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A Focus on Convergent Technology Innovations The University Funds' focus on convergent technologies means that it will seek out emerging technologies now made possible by the convergence of scientific advances originating from previously separate disciplines. The pursuit of advances in these disciplines has historically been conducted within traditional research silos at major research institutions, in many cases driven more by a priority on grant acquisition than the objective of addressing defined market needs. These institutionalized boundaries contributed to limiting the opportunity for discovery of breakthroughs from cross-over applications. Universities and national labs have more recently established inter-disciplinary programs linking once diverse fields such as nanoscience, biotechnology, information technology, electronic engineering and physical sciences that are today yielding convergent solutions for medicine, energy, computing and electronics. Most exciting are technologies resulting from the application of the nanosciences to biotechnology, chemistry and engineering that enable new bio-medical, electronics, energy, computing and communication applications. Nano-materials and material sciences are expected to have the major influence on virtually all fields where materials play a role. For example, nano-electronics has a major impact on the information and communication technologies by surpassing the predictions of Moore’s Law that data storage and processing capacities would double every 18 months. Nano-biotechnology will make possible the regeneration of nerves, development of targeted pharmaceuticals, and point of care diagnostics. Recent advances in material sciences will offer alternative approaches to energy harvesting, improving energy utilization, and more efficient storage and delivery methods. Bridging the Gap Between Research and Commercialization This research is emerging daily from the extensive network of US and global universities, as well as government and corporate labs; it includes new platforms for diagnostics, drug delivery & development, energy, storage & transmission, computing and communications. The University Funds was established to provide the capital, the technical development know-how, and the business development expertise needed to fuel this engine of disruptive innovation commercialization. These applications have the potential to yield new platforms that can quickly displace existing approaches and products by offering expanded and unexpected utilities and efficiencies. This is our focus and defines our passion for developing new ventures that can change our world in very positive ways. This potential results from the newfound ability of researchers from all disciplines to study and develop materials and processes on a nanoscale, and thereby harness the human benefits of our increasing understanding of the nanoscale phenomena. |