UA News

In the last fiscal year, a record number of startup companies were launched as an outcome of research conducted by UA faculty.

The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well at The University of Arizona.

During the last fiscal year, a record number of startup companies were launched as an outcome of research conducted by UA faculty.

In the 2008 fiscal year, six startup companies completed a license with the UA Office of Technology Transfer for foundational intellectual property established at the UA and owned by the Arizona Board of Regents.

The Association of University Technology Managers defines a startup company as one that has a signed license for foundational technology. Those new firms include:

HJ3 Composite Technologies, LLC

This company is involved in providing consulting services and advanced construction materials to the building industry. In particular, the company is involved in transferring plastics composite technology from the UA and the aerospace industry to private and public works projects. It features technology licensed from by Hamid Saadatmanesh, UA professor of civil engineering and engineering mechanics. The founders of HJ3, James Butler and John Nighswander, are both affiliated with the UA. HJ3 Composite Technologies, LLC is based in Tucson.

International BioComputing Corporation

International BioComputing Corporation is based on the commercialization of BioPortal, a research product of the Artificial Intelligence Lab at the UA's Eller College of Management. This company is dedicated to developing and providing bio-computing, bio-agent and public health information software systems and solutions to the marketplace. Hsinchun Chen, UA professor of management information systems, is involved in the company, which is based in Tucson.

Phoenix Biometrics, Inc.

This company plans to develop a device to detect and measure chemical and biological agents harmful to human lung tissue. The company is located in Tucson and involved Mark L. Witten from the UA College of Medicine.

Renascent Materials, LLC

Renascent Materials is a Tucson-based company commercializing a high-strength iron carbonate cement developed by David Stone while he was a graduate student in the UA department of soil, water and environmental sciences. The conventional method of making cement used in forming construction concrete is made in a high-temperature process that releases large amounts of carbon dioxide. This company provides an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional cement.

Solar Technology Research Corporation, Inc.

This startup company formed for the purpose of commercializing an invention aimed at producing solar-grade silicon at significantly reduced cost. A recipient of Science Foundation Arizona catalyst funding, Solar Technology Research Corporation involves David C. Lynch from the UA College of Engineering.

TIPD, LLC

TIPD, LLC is engaged in the development of photonic devices and systems used by industry and government agencies for applications ranging from optical communication, radio frequency communication, sensing and bio-photonics and are based on new materials and processing methods developed at the UA. The company, which is based in Tucson, was founded by Nasser N. Peyghambarian, professor of optical sciences at the UA.