{"258971":{"#nid":"258971","#data":{"type":"news","title":"TI:GER Program Gives ECE Research Students Entrepreneurial Edge","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDoctoral students in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) are accustomed to conducting world-class research that leads to innovative technologies, but when it comes to translating a great idea into a marketable product there can often be a disconnect. How does a technology researcher learn about topics such as patent law, business plans, marketing strategy, and intellectual property analysis? The TI:GER (Technological Innovation: Generating Economic Results) program in the Scheller College of Business can bridge the gap.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe two-year program\u2019s interdisciplinary approach intersects science, law, and business and brings together Georgia Tech Ph.D. and M.B.A. students with law students from Emory University. The program is nationally recognized for its success at developing entrepreneurs. Teams are formed in the first semester and consist of one Ph.D., two MBA, and two law students. Up to seven new research students are accepted each year and the teams form around their doctoral projects. Sometimes the research is successfully commercialized; sometimes it is not.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EECE Ph.D. students Matthieu Leibovici and Amir Dindar, advised by Professor Tom Gaylord and Professor Bernard Kippelen, respectively, are currently enrolled in the TI:GER program. While they are at different stages in the program, both are reaping the rewards of TI:GER\u2019s four-course academic track that provides instruction in technology commercialization processes with a focus on technology law and business fundamentals. An added benefit of the program is that many of the research students receive a two-year, half-time graduate research assistantship to cover their stipend and tuition waiver.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMatthieu Leibovici and his team are in the first semester of the program and are pursing the commercialization of pattern-integrated interference lithography (PIIL) technology, the subject of his graduate research currently developed in the GT Optics Laboratory. The lack of rapid and inexpensive fabrication techniques for periodic structures at the nano-scale has resulted in a significant roadblock to commercial development. PIIL addresses the limitations of multi-beam interference lithography by coupling it with projection lithography simultaneously. PIIL has far-reaching possibilities in areas such as optical communications, HD displays, solar cells, and biomedical devices, among others.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile Leibovici and his team hope to commercialize the technology and are currently seeking partners for development and licensing, he is quick to stress that TI:GER is not an incubator, but an education program. He says, \u201cThe goal is for Ph.D. students to gain business and legal skills in an environment of learning how to commercialize a technology, but you don\u2019t \u2018fail\u2019 if you don\u2019t launch a company.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESecond year TI:GER participant, Amir Dindar, is researching an ink-jet printed organic thin-film solar cell module for his electrical engineering doctoral degree. With this emerging technology, a solar cell module can be fabricated on top of glass as well as flexible substrates such as plastic. Low fabrication costs combined with applications that include futuristic new products such as bendable and disposable electronics had Dindar\u2019s TI:GER team excited about taking the product to market.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe one downside of organic solar cells is low-efficiency compared to conventional cells. The team knew this was a hurdle, but as part of their coursework, they embarked on an extensive discovery phase that involved in-depth industry analysis, product concepting, and market segmentation. In the end, their research uncovered that the return on investment was too low to make the technology viable in the market\u2014for now.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe learned a valuable lesson through our analysis. In academia, you aren\u2019t as concerned about the market, but in industry it often happens that your idea isn\u2019t feasible. You have to either stop the project or change direction. TI:GER helped me pinpoint problems in my research and now I have the opportunity to solve them,\u201d says Dindar.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe program, which was started in 2002 with funds from the National Science Foundation, provides a unique opportunity to ECE doctoral students. Adding an advantageous dimension to ECE curriculum, TI:GER teaches students to be both innovators and entrepreneurs. This duality is what academic institutions and industry are looking for in new hires.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMarie Thursby, Director of the TI:GER program says, \u201cPrograms like TI:GER give engineering students a competitive edge in the market. It\u2019s not enough to just have the technical knowledge. Companies are looking for students with leadership skills and an understanding of what it takes to capitalize on technology.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInterested students can plan to attend the information session on February 18, 2014. Please RSVP to \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jennifer.jacobs@scheller.gatech.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EJennifer Jacobs\u003C\/a\u003E by Feb. 17th. For more information, click \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.tiger.gatech.edu\/admissions\/phd_admission.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe two-year TI:GER program\u2019s interdisciplinary approach intersects science, law, and business and brings together Georgia Tech Ph.D. and M.B.A. students with law students from Emory University. The program is nationally recognized for its success at developing entrepreneurs.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27842","created_gmt":"2013-12-05 10:48:43","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:15:29","author":"Ashlee Gardner","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-12-05T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2013-12-05T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"258961":{"id":"258961","type":"image","title":"TI:GER Team Nano","body":null,"created":"1449243977","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:46:17","changed":"1475894943","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:49:03","alt":"TI:GER Team Nano","file":{"fid":"198302","name":"teamnano_tiger.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/teamnano_tiger_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/teamnano_tiger_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":235809,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/teamnano_tiger_0.jpg?itok=R5SR9fRV"}}},"media_ids":["258961"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/tiger.gatech.edu\/","title":"TI:GER Program"}],"groups":[{"id":"1255","name":"School of Electrical and Computer Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"139","name":"Business"},{"id":"42941","name":"Art Research"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"149","name":"Nanotechnology and Nanoscience"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"3472","name":"entrepreneurship"},{"id":"11797","name":"TI:GER Program"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39451","name":"Electronics and Nanotechnology"},{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAshlee Gardner\u003Cbr \/\u003EOnline Communications Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003ESchool of Electrical and Computer Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ashlee.gardner@ece.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Eashlee.gardner@ece.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["ashlee.gardner@ece.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}