Research & Development at University of South Carolina
At the University of South Carolina, we provide our faculty and students with the best opportunities and resources possible and actively seek to improve the lives of others through innovative discovery in the humanities, technology, environmental health, and social sciences. Our diverse and actively funded faculty work alongside world-class researchers in partnerships across the state. The university has achieved an 89 percent increase in external research funding in the past six years with a record $206 million in 2008.
Research at Carolina promotes discoveries and innovation within service and manufacturing sectors, but also trains the next generation of specialists to improve our state's workforce and economy. We uses our comprehensive expertise and creative innovation to tackle the tough issues facing our communities and society.
Innovista: Changing the Way We Work and Live
The University of South Carolina has reinvented the notion of how and where researchers work and live with Innovista, an integration of public- and private-sector research in high-tech, high-density facilities. Located in the heart of Columbia, S.C., adjacent to the University of South Carolina's historic 200-acre campus, Innovista is a destination for innovation, creativity, entertainment, and culture.
Innovista's $250 million investment promises to be an economic catalyst that will help to increase the state's per-capita income and quality of life by attracting knowledge-based businesses and high paying jobs. (http://www.innovista.sc.edu )
Innovista is the culmination of many years of established research and innovation in benchmark areas such as fuel cell technology, international business, and public health. The venture is made possible through public and private entities including the University of South Carolina, business and economic communities, and local, state, and federal government.
"We're building the kind of interactive, urban innovation district that researchers and private-sector companies are looking for," University of South Carolina President Pastides said. "One that's truly unique, but-architecturally and environmentally-virtually indistinguishable from the city of Columbia as it stretches from downtown to the shores of the Congaree River. It's a place where people can live next to where they work and take a short walk to restaurants, entertainment, and recreation."
University of South Carolina among top 20 for number of start-ups created
In the past five years, faculty at Carolina have started 25 new technology companies by commercializing discoveries from their laboratories. Along with the companies grown in the University's Technology Incubator, hundreds of high-paying jobs have been created.
The University of South Carolina ranked 19th among 155 comprehensive universities nationally, tying with John Hopkins, Cornell, and Northwestern Universities (AUTM tech transfer national survey, 2008) for number of start-up companies created.
Many of the start-ups are related to alternative energy, biomedical, and health sciences-areas of core research strength for the university. Start-up companies provide a solid foundation for attracting new knowledge-based jobs to the Palmetto State and positively impact the state's economy. The latest study shows that Carolina's eight campuses and its alumni have a total economic impact to the state of $4 billion, which supports nearly 50,000 jobs.
Among the start-up companies focused on alternative energy are DEnergy LLC, which is focused on improved hydrogen-storage systems and methods of hydrogen production for fuel-cell applications. The company was formed in 2005 by entrepreneurs Ruth and Walker Rast in partnership with Thomas Davis and Michael Matthews in the Department of Chemical Engineering. Davis and Matthews have developed a storage system that uses safe, dry chemicals and water to release pure hydrogen gas. DEnergy LLC envisions near-term applications for portable power uses.
Also leading the way in fuel cell research is Hydrogen Hybrid Mobility LLC. The company, formed in 2006 by John Weidner and Chuck Holland in chemical engineering, has modified the standard battery-powered Segway personal transporter to use a hydrogen fuel cell to charge the battery for extra range. The company is exploring the use of fuel-cell technology in other small mobile devices such as wheel chairs and scooters.
Learn more: http://www.sc.edu/impact
