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Comment on Ask HN: Researchers: What practical research hasn't been commercialized?

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I couldn't give you a list of examples off the top of my head, but I do know that people are aware of this problem and one of the more prominent solutions is to attach a start-up accelerator to the university.

The example I know of is the Innovation Deport in Birmingham, AL (my hometown) being attached to the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The university does a lot of medical research and from what I hear, the Innovation Depot is trying to establish itself as the go-to place for professors to take their patents and provide business/engineering/manufacturing expertise.

https://innovationdepot.org/

Many universities (if not most) already have technology transfer offices for this purpose. What is the difference between the Innovation Depot and [1] this department at UAB?

[1] https://www.uab.edu/research/innovation/

I'm not exactly sure where they draw the lines...but the "Accelerate" picture on the website for that department at UAB is a picture of the Innovation Depot.

That department might just be the university side of the accelerator.

After a brief reading, it's important to note that two paths for faculty:

1) Get someone else to commercialize your research (tech transfer often does this)

and

2) Start a business around your research

Have very different paths and consequences.

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