Cassady predicts more gains, cites plan to develop research park

By MARY ANN ALBRIGHT
Gazette-Times reporter

Oregon State University is attracting record-high research dollars and patent royalties, and plans to expand its innovation efforts while continuing to focus on teaching and service, according to John Cassady, OSU’s vice president for research.

“We have a lot to be proud of as we work toward our goals,” Cassady said Thursday during his first formal address to the Faculty Senate. Cassady, a cancer researcher and former pharmacy dean at Ohio State University, came to OSU last March.

During the 2004-05 fiscal year, OSU faculty brought in $208.9 million in externally-funded research. Cassady said it’s the responsibility of his office to continue to “attract, sustain and support outstanding faculty.”

“We need to have the infrastructure to support faculty attracting major grants,” he said.

During the same period, commercialization of OSU intellectual property in the way of licensing and royalty revenue exceeded $1.9 million. Cassady expects that number to be even higher at the close of the current fiscal year.

Cassady said OSU wants to focus even more on attracting competitive grants and federal funding for research. He also wants to see more support for undergraduate research programs.

Part of becoming a top land-grant university is creating a hub where OSU researchers can partner with industry to create new technology, he said. Cassady presented to the Faculty Senate a design for Innovation Place, a proposed research park to be situated near Southwest Brooklane Drive and Philomath Boulevard.

Cassady didn’t make any predictions as to when Innovation Park will be up and running, but said it will “grow and develop over several years.”

Before discussing the direction OSU is heading, Cassady congratulated faculty on past accomplishments.

In the past decade, 164 patents were obtained by OSU faculty. In the last three years, 103 license or option agreements were established.

Twenty-two start-up companies based entirely on OSU technology have developed over the past 25 years. He noted that 15 of these companies are still operating today.

Mary Ann Albright covers higher education. She can be reached at maryann.albright@lee.net or 758-9518.