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UO students take technologies to next step
University of Oregon students presented their commercialization feasibility analyses for two Pacific Northwest National Laboratory-developed technologies at a special presentation on September 20 at the university.
The students are participants in a technology entrepreneurship program sponsored by UO and PNNL, and they visited PNNL this past summer to investigate several technologies. While at PNNL, the students determined whether the technologies might be good candidates for a technology-to-product business plan.
Following the visit, two of the three UO teams selected PNNL technologies. One team settled on the Reverse Micelles in Supercritical CO2 technology, and the other team chose the Thermoelectric Ambient Energy Harvester.
At the September 20 presentation, the teams took the next step in the technology entrepreneurship process. They created and presented feasibility analyses for both of the PNNL-developed technologies.
“The students did a fabulous job in looking at the market potential of the technologies,” said Robin Conger of PNNL's Intellectual Asset Management Directorate. Also attending from PNNL were Erik Stenehjem, who leads technology entrepreneurship programs for PNNL, and John DeSteese, inventor of the Thermoelectric Ambient Energy Harvester.
“I was very impressed with how they had identified possible applications for our technologies and how they are building a business case around them,” Stenehjem noted.
The next step in the process will involve the development of business plans for the technologies. “The plans will be entered in collegiate business plan competitions,” Stenehjem said. “The plans also will give PNNL an assessment of the commercial potential of these technologies.”
“And just as importantly,” Conger adds, “The students will have received hands-on, real-world experience in analyzing the potential of a technology and putting forth innovative commercialization ideas.”
