FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The University of Arkansas College of Engineering, in partnership with the interdisciplinary Microelectronics-Photonics (microEP) Graduate Program and the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority (ASTA), has been selected to receive a three-year, $499,658 grant through the National Science Foundation’s year 2000 Partnership for Innovation (PFI) competition.

This grant, matched by $347,220 in state matching funds, will support the startup of an Innovation Incubator (known as I², or I squared) at the University of Arkansas. I² will exist to perform proof-of-concept research for Arkansas companies. Companies that have ideas for new products or concepts in the world of microelectronics-photonics, but do not have in-house research facilities capable of investigating the idea. The idea for this grant grew out of previous work supported by the National Science Foundation and the Experiemental Programs to Stimulate Competative Research (EPSCoR).

Dr. Greg Salamo, co-principal investigator of the grant and University professor of physics, noted "I² will act as an agent to match companies’ research needs with the capabilities of the different research labs at the Fayetteville campus. Once a match is identified, I² will provide a $10,000 credit for the company’s use for on-campus work and will also provide a microEP graduate student to work on the research evaluation."

The NSF/PFI program was created to foster institutional partnerships between private industry, governmental agencies, and educational institutions. Initial PFI grant selection criteria are strongly biased toward proposals that will create self-funded partnerships at the end of the grant period.

Dr. John Ahlen, co-Principal Investigator of the grant and President of ASTA, has indicated that I² has such a potential to be self-sustaining. "If at the end of the three year grant period I² has created the amount of new business in Arkansas that we feel it should create, then it would naturally be considered for ongoing funding through ASTA. Whether or not it would receive this funding will be totally dependent on the results of a well documented cost/benefit analysis of its performance in this first three year period."

Dr. Otto Loewer, Principal Investigator of the grant and Dean of the College of Engineering, has defined I² as one more piece of the University of Arkansas mosaic of educational and research practices that will help push Arkansas into the information driven new economy.

"I² gives us a way to bring a larger focused research effort in support of Arkansas businesses," said Loewer. "I² clients may be identified through any number of channels such as ASTA efforts throughout the state, through discussions with industrial partners of the University Colleges, through referrals from the Genesis technology business incubator at the Engineering Research Center, or through news articles such as this one."

Salamo continued "I² will give us a way to bring the power of our state-of-the-art research to the direct benefit of Arkansas companies, while providing a wonderful research training opportunity for our graduate students."

Professor Ken Vickers, co-Principal Investigator of the grant and Director of the microEP Graduate Program, will be in responsible for the daily operation of I² through the microEP program office. The grant does provide funding for a technology development director and for four graduate students to work on I² clients’ projects.

"We are currently searching for our I² director of technology," said Vickers. "This person should have broad experience in high tech development and production implementation in industry, but must also have a love for the state of Arkansas and the drive to help create new high tech industry in our state."

"We are fortunate that this NSF PFI grant gives us the necessary funding to offer a salary competitive with industry for a person with these talents," continued Vickers. "I like to think of this job as one more opportunity to reverse the famous brain drain from our state. We hope to find an Arkansas Alumni that left Arkansas after graduation, who developed their professional skills in another state, but who would be excited to let I² give them an opportunity to bring those skills back home where they belong."

Further information on these programs is available at the following web sites:

University of Arkansas, microEP Graduate Program

http://www.uark.edu/depts/microep

University of Arkansas, College of Engineering

http://www.uark.edu/depts/physics

Arkansas Science and Technology Authority

http://www.state.ar.us/asta/

University of Arkansas, Genisis Technology Business Incubator

http://genesis.uark.edu/

National Science Foundation, Partnership for Innovation Program

http://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/pfi/start.htm