Four grants from the are helping local companies translate the cutting-edge science of 暗网吃瓜 researchers into improved health care, while also benefiting the region鈥檚 economy and creating jobs.
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking for the best research we can get, but there鈥檚 a baseline economic impact that has to be there,鈥� says Walter Johnson, CoE鈥� s executive director.
The grants, ranging from $25,000 to $94,000, will help fund these projects:
- , professor of ophthalmology, is developing a Brillouin scattering microscope for Clerio Vision Inc., a startup that is using a new femtosecond laser technology to noninvasively write vision correction into contact lenses, intraocular lenses and even directly into the cornea. The microscope will enable three-dimensional modeling of the individual characteristics of a patient鈥檚 cornea or soft contact lenses.
- , professor of biomedical engineering, is working with SiMPore, a manufacturer of ultrathin silicon-based membranes first developed in his lab, to model a new filtration technique to improve the process of developing virus-based medical products.
- , the Brian J. Thompson Professor of Optical Engineering, is working with LighTopTech, a company she cofounded, on developing a spectrometer to increase the imaging speed of a new technology the company uses to noninvasively biopsy tissue as it is removed during an operation, reducing the need for patients to return for another operation.
- , director of the Flaum Eye Institute and professor of ophthalmology, is working with Envision Solutions LLC to test the effectiveness of a new visual training technique to restore vision in stroke victims.
The Center of Excellence is housed at the University of Rochester鈥檚 and is funded by the (NYSTAR). The goal is to help drive regional economic development by supporting basic research, training, and technology development.
Three of the projects are also receiving funding from the (CEIS), also located the University of Rochester. CEIS, one of 15 , is also supported by NYSTAR, and typically provides a 50 percent match for funds that companies provide to support research projects with university researchers.
The two centers have developed a 鈥渇abulous cooperation鈥� in pursuit of their shared mission of spurring economic development, Johnson says. For example, CoE has now joined in sponsoring CEIS鈥檚 annual technology showcase of joint university/company projects.
These are the first CoE grants to be based on a new model that not only involves a call for proposals but also requires economic impact.
鈥淭his is a new way of approaching research for many of our faculty, and we want to do all we can to help them 聽tap into this new form of support for their work,” Johnson says.
