02
May
1996
|
18:00 PM
America/New_York
Trustees: Trustees Approve License Procedure, Contracts
OHIO STATE BOARD APPROVES LICENSE PROCEDURE, CONTRACTS
COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University Board of Trustees
on Friday (5/3) established a committee to approve exchanges
of stock for licenses of technology, approved research and
construction contracts, refinanced a mortgage on a hotel,
and conducted other business.
Stock an option for license to use technology
The board voted to permit acceptance of stock in firms
in lieu of cash in exchange for licenses to develop
technologies invented at Ohio State.
Trustees established a technology transfer oversight
committee to review and approve agreements in which a
corporation would award stock to The Ohio State University
Foundation in lieu of the licensing fee. Licensing
agreements are negotiated by the Office of Technology
Transfer.
Each year, the university allows corporations to use
and market a number of technologies invented at the
university in exchange for licensing fees and royalties.
According to Edward Hayes, vice president for research,
opportunities have increased to license early-stage
technologies developed at Ohio State to firms that are
unable to pay the initial licensing fee usually charged by
the university. However, those firms are willing to convey
stock to the foundation in return for the opportunity to
license the technology.
Continued participation of faculty inventors is often
crucial to the successful development of the technology and
the license in exchange for stock is viewed as another way
to facilitate that process.
The oversight committee will be responsible for seeing
that any proposed agreement has been negotiated at "arms
length" by the Office of Technology Transfer with terms
comparable to those granted outside entities and that the
faculty inventor has complied with university policies on
conflicts of interest. Any royalties to which the faculty
inventor would be entitled under Ohio State's policy on
patents and copyrights will be assigned back to the
university. In addition, reimbursements will be made for
use of any university facilities or equipment.
The committee will be chaired by Hayes and will include
the senior vice president for academic affairs and provost,
vice president for finance, and vice president for legal
affairs and general counsel.
Contracts approved for variety of research projects
Trustees approved 181 research contracts totaling
$14,910,149. Singled out for special mention were:
-- Environmental monitoring of abandoned mined land on
which vegetation has been re-established using yard waste
compost and by-products of dry flue gas desulfurization.
Warren Dick of the Ohio Agricultural Research and
Development Center and the School of Natural Resources is
conducting the project, funded with $377,845 from Ohio Coal
Development. According to a summary report, the combination
of materials may provide an ideal amendment for re-
establishing vegetation on mine-spoiled land and reduce the
financial and environmental costs of using topsoil for
reclamation. The watershed field study began in 1994 and
monitoring began in 1995. The money will fund monitoring
for three more years.
-- The Center for Industrial Sensors and Measurements,
a collaboration of The Ohio State University, the Edison
Materials Technology Center, the Edison Sensor Technology
Center, and a part of the Cleveland Advanced Manufacturing
Program at Case Western Reserve University. The center will
focus on novel sensors for use in aggressive industrial
environments. It will link development and application of
new sensor technology with lower cost electronics and
software and apply them toward improving measurement and
control of industrial processes. The National Science
Foundation is providing $300,000, for the first year of a
four-year $1.2 million commitment. The State of Ohio is
matching those funds. Sheikh A. Akbar of the Department of
Materials Science and Engineering is leading the project.
-- A study to understand the structure-function
relationship of the recently discovered tumor suppressor p16
and its close relative p15, which are specific inhibitors of
human cyclin-dependent kinase 4, or cdk4, and its close
variant cdk6. Ming-Daw Tsai of the departments of Chemistry
and Biochemistry and the Chemical Instrumentation Center is
heading the project. The National Cancer Institute is
providing $260,423, part of a four-year commitment totaling
$1,035,191.
-- Research in nuclear astrophysics, nuclear physics,
and particle physics, by Richard N. Boyd of the Department
of Physics. The National Science Foundation is providing
$130,500 as part of a three-year, $391,500 commitment.
-- Completion of a comprehensive package of multimedia
resources for learning statistics. The National Science
Foundation is providing $50,607 as part of a two-year,
$103,701, commitment. Key components of the package,
developed under previous funding from the foundation,
include an electronic encyclopedia of statistical examples
and exercises, and an on-line data and story archive. The
newest funds will permit integration of interactive video
resources and development of materials to support teaching
and learning statistics using the video resources. Heading
the project are William I. Notz, Dennis K. Pearl and
Elizabeth A. Stasny of the Department of Statistics.
They will use video clips from news shows or special
television programs to help students think critically about
quantitative issues raised in the broadcasts that can
survive beyond the bounds of a statistics class.
Contracts awarded for renovations to University Hospitals
Trustees awarded contracts for renovating the emergency
and radiology departments of University Hospitals. One
project will reorient the emergency department and add space
west of the building to double its size. The cost of the
project, being funded by the hospitals, is $6,653,760.
Construction is to be finished by February 1998. Contracts
went to Newberg International of CLEVES, Ohio; Farber
Mechanical Contractors of COLUMBUS; and Buckeye Electric of
DAYTON.
The other project, the second phase of renovations to
the radiology department, involves moving some facilities to
improve efficiency. University Hospitals is providing $1.5
million to make changes to two CAT scan procedure rooms, an
ultrasound suite, outpatient and inpatient waiting areas,
library and teaching file room, and prisoner holding area.
Contracts were awarded to Miles McClellan, J.A. Croson and
Faber Corp., all of Columbus, and Brush Electrical of Grove
City.
Architects to design Bricker, Hopkins, Haskett improvements
Trustees authorized employment of architectural and
engineering firms and requests for construction bids for two
revised projects at Bricker, Haskett and Hopkins halls on
the Columbus campus.
The Bricker project involves renovating the basement
and first floor and revising the heating, ventilating and
air conditioning. The cost of the state-funded project is
estimated at $1,075,000, including $858,300 for
construction.
The renovation of Haskett and Hopkins halls is
estimated to cost $1,125,000 including $870,501 for
construction with funding coming from the state.
Trustees refinance hotel debt
The board voted to refinance a mortgage held by the
River Road Hotel Corp. on the Ramada University Hotel and
Conference Center, 3110 Olentangy River Road. The
corporation is managed as an endowment investment by the
Office of the Treasurer at Ohio State.
Trustees authorized the treasurer, James L. Nichols, to
transfer $9.5 million from The Ohio State University
Endowment Fund to River Road Hotel Corp. in the form of a
capital contribution.
The money will be used to refinance the mortgage held
by John Hancock Life Insurance Co. and accompanying accrued
interest, to refinance a $750,000 line of credit with
Huntington National Bank, and to complete construction and
remodeling to comply with the Americans with Disabilities
Act, $350,000. Repayment of the capital contribution will
occur from dividends paid by River Road Hotel Corp. to the
Endowment Fund. The current interest rate with John Hancock
is 10 percent per year; the line of credit is currently at
the prime interest rate.
Students, trustees discuss student activity fee
Trustees heard a report from Eric Busch, assistant vice
president for student affairs, on information from focus
groups who studied the feasibility of implementating a
student activity fee at Ohio State. Some 720 students were
divided into 10 focus groups to measure what services
students felt should be funded through an activity fee.
Busch said the students voiced concern about the issues
of safety and transportation and parking as an every-day
convenience. Students responded that they would like
shuttle buses to transport students from remote parking
areas to the main campus, with late hour service to
accommodate student needs. Students also said they would
like improved recreation services on campus.
Kevin Sheriff, president of the Undergraduate Student
Government, said students would like to see continued
implementation of the recommendations of the Committee on
the Undergraduate Experience. He said students also want
improvements in academic computing, with funding to come
from a source other than a 1-percent set-aside in student
tuition or a student activity fee.
Miscellaneous business
In other matters, trustees:
-- Ordered the conferral of degrees and certificates on
June 7 to those persons who have completed the requirements
for them.
-- Granted an easement to American Electric Power to
provide electric service to the Edison Joining Technology
Center at 2155 Carmack Road. The easement is for a 977-by-
10-foot strip of land for 25 years.
-- Awarded a student recognition award to Jody Seward
of BOLIVAR, Ohio. A senior majoring in veterinary medicine,
Seward was honored for his work as vice president of the
Interprofessional Council and for coordinating a peer
mentoring program between professional students at The Ohio
State University and Everett Middle School students.
-- Recognized Sean Ruffin with a plaque for his service
as president of the Inter-Professional Council.
-- Recognized outgoing trustees Milton A. Wolf of
Cleveland and Thomas Smith of Chesterhill. Their terms
expire May 13.
-- Heard a report from Edward Ray, senior vice provost
and chief information officer, regarding work on a strategic
plan for academic computing.
-- Heard from Nichols that the market value of the
Endowment Fund was $630.1 million as of April 19, and that
the fund now contains 2,300 accounts. In addition, Moody's
has upgraded the university's bond rating from A1 to Aa.
#
Contact: Edward Hayes, (614) 292-1582; James L. Nichols,
(614) 292-6261; or Jill Morelli, assistant vice president
and university architect, (614) 292-4458, or Eric Busch,
(614) 292-9334.
Written by Tom Spring.
[Submitted by: Von Reid-Vargas (ereid@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu)
Fri, 3 May 1996 16:51:04 -0400]
All documents are the responsibility of their originator.
