University of Chicago’s Polsky Center, Argonne, and Fermilab Discuss Leadership in Water Innovation at First-Ever Chicago Water Week

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago, in partnership with Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, is hosting a webinar as part of Current's inaugural Chicago Water Week. The event will highlight Chicago’s innovative, cross-sector water leaders from Sept. 28 to Oct. 2, 2020.

On Monday, Sept. 28 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. CT, the Polsky Center, Argonne, and Fermilab will present a webinar titled, “Partners in Innovation: How to Collaborate with Universities and National Labs.” The discussion will demystify the “tech transfer” process and explain how easy it is to collaborate with universities and national labs on the development of new technologies.

Panelists include:

• Bill Payne, executive director, science and technology, Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• Phil Smith, business development executive, Argonne National Laboratory
• Mauricio Suarez, deputy head of technology development and industry engagement, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory

Register for the FREE webinar, here.

The panel will outline the various opportunities for research collaboration, available capabilities and technologies for licensing across the University of Chicago, Argonne, and Fermilab – and the best ways in which to engage as partners in innovation.

“Argonne works with a range of organizations in the water space, offering unique expertise, facilities and tools to enable important advances. Whether it be providing critical insights on water quality in municipal waterways, or inventing advanced materials for energy-water systems, Argonne delivers value to its partners,” said Phil Smith, business development executive at Argonne.

Argonne and Fermilab – U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories managed by UChicago – frequently work with federal agencies, other universities, and corporations. Fermilab operates the Accelerator Applications Development and Demonstration (A2D2) research tool, which is a test platform for developing new electron beam radiation-driven chemical processes and evaluating new ideas for electron-beam applications.

“Through A2D2, Fermilab has a testing platform for proof-of-concept work in many areas such as water remediation, medical device sterilization, and surface modification," said Mauricio Suarez, deputy head of technology development and industry engagement at Fermilab. "We’re always eager to work with new companies to address their technology challenges using our world-class facilities and research tools.”

Some of the researchers at Argonne and Fermilab have joint appointments with the University of Chicago. The Polsky Center, which manages the IP portfolio for all University of Chicago innovations and technologies, fosters collaboration between laboratory scientists and engineers and students and researchers at UChicago by connecting them with one another as well as with industry partners.

“At the Polsky Center, we apply world-class business expertise from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business to help bring new ideas and breakthrough innovations to the market,” said Bill Payne, executive director, science and technology at the Polsky Center. “We are a 60-person team of professionals dedicated to supporting the innovation and commercialization process.”

About the Polsky Center

The Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago brings the power of ideas in the laboratory, classroom, and community to the world by providing resources to commercialize discoveries, partner with companies, and attract venture capital. The Polsky Center helps foster a culture of innovation that extends across the University, city and region, including UChicago’s nationally-recognized accelerator program, the Edward L. Kaplan, ’71, New Venture Challenge. The mission of the Polsky Center is to bridge the gap between knowledge and practice, idea and action, and research and impact. Learn more at: polsky.uchicago.edu.