As a research institution, the University always has produced a continuous stream of technologies, inventions and ideas. In recent years, however, University research has played an increasingly significant role in the businesses and lives of those in the Charlottesville community.
During the past year, the community has seen a marked increase in capital and angel investors helping to start up new businesses as a result of such research, said Thomas Skalak, University vice president for research.
"U.Va research is making our community a global destination for technology-based ventures," he said. "It benefits the community in terms of visitors who support local businesses and in attracting support for enhancing public infrastructure, schools and services."
University research directly benefits the local community when such inventions - which often are designed to improve one's quality of life - are made available to the public, said Miette Michie, interim executive director and CEO of the University Patent Foundation.
"There's a great deal of activity right now as far as community interest in research at U.Va.," Michie said. "The research is spurring inventions that get out into the hands of the public."
How it gets there also provides an avenue for economic growth, Mayor Dave Norris said, adding that new companies or organizations must manufacture and distribute these new products somehow.\nThis demand for industry has led to the development of many companies in the area. One such company is ContraVac, Inc., which is located in Charlottesville and was founded in 2002 by John Herr, the director of the University's Center for Research in Contraceptive and Reproductive Health. Herr singled out a protein that could be used to identify and quantify sperm in a home test, said Ed Leary, president and chief financial officer of ContraVac. This technology was patented by the University Patent Foundation in 1997, and the foundation licensed the exclusive rights to those patents to ContraVac.
"University research in science and technology has generated an increase in the number of entrepreneurs who choose to start businesses in Charlottesville," he said. "This is a good thing for Charlottesville. It's good for our local economy and creates jobs in our community."
For example, drug-research company HemoShear, geriatrics-care organization WellAWARE Systems and medial-device company HemoSonics were all founded by University faculty and student research.
Though Norris does not see Charlottesville as the next Silicon Valley, he recognizes that there is a strong and vibrant technology sector in Charlottesville.
"That sector is going to continue to grow as we see a spin-off effect of research at U.Va," he said. "We do want to be one of those places that entrepreneurs think of when they're considering where to start a business"
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