The Challenge:

Universities provide fertile ground for creative research, visionary thinking, and collaborative problem solving. Due to several factors, many of the exciting ideas developed by faculty, staff, and students get left on the table—even though they have the potential to benefit society and support economic development.

The UO is replete with potential inventions, patents, corporate partnerships, and spinoff companies. However, our faculty members are (of course) focused on their respective fields. They’re busy teaching, researching, applying for grants, and serving the university. These creative problem solvers can’t launch commercial enterprises without support—especially at the earliest, most tentative stages of entrepreneurship.

The Opportunity:

The university’s innovation hub provides a dynamic network of specialists, resources, facilities, and activities—all focused on sustaining a culture of entrepreneurship and advancing discoveries beyond our campus. We’re bringing groundbreaking ideas out into the world through research commercialization, licensing, patents, and more. The end result is often a business or invention. Sometimes it’s software, a new industrial procedure, or a technology platform that businesses can license.

Regardless of the different outcomes, we’re ultimately helping students, faculty, and staff take their discoveries from the workbench to the marketplace. We also cultivate a spirit of entrepreneurship across campus. Through educational programs, business competitions, startup funding, networking opportunities, and more, we’re creating an ecosystem of innovation. This strategic hub also supports a community of university and industry partners, fostering a network of mutually beneficial relationships.

Ultimately, all of this innovation helps build economic development, create new businesses and industries, and create opportunity for our region and world.

Our Work:

The University of Oregon boasts a rich legacy of innovation dating back to its founding in 1876 and the emergence of Nike in the 1960s. UO research from diverse disciplines has resulted in spinoff ventures in areas including materials science, genetics, education, and more. These include biotechnology company MitoSciences and Electrical Geodesics, Inc., a medical device company.

Our international reputation for collaborative research across disciplines makes UO an ideal place for problem-solving teams. We also house an impressive array of high-tech tools. The university’s research core facilities offer cutting-edge equipment and expertise for our students and faculty, as well as corporate partners.

Launched in 2016, The Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact has become a powerful resource for fast-tracking research into discoveries that make an impact on society. The Knight Campus has also put Oregon on the map as a place for research and development. The UO ranked first nationally in licensing for the fiscal year ending in 2022, according to national think tank Heartland Forward. Across the university, our strategic, coordinated efforts are bringing research into the marketplace.

Our Impact / Our Approach

Transforming Research into Impact

Our goal is to accelerate the process that transforms research into new products, services, and businesses that benefit people and society. We provide expert consulting, administrative support, programs, and facilities that help move the process forward.

Serving UO Innovators

For us, success means making it fast and easy for students, faculty, and staff to launch new ventures and partner with industry. To accomplish this, we offer an innovation concierge service to help them with patents, licenses, startups, spinoffs, and industry partnerships. UO liaisons also work to connect the university community with industry partners.

Fostering Innovation

The UO’s innovation efforts include programs that educate, inspire, and create professional networks. Our Women’s Innovation Network connects students with community entrepreneurs. Through the Provost’s Innovation Challenge, students compete, obtain startup funding, and find mentors. Seed funding grants reward creative, enterprising individuals. These are just some examples of our work to sustain a thriving entrepreneurial culture at the University of Oregon.

Educating Budding Entrepreneurs

Drawing on the resources of the Lundquist College of Business, the Knight Campus, other UO areas, and external partners, we’re training aspiring entrepreneurs. For example, Lens of the Market helps researchers develop a business case and model, choose a corporate structure, and create a funding plan. We also organize speaker series, workshops, and courses for members of the UO community who want to learn more and launch new ventures.

Testimonials

“Universities provide two key products: knowledge and learning opportunities for students. Expanding knowledge for its own sake is fundamental. Often, this knowledge can also be applied to make new discoveries—for example, medical devices, products, or software. If you excel at innovation, you end up with something tangible that benefits society or the economy. If you’re lucky, it benefits both.”

—Anshuman Razdan
Vice President for Research and Innovation

“We want to connect women with other women, so they can have conversations about entrepreneurship, help each other, and gain confidence.”

—Mandy Gettler
Coleader of the Women’s Innovation Network

"It is a core mission of the University of Oregon to help our faculty bring their discoveries from academia to the people."

—Chuck Williams
Associate Vice President for Innovation

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