GENERAL INFORMATION - About ICO

ICO Statistics for 2010:

The Industrial Contracts Office finalized about 925 agreements in the fiscal year ended August 31, 2010. The largest group was new material transfer agreements: 655 with for-profit and nonprofit entities. ICO also negotiated 97 new industry sponsored research agreements. Other ICO agreements included collaborations, equipment loans, and research licenses. Here’s a sampling:

Humanities and Sciences

In the School of Humanities and Sciences, Chemistry Department, Professor Hongjie Dai received funding from Ensysce Biosciences to conduct research on the therapeutic use of carbon nanotubes, including the delivery of therapeutic agents and as an imaging modality. In the Biology Department, GlaxoSmithKline funded Professor Or Gozani’s research on disruptions in the molecular mechanisms of chromatin signaling event networks that may lead to cancer and other pathogenic states.

Medicine

In the School of Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Division of the Department of Medicine, Professor Glenn Rosen is working with a subsidiary of Merck to study certain interleukin pathway genes and proteins that are differentially repressed in various diseases, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Professor Ben Barres in the Neurobiology Department received funding from the Myelin Research Foundation to investigate mechanisms for myelin repair in multiple sclerosis, as well as mechanisms that underlie the prevention of further axon (nerve) degeneration in MS and other neurological diseases. Centocor provided funding for Professor Branimir Sikic’s research on the efficacy and mechanism of chemokine blockages as a therapeutic strategy in treating human ovarian cancer. Professor Sikic is in the Oncology Division of the Department of Medicine.

Engineering

In the School of Engineering, a master agreement was signed with Airbus S.A.S., with two research projects scheduled for launch in 2010-11, both in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Professor Fu-Kuo Chang’s project will study and evaluate composite structures and, through simulations, will investigate damage parameters and sensor networks and sensor/actuator shapes. Professor Ilan Kroo will study extended formation flights where aircraft are separated longitudinally by more than a few spans, resulting in reductions of coal consumption.
In the Computer Science Department, Professor Alex Aiken is collaborating with AT&T Labs, Inc. in developing techniques to aid in debugging complex distributive systems.

Industrial Affiliates

Companies also support research through the University’s 53 affiliates programs, particularly in the Schools of Earth Sciences and Engineering. Affiliates programs, where groups of companies fund research among several faculty members in an area of interest, provide another type of industry relationship for the university. ICO reviews and signs affiliates agreements. University-wide, the industry affiliates programs brought in $21.3 million in research and educational funds during FY 10.