Reflections
On Fostering A Robust Innovation Ecosystem

By W. Mark Crowell

I am inspired by the vision and energy that abounds at the University of Virginia. From the Office of the President to the Vice President for Research to the deans to the outstanding faculty, there is recognition that transforming the way we manage knowledge transfer is key to the University’s future as a preeminent research institution.

As we move forward, it will be essential to explore and strengthen all components of knowledge transfer to create a more robust innovation ecosystem. We must work to knock down the silos between disciplines and foster increased collaboration with researchers across Grounds and throughout the world. We also must connect the front end of our research engine with market and societal needs to better engage prospective corporate partners and to fulfill our commitment to ensuring that U.Va. science serves humanity.

In practical terms, I will encourage growth of our innovation ecosystem by facilitating partnerships through seminars, conferences and other gatherings of the University research community. There will be a focused effort to connect researchers with governmental organizations, foundations, private companies — both large and small — and the investment community. We will help match researchers to entrepreneurial talent and to legal, financial and capital resources. These connections, in turn, will enhance U.Va.’s intellectual landscape.

I also want to create an online innovation partnership portal to serve all of the University’s researchers. This tool will allow corporations and prospective collaborators to easily search through the depth and breadth of our innovation capacity.

We will create more meaningful partnerships through these activities — which in turn will lead to what I call entrepreneurial “churn.” Venture capitalists and other participants in our innovation ecosystem will see and hear of the churn, and they will come. I have seen that reaction in Research Triangle Park and in San Diego, my prior places of employment, and I expect to see it more and more in Charlottesville.

The School of Engineering and Applied Science obviously is very important to the University’s knowledge transfer initiative. By their nature, engineers are oriented to, and motivated by, the real world. They are interested in creating things that work and in developing products that solve societal problems.

Going forward, we will increasingly see engineers working with other engineers across disciplines and engineers working with other scientists within and outside the University. Such multidisciplinary collaborations define the top innovation institutions, and we will build on and expand the collaborative spirit that already defines the U.Va. research community.

Involving students in innovation initiatives will be important as well, shaping both the way we teach them and the way we enhance access to them. In my experience working with corporations, I have found that having access to the best and brightest students is a primary motivating factor for corporate engagement with the university. We will maximize student exposure to corporations and related entities through research and career fairs and will invite corporate R&D professionals to serve as guest instructors and mentors to students.

When we strengthen these cross-disciplinary connections and create new avenues for market-driven translational research, we will make U.Va. an even more attractive partner for corporations interested in innovation and knowledge transfer.

W. Mark Crowell is the executive director and associate vice president for innovation partnerships and commercialization in the U.Va. Office of the Vice President for Research. This is a newly created position in the office. Before coming to U.Va., Mr. Crowell was vice president for business development at the Scripps Research Institute.