NSF Program To Encourage University Science Entrepreneurs Set For Slow Start

NSF told Congress about a great new plan for technology transfer but doesn't intend to spend much money on it WASHINGTON -- The National Science Foundation wants more university scientists to get into the technology transfer act. But a new program to do just that seeks only one tenth its originally planned funding. It also offers little assurance that the program will be around long enough to generate any commercial products. Last year NSF presented Congress with its plans for an $85 million

Written byElizabeth Pennisi

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NSF told Congress about a great new plan for technology transfer but doesn't intend to spend much money on it

WASHINGTON -- The National Science Foundation wants more university scientists to get into the technology transfer act. But a new program to do just that seeks only one tenth its originally planned funding. It also offers little assurance that the program will be around long enough to generate any commercial products.

Last year NSF presented Congress with its plans for an $85 million College and University Innovation Research (CUIR) program. The NSF report outlined a six-year pilot project that would be modeled after the popular, government-wide Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The report was presented in response to calls from Sen. James Exon (D-Neb.) that NSF do more to encourage university researchers to transfer technology from their institutions to industry.

But instead of asking for $5 million to launch ...

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