[ ABOVE: Image from OnlineTechX ]
Research institutions, individuals and companies of all sizes could soon have their very own technology marketplace, one that leverages expensive, untapped resources to catapult the Upstate’s technology reputation.
At its core, the program – or the technology exchange platform – connects companies with problems to others with solutions, with an initial focus on the advanced materials industry. Organizations often have unique technologies and patents that they’re not using or underutilizing. This lets them find buyers – thus offsetting initial costs – that then can save on expensive in-house research and development.
“The big piece of it is there are companies ready provide solutions all the way across the world,” said Elizabeth Feather, director of research for Upstate SC Alliance. “They’re already looking at, where is the problem and how do we solve it. We want Upstate companies to start looking to where the opportunities are.”
The platform is part of the organization’s larger strategic plan to boost foreign direct investment in the Upstate, which can lead to local wage growth and a more vibrant economy bolstered by global connections. Companies with strong intellectual property under their belts are highly attractive to foreign firms, and can encourage international companies to invest and expand in the Upstate, said Doug Kim, a specialist on intellectual property for McNair Law Firm who has worked closely with the project.
One go-to example for Feather was NASA’s open contest for new testing protocols for Mars-destined spacesuit materials. A blacksmith from Batesville-Leesburg, SC, won the contest, she said, with little to no experience in that specific industry.
“It’s a reminder to big companies that solutions can come from anywhere. You just need to open the channels of communication,” she said. “The nimbleness of a smaller company to adapt and change quickly … that may also be an advantage.”
The idea rests heavily on the growing acceptance of open technology practices, as well as trends toward collaboration and partnerships between firms, she said.
“Think of how closed-in these R&D operations have been in the past,” she said. “I remember going down the highway and seeing the Michelin R&D center, and there was no sign…It’s similar with Milliken, which has been so closed and insulated for so long. They’re now opening up a little bit.”
The program is still in the fact-finding stage, but the first step after that might be to find and recruit key players to lead the charge. Feather said Upstate SC Alliance plans to help start the project before handing it off to a leadership consortium to direct future development. Feather expects to spend time educating the industry about the concept and opportunities, and hope to create resources to guide successful collaboration on both sides of the negotiating table.
“Collaboration is the new competition. Anything we can do to encourage our companies to figure out how to work together in win-win ways, the more competitive we can be as a region.”
