Washington State has a proven history of pioneering new innovations whether it’s giving birth to the commercial aircraft industry or inventing life saving devices that become the standard in healthcare. Washington’s research universities have been at the forefront of new technologies across industry sectors that have had a significant impact on the economy.
For the past 10 years, the University of Washington’s Center for Commercialization, now called CoMotion, has been helping researchers commercialize their work. Their focus is exposing researchers to entrepreneurs-in-residence and angel investor groups. These “tough but friendly voices” help bridge the gap between a worthy project and success in the marketplace.
Currently, CoMotion has an 80% survival rate of new startups. The emphasis is on nurturing ideas that will be able to thrive in the marketplace and have a good chance at long-term success. This year 18 new startups were launched addressing a variety of issues such as cancer treatment, medical testing and energy efficiency.
Because of their proven success at bringing innovations to the marketplace, the University of Washington is ranked by Reuters as the 4th Most Innovative University in the world.
Read more in Geekwire.