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OIEx Story Shared with International Audience at euroCRIS Conference in Paris, France 

OIEx team member Jeff Agnoli was invited to share how the OIEx consortia model is helping drive discovery in research and innovation at the annual EuroCRIS Strategic Membership Meeting held 26-28 November 2024 in Paris, France.  Jackson Anderson, Head of Product Management-Research Workflows of partner Digital Science was in attendance supporting our efforts.

The euroCRIS is an international not-for-profit association founded in 2002 bringing together experts on research information in general and research information systems (CRIS) in particular. euroCRIS is committed to fostering cooperation and knowledge-sharing across the research information community and promoting interoperability of research information through the CERIF standard, the Common European Research Information Format. 

This international organization for research information, held their 2024 annual Strategic Membership Meeting in Paris hosted by the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE). 

The Ohio Innovation Exchange -- the only U.S. based expertise system who participated in the conference -- was generously provided time on the agenda to share Ohio's unique efforts to promote innovation and discovery across the state and beyond. 

The agenda included presentations on research information management systems (RIMS) from the international community of universities and academic disciplines. Representation from national and university-based RIMS included, but not limited to, France, Germany, UK, Spain, Poland, Italy, Finland, Norway, Croatia, Serbia, Dominican Republic. 

New Report Details Blueprints for Success for University-Industry Collaborations Featuring Lessons Learned from the OIEx Story

A new report lays out a blueprint for success for universities and industry partners alike, with a focus on leveraging universities’ research expertise and facilities to support industry needs.

The report – Catalyzing Collaboration: How Research Information Management Systems Drive Academic-Industry Partnerships – was published in November 2024 by Symplectic, a trusted provider of information management solutions.

Using case studies from the University of Toronto and the Ohio Innovation Exchange (OIEx), the report explores how advanced research information management systems (RIMS) can:

• enhance the discoverability of research expertise and facilities
• foster industry partnerships
• drive meaningful collaborations both internally and externally
• increase their positive impact on the economy and society.

The University of Toronto’s DiscoverResearch portal and the Ohio Innovation Exchange utilize Symplectic Elements to showcase their research expertise and assets. The report outlines how both platforms are successfully transforming the way industry partners engage with academic expertise.

A copy of the Report is available for download.

Ohio University helping lead state’s innovation surge as a founding partner of the Ohio Innovation Exchange

Ohio University (OHIO), a founding university partner in the statewide initiative, is helping to advance the state’s business and industry research capabilities while playing a crucial role in driving economic vitality and technological advancement across Ohio.

“OHIO's continued involvement in the Ohio Innovation Exchange highlights not only the University's robust research infrastructure but also its ongoing dedication to driving economic growth and technological advancement through strategic academic-industry partnerships,” said Timothy Cain, project director of OIEx and associate professor in biomedical sciences at Ohio University.

PARTNERING TO CREATE INNOVATION OUTCOMES

Since 2020, OHIO has secured over $1M in three successive rounds of Ohio Third Frontier Research Incentive funding leading the multi-university team of professionals guiding feature enhancements, cultivating broad industry awareness, and expanding the initiative to now include ten featured Ohio universities, according to Cain, who serves as principal investigator.

"The recent designation of OHIO as an R1 university (Carnegie Classification denoting Very High Research Activity), is a meaningful recognition of our discovery ecosystem – our people, resources, and commitment to innovation," said Eric Muth, OHIO's vice president for research and creative activity. "The State’s investment in OIEx is helping connect industry to our university innovators and our peers across Ohio will have a greater economic impact than any individual institution could have alone. I am pleased that OHIO has played such an important leadership role in this statewide collaboration.” 

SOLVING REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS -- TOGETHER

Stacy Strauss, director of the OHIO Innovation Center noted that OIEx partnerships often start with information about potential collaborators that OIEx provides and are a testament to both the University's robust ecosystem of innovation and its critical role in solving real-world problems.

“My team frequently uses the Ohio Innovation Exchange to source research partners and other resources on behalf of our tech startup clients,” Strauss said. “Having a robust platform at the ready is critical to ensure that we – and, by extension, our clients – have a source for connections that benefit commercialization.” 

In addition to OIEx, OHIO’s involvement in the Ohio Innovation Fund (OIF) further amplifies its impact on the state’s economy. The OIF connects capital and expertise to emerging companies in Ohio, fostering a vibrant environment for startups and innovation.

As a founding investor in OIF, Ohio University has helped facilitate the growth of businesses that contribute to over $10 billion in market value and serve a diverse range of industries and institutions.

OIEx Invited Presenter at International UIIN Conference 2024 in Madrid, Spain 

OIEx team members Tim Cain and Jeff Agnoli joined by Kate Byrne, SVP for Product-Research Workflows of partner Digital Science, were invited presenters at the annual UIIN (University Industry Innovation Network) conference held 27-30 May in Madrid, Spain. 

Drawing over 450 attendees from 41 countries around the globe, the European conference provided an opportunity to showcase the story of OIEx, "A Ten-University Collaborative Supporting Ohio’s Knowledge Economy" to an international audience of peers organizations equally dedicated to advancing university-industry collaborations.

The annual UIIN conference is the largest global event dedicated to university-industry interaction, entrepreneurial and engaged universities and the future of higher education.

Since its inception in 2012, UIIN has cultivated and supported a community of passionate institutions in Europe and around the globe to seek innovative approaches to improving external engagement and social impact.  UIIN offers expertise and resources for skills-development, networking and support for individuals and organizations involved in university-industry collaboration, entrepreneurial universities and technology transfer.

The UIIN team brings together diverse experiences and perspectives across different disciplines and cultural contexts that enable the community to truly understand a broad range of engagement challenges. Whilst the roots and team of UIIN are in Amsterdam, Netherlands, it strives to support institutions across the world.

The OIEx team was honored to have had the opportunity to raise broader awareness of the project efforts, goals and the State's ongoing commitment to the knowledge economy of Ohio and the world.

Upjohn Study Details Strategies to Enhance the Impact of OIEx

The W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research (Kalamazoo, MI) released findings of its study examining, “Sustainability Practices, Policies, and Business Models of Web-Based Innovation Platforms” commissioned by the Ohio Department of Higher Education evaluating the OIEx statewide initiative.  

Examining peer efforts across the United States that are similar to OIEx in scope and focus, economist and lead author Iryna Lendel, Senior Director of Regional Economic and Community Development at Upjohn, provides specific recommendations for achieving operational excellence and building broader awareness of this resource-sharing strategy and online knowledge management portal and its supporting ecosystem. 

The report notes that OIEx stands out as one of the pioneering multi-university initiatives in the United States.

In the report, Lendel’s team identifies opportunities to enhance the impact and sustainability of OIEx, with policy recommendations emphasizing the need for OIEx to transition toward a role as a knowledge broker bridging the gaps between the needs of industry and supply of university resources. The report details recommendations for refining marketing, communications, and business strategies of OIEx to achieve the next level of operational excellence.

Conceived as a cross-sector initiative, OIEx is an industry-sought, higher education-driven, and state government-sponsored information solution focused on improving industry access to expertise, research services, and technology resources from a growing coalition of Ohio universities. 

Upjohn Regional provides applied economic research and technical assistance. It addresses issues in regional economies, economic development, workforce/occupational development, evaluation, public policy development, and economic impact modeling and analysis. It is a unit of the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.