WHAT IS THE OPPORTUNITY?
What is Center of Excellence (CoE) in Advanced Materials & Manufacturing (AMM)?
The CoE in AMM is a public-private consortium comprised of faculty members at various Wisconsin academic and research institutions working on the development and integration of advanced materials, applications and new processing technologies.
What is the purpose of AMM?
AMM will generate scientific knowledge ready for fast-track, low risk, scaling-up opportunities into sustainable products and technologies.
What is unique about AMM? How is it different from other CoEs in the region?
AMM’s focused mission and comprehensive model support the entire “ideation-to-commercialization” process cycle by identifying technology gaps and opportunities and leveraging network resources, to execute high-impact projects with built-in scale-up mechanisms, ultimately transferring knowledge and necessary workforce training and education to stakeholders.
How will AMM support technology transfer and the scale-up process?
Company members who are interested in technology scale-up will have the opportunity to work with the faculty principal investigators to develop data validation and prototyping plans in accordance with the respective project plans and milestones. The technology transfer and validation activities will be in conformance with the established intellectual property and licensing agreements between the company members and the center. Scale-up projects can be customized for individual company members under contractual services.
WHO IS (OR SHOULD BE) INVOLVED?
Who are the AMM stakeholders?
The leading organizations in shaping Wisconsin’s economic future and delivering the workforce to support these initiatives: Wisconsin’s academic and research institutions, workforce development agencies and community colleges, economic development and industry outreach organizations, businesses and entrepreneurs.
Who is involved in the planning and setup of AMM?
A planning committee (university faculty) is working with industry advisors to develop a proposal for securing the initial funding, and establishing the business and operating models for the CoE consortium.
What are the target industries?
Advanced materials affect a wide spectrum of industries in Wisconsin, including manufacturing, transportation, energy, health care, food, water, construction and mining. Initial research focus will be on the next generation of lightweight materials, composite materials, high-performance structural materials, additive materials, functional and “smart” materials, bio-derived materials and biomaterials.
Who will be invited to join AMM?
All Wisconsin businesses, professional and outreach organizations, academic and research institutions, economic and workforce development offices that can contribute to the mission of AMM are welcome to become members.
What size company would join AMM?
Any company with interest in integrating and scaling up advanced materials technologies would benefit from investment in this center, regardless of its size.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
How will AMM operations be managed?
AMM will be managed by two collaborative entities: a steering advisory board, made up of representatives of AMM’s partner institutions, and an industry advisory board, composed of representatives of AMM company members. The combined boards will make recommendations on (a) the research projects to be carried out by AMM (b) the apportionment of resources to these research projects, and (c) changes in the policies and procedures.
When will AMM officially launch? And where will it be located?
AMM is anticipated to be fully operational in early 2019. AMM will be housed at the UWM-University Services & Research Building located at 115 East Reindl Way, Milwaukee (two miles northwest of the main UWM campus).
What are AMM’s metrics for success and accountability?
Metrics and mechanisms for the assessment of the CoE performance and impact will be established by the AMM steering advisory board and its industry advisory board to ensure that its mission and objectives are met. In addition, performance indicators will be established and used to manage accountability to the stakeholders.
How will AMM be funded/sustained?
The planning committee for the CoE in AMM at UWM is working with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation on a potential grant to provide initial funding to help establish the CoE consortium. Such a grant would be matched with funding and in-kind contributions from UWM and Wisconsin businesses. Additional funding for the CoE will be through combinations of revenue streams, including: (1) annual membership fees for the consortium; (2) state and federal research and education grants; (3) funds from developing and teaching online/on-site technical courses; (4) contractual research and service work; (5) fees from professional events, conferences, technical seminars and workshops; (6) rental of space (i.e., incubators) for early startups and entrepreneurs; and (7) intellectual property licensing and royalties.
WHAT ARE THE COSTS? HOW DO I JOIN?
How much is the annual membership fee?
The CoE planning committee is currently working with the Steering Advisory Board on setting up a tiered structure membership that provides a range of benefits on important issues such as precompetitive research, member exclusive technical meetings and presentations, and discounts on the use of instruments and facilities at participating research institutions. The membership fee structure is based on the products and services offered to company members.
Are there any advantages to joining AMM at an early stage?
Yes. Early industry adopters will benefit from subsidized membership fees and funding opportunities for pilot research projects. In addition, early adopters will be able to contribute their input on the initial steering plans for the center.
Can in-kind contributions be accepted in lieu of, or in tandem with, cash for membership fees?
In general, no. However, exceptions can be made by the CoE’s steering committee on an individual basis.
How can a company join AMM?
UWM will prepare a memorandum of understanding (MoU) outlining the membership terms, fees and benefits for the new member company’s review and approval.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND OTHER IMPORTANT MEMBER BENEFITS
Can a company get a physical space at AMM?
Yes. There will be space available at the AMM site available for rent by company members for their use as research incubators.
What is the anticipated timeline for your research projects?
It depends on the nature and scope of each project. Contractual projects will be scoped over 6-9 months, whereas precompetitive and fundamental research projects can take 2-4 years to be ready for scalability. However, all funded principal investigators will be required to present a plan for quarterly measurable milestones and tangible deliverables at the end of each funded time period.
What about confidentiality agreements?
Non-disclosure and non-use agreements will be used by the center to ensure confidentiality of its members. The terms of the agreement will be established by the center’s policies and procedures.
What about scientific publications and technical presentations of research projects?
Although university researchers will have the right to publish their research findings in scientific journals, company members will have the opportunity to review any paper or presentation containing results of the research program prior to publication of the paper, and will have the right to request a delay in publication, provided the company makes a written request providing justification for such delay.
What about intellectual property generated by AMM? (pending approval by Steering Advisory Board and Partner Institutions)
All patents derived from inventions conceived or first actually reduced to practice in the course of research conducted by AMM will belong to UWM and its academic institution partners, which will be responsible for ensuring compliance with Chapter 18 of Title 35 of the United States Code, commonly called the Bayh-Dole Act. However, AMM company members will be entitled to a nonexclusive royalty-free license, and will have the right to sublicense its subsidiaries and affiliates. If a company member wishes to exercise rights to a royalty-free license, they must agree to pay patent application and maintenance costs.
What about license exclusivity? (pending approval by Steering Advisory Board and Partner Institutions)
Company members may obtain a fee-bearing license from AMM that is exclusive, except that the license is subject to the rights of the federal government under the Bayh-Dole Act. The company will also have the rights to sublicense its subsidiaries and affiliates.