MSU intent on mining on-campus research to turn ideas into patents, local startups

At one time, MSU had just one man in charge of dealing with intellectual property from school researchers.

But the idea of helping researchers transfer their ideas, inventions and patents to the private sector has slowly grown and evolved – from startups such as Dr. Zachary Huang’s MiteZapper LLC that protects honey bee colonies, to Draths Corp., which creates chemicals from renewable materials for use in plastic bottles and other products, to larger global companies such as Lansing-based animal and food safety company Neogen Corp.

Now, MSU is in the midst of transforming the way it markets and develops these so-called research assets. Two burgeoning departments are evidence of the shift.

Melissa Domsic

Full Story: http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100912/NEWS03/9120515/1004/news03/