Harbert Institute for Innovation

From Bhamwiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

The Bill L. Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (HIIE), originally the UAB Research Foundation (UABRF) and later the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) is a program established at UAB in 1987 to identify and cultivate the commercial potential of technologies developed through university research. The institute is headed by Kathy Nugent, who also serves as president of the Biotechnology Association of Alabama. She succeeded founding director David Winwood in 2014.

The UAB Research Foundation was established as a non-profit corporation serving as the university's "technology transfer office" in 1987. The organization manages and enforces the university's patent and intellectual property policies.

The institute's efforts were supported by a $5 million gift from the Joy and Bill Harbert Foundation in 2015, and it was subsequently renamed in honor of Bill L. Harbert. Those funds were used in part to provide space for the institute's offices in the new Collat School of Business building.

In addition to assisting UAB researchers with management of intellectual properties under university faculty rules, the institute helps connect researchers with industries seeking to collaborate on projects. HIIE operates the UAB Research Foundation, a non-profit legal entity created in 1987 to hold intellectual property rights on behalf of the university. It also manages the UAB Commercialization Accelerator, a "pre-incubator" developed in 2017 to help launch startup businesses conceived by UAB faculty and students.

The Harbert Institute for Innovation works in partnership with Innovation Depot, the Birmingham Business Alliance, Southern Research, and the Alabama Department of Commerce.

HIIE secured UAB's designation as an "Innovation and Economic Prosperity University" (IEP) from the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities in 2018. The institute reported $5.6 million in revenues in 2022. That year it issued eight U.S. patents and executed 39 licenses, and also launched the UAB Chapter of the National Academy of Inventors.

References

  • Oliver, Mike (September 30, 2013) "UAB creates institute to spur more real world experience for student scientists, entrepreneurs." The Birmingham News
  • Hansen, Jeff (December 1, 2015) "Strategic investments will boost UAB research and economic development." UAB News
  • Azok, Dawn (August 18, 2017) "New UAB Accelerator to power startup growth." Alabama NewsCenter
  • Thrailkill, Laurel (January 18, 2023) "UAB's HIIE releases impact report. Here's how much they generated in revenue." Birmingham Business Journal

External links