Ohio Research Advances Bioscience Technology Business Interests

In the world of sustainable energy production and good environmental stewardship, Ohio is producing biogas from agricultural and food-processing waste through a successful partnership between the state university and business.  The Cleveland based Quasar Energy Group is working in collaboration with Ohio State's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) to turn 550,000 gallons of biomatter into energy at its flagship anaerobic digester at the OARDC's BioHio Research Park.

This university-industry partnership is doing what non-profit industry promoter BioHio set out to do when it formed in 2010: to accelerate bioscience, particularly its commercialization, in order to spur economic and job growth for the state. 

The 95-acre Research Park in Wooster (adjacent to the OSU campus) is a working example of this partnering, which quasar credits with giving his company the credibility it would have taken them a decade to gain on their own. The university has gained research and employment opportunities for its students and graduates, and Ohio has profited with 110 jobs in a cutting-edge green industry.  Accelerated credibility has meant the addition of three more Quasar biodigesting plants already, and five more under construction, all in the state of Ohio. (Photo courtesy of OARDC)

Also just announced, Ohio State University in Columbus has taken a major step forward in bringing its bioscience research to market in hiring Brian Cummings as its Vice President for Technology Commercialization.  Cummings previously held this position at the University of Utah and the University of Texas.  In both cases the number of new start-ups generated by university research increased dramatically during his tenure.  Ohio State has more than $756 Million in research expenditures, which is twice that of Utah's, but Ohio trails Utah in start-ups and licensing revenues from its university intellectual property assets.

Cummings has a strong base to work from at Ohio State, where the marketing of university biotechnology has an active champion in BioHio, and where the alliance of industry and public research has already begun to bear fruit, with the OARDC Research Park and quasar partnership as an example and forerunner.

(Photo courtesy of the Columbus Dispatch)

If you are a science researcher or a supplier of science laboratory tools and equipment in Ohio and would like to meet life science researchers, purchasing managers, and industry representatives, plan to attend the 12th Annual Columbus BioResearch Product Faire™  Event at the Ohio State campus in Columbus, May 26, 2011. Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. provides researchers and science suppliers with the opportunity to connect, network and solve research challenges together throughout the nation.