh-Dole act requires that entities “substantially manufacture” products for which they hold license—use it or lose it, that is. That is where innovations hubs such as the Invention to Innovation Center (I²C) prove useful.
Last June, the University of Alabama in Huntsville opened I²C just minutes away from Redstone Arsenal and Cummings Research Park (the second largest of its kind in the nation). The summarized mission of I²C is to stimulate the growth of nascent science and engineering companies in Northern Alabama and South-Central Tennessee by building partnerships and creating pathways to make ideas happen. The 46,650-square-foot center gives access to incubation space, research resources, legal experts, funding pathways, etc. More than a dozen startups already call it home.
Rigved Joshi, Director of the I²C, said, “In this knowledge-based economic environment, intellectual property is currency. This makes Huntsville uniquely poised to capitalize on the benefits of aggressively adopting commercialization strategies to diversify into commercial markets and thereby reaping monetary rewards through licensing and partnerships.” The goal is to build an ecosystem of businesses from various industries within I²C. “We are seeing a dynamic shift in mindset and execution by the leaders of these organizations who recognize the importance of diversification by actively seeking partners who will help them achieve added success through this route,” said Joshi.
Huntsville-based Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation (INTUITIVE), a high-tech aerospace engineering and analytical firm, recently became I2C’s first Corporate Sponsor in the engineering and technology sector. INTUITIVE is a leader in extended reality, cybersecurity, additive manufacturing, and other advanced technologies that merge interest between private and public. “Our growth from 3 to over 450 employees has come in large part from hiring the brightest minds and helping them find the best place to fit in according to emerging opportunities: it’s called our Swiss Army Knife approach,” said Brewer. “Because of our self-driven talent and attitude toward the future, we have steadily developed intellectual property, both incidentally—in the process of working contracts— and intentionally cultivating outside of the box thinking.”
At work, INTUITIVE maintains a Creative Incentive Program to offer incentives to employees who submit ideas and invention disclosures, and process improvements. The farther the idea goes, the more the submitter is rewarded, ultimately becoming partners in development. This program has resulted in more than 200 submissions, apps, and tangible products. “The I²C is something we want to support as a matter of principle, but also to develop some bigger ideas among this new ecosystem,” said Brewer. INTUITIVE is calling its space at I²C the INTUITIVE Innovation Hub (iHub). With a dedicated footprint at I2C, the INTUITIVE iHub will serve as a “incubator” to inspire breakthroughs and explore pathways supporting the vision and objectives strategic to the company’s commercialization interests. This includes assessment and launch of dual-use technologies, which demonstrate product-market fit for commercial applications. The INTUITIVE iHub will be a resource to INTUITIVE employees and UAH faculty, staff, and students doing lab work, while advancing INTUITIVE‘s work on a commercial project called the Clarus Viewer.
The Clarus Viewer is the kind of spinoff project Director Joshi hopes will thrive in collaboration at I²C. INTUITIVE assembled a research team to make use of their expertise in big data and extended reality to solve the need for better medical imagery. Clarus Viewer takes data from traditional medical imaging, such as MRI and CT, and reproduces medical images in extended reality, using patent-protected and proprietary software. “In the coming years, we hope to enrich the community of innovators here, and find new avenues for our own intellectual property,” said Brewer. Huntsville is not so much a place of untapped potential; in fact, there is just so much potential that it needs these new outlets and partnerships for commercialization.
If you’re interested in being part of a premier team that solves some of the nation’s most fascinating problems, please visit irtc-hq.com/careers today.