InnovationOUTREACHIMPACTEducation

IDEASEngineeringCreativity

Impact Report2016

New Product Development Center1201 S. Innovation Way Dr., Ste. 340Stillwater, Oklahoma 74074

Phone: 405-744-8727Email: npdc@okstate.eduWeb: http://npdc.okstate.edu

About the NPDC

Summary of FY16, Staff, and Mission

Impacts at a Glance

NPDC Program Summaries

Oklahoma Small Business Development Center for Technology Commercialization

New Product Development Center: Inventor’s Assistance Service-Stillwater

New Product Development Center: Tulsa

Mentoring the Next Generation

Raw Data and Methodologies

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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1:8 scale model of a client’s boom truck crane design, completed at NPDC-Tulsa. (Photo by Tyler Worden)

MISSIONThe mission of the Oklahoma State University New Product Development Center is to link the innova-tive ideas and capabilities of Oklahoma's small-and medium-sized manufacturers with the knowledge and technical expertise of the land grant university faculty, staff and students. This collaboration allows for the development and commercialization of economically competitive new products and improves manufacturing practices that strengthen economies, create new and enhanced jobs, improve capital investment and increase tax base.

ROBERT TAYLOR, PH.D., P.E.DIRECTORRobert Taylor has an extensive background in electrical and mechanical engineering design, research and devel-opment of complex systems, project and grant management and oversight of staff and students. Taylor utilizes his knowledge and background to direct staff and program partners in their investigations and development of inno-vative products and processes. He engages manufacturers and program partners to identify, develop and deliver results that benefit the overall economic development of Oklahoma.

DANA FISHERASSOCIATE DIRECTOR AND SBDC-CTC DIRECTORDana Fisher is a skilled project and program manager, business development consultant and business owner with more than 25 years of experience adding value and overseeing public and private sector initiatives focused on economic growth and sustainability. She is a Stillwater native and OSU graduate.

JESSICA STEWARTPROGRAM MANAGER

TERRI VENTRESSSENIOR DESIGN ENGINEER

JENNIFER VINYARDSENIOR DESIGN ENGINEER

HEATHER LEWISSENIOR DESIGN ENGINEER

TYLER WORDENDESIGN ENGINEER

RYAN REDDING, NPDC/SBDCASSOCIATE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST

TAMMY RATCLIFFADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT SPECIALIST

Stillwater

Tulsa

During the FY16 project year, the NPDC saw tremendous staff and program growth, adding an SBDC-CTC director and NPDC associate director, an SBDC-CTC business development specialist, an NPDC-IAS administrative support specialist, and an NPDC-Tulsa design engineer. The NPDC has seen rapid growth at the newly established NPDC-Tulsa, housed in the Helmer-ich Research Center, which serves clients in our federal, state, and industry-funded programs. The addition of the SBDC-CTC within the NPDC has become a model for cooperative delivery of business and engineering services.

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56INVENTIONS REVIEWED

23PROTOTYPES DEVELOPED

29INVENTIONS IN COMMERCIALIZATION

17OKLAHOMA COMPANIES CREATED

In FY2016, the NPDC submitted a total of 10 grant proposals valued at $10.2M and more

than 25 industry proposals valued at $350,000.

25%GROWTH IN INDUSTRY-FUNDED

PROGRAMS

12NEW COLLABORATIONS

The economic impact of NPDC programs affiliated with IAS is estimated at $3.6M, resulting in an

IMPACT RATIO OF 6.3:1.

4COMPANIES ASSISTED WITH PROPOSAL

DEVELOPMENT

4PROTOTYPE TESTING

ACTIVITIES ACCOMPLISHED

$670,000PROJECTED VALUE OF FUNDS AWARDED TO NPDC

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THE CTC PROVIDED

MORE THAN200 hours

OF DIRECT CLIENT TIME AND MORE THAN 400 hours

OF SPECIALIZED RESEARCH AND

ANALYSIS IN FY16.

The CTC provides specialized services statewide to entrepreneurs and small busi-nesses interested in bringing innovative new products to the marketplace. From July 1, 2015 to June 2016, 61 long-term clients have been assisted through the CTC. Long-term clients are defined by the Small Business Administration as individuals receiving five hours or more of one-on-one counseling and business support, including market and industry research, intellectual property assistance, and business and financial planning. The majority of clients assisted were startup businesses, many of which came to SBDC through the IAS program. These clients were helped through entrepre-neurial readiness assessments, commercialization milestone planning, business plans, financial projections, target market research, intellectual property research, strategic planning, and connections to engineering and design services, marketing agents, pat-ent attorneys, manufacturers, and investors.

Inventions reviewed: 56Prototypes developed: 4Inventions active in the commercialization process: 12Number of new companies created: 12

Collaborative Activities• A client who is developing technology for an EPA-compliant cleaning system is utiliz-

ing the engineering and prototyping expertise by the NPDC, receiving focused indus-try and market analysis by the CTC, utilizing strategic planning efforts by the SBDC, and obtaining further financing and commercialization options by i2E.

• A collaboration with the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance resulted in tremendous cross-contribution work. A client was referred to the CTC by the Alliance, and com-bined with engineering assistance, market research, industry analysis, and assisting with the patent process, the client is poised to begin selling units of a specialized device for the oil and natural gas industry.

• Another Alliance collaboration occured with a manufacturing client who has expe-rienced a significant decrease in business due to the reduction in oil and gas activity in the state. Combining with the SBDC, we were able to develop a strategic plan for the client to reduce operating costs, identify the burden rate, and develop new opportunities for new categories of customers. Prior to our work, the client had al-ready laid off more than 30 employees due to the decline in activity. As a result of our involvement, the client has been able to retain his remaining employees.

IMPACT

Overview

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IAS-STILLWATER PROVIDED

56 market evaluations, DEVOTED MORE

THAN 620 hours

TO RESEARCH,AND SPENT1,680 hours

ON DESIGN AND PROTOTYPING

ACTIVITIES.

INVENTOR’S ASSISTANCE SERVICE - STILLWATER

Inventions reviewed: 56Prototypes developed: 4Inventions active in the commercialization process: 7Number of new companies created: 5

IMPACT

IAS-Stillwater continues to serve as the first point of contact for inventors across Oklahoma who are seeking assistance with preliminary market and patent research; engineering feasibility reviews; third party referrals to marketing assistance, SBDC services, and manufacturers; and product design and prototyping. During the FY16 project year, approximately 25 percent of invention applications received were ac-cepted into the design and prototyping stage.

In FY2016, a customer service survey was implemented, indicating an 88 percent satisfaction rate, with 66 percent reporting they were “very satisfied.” Of the respons-es, 88 percent were conceptual and 44 percent of inventors had rough prototypes. Additional activities in FY16 included piloting webinar “open houses” and hosting the first OSU-Tulsa HRC Showcase to highlight NPDC outreach and engineering services available on both Tulsa and Stillwater campuses.

Collaborative Activities• NPDC is working closely with the Oklahoma State University Biosystems and Agri-

cultural Engineering department, Cowboy Technologies, and the OSU Technology Development Center on supporting a gasification system industrial partner search in an effort to provide a food manufacturer with a better means of destroying food waste with the potential of returning the energy back into the plant.

• IAS-Stillwater collaborated with Julie Hartel, assistant professor in OSU’s Depart-ment of Civil Engineering, on a concrete burst cylinder testing device. IAS-Stillwa-ter also supported Hartel’s proposal development for further R&D activities.

• The Inventor’s Assistance Service program was invited to present to a group of robotics team students and evaluate Broadmoor Elementary’s recycling invention. The students are expected to participate in a field trip to the NPDC and learn more about engineering, inventions, and further developing their concept. This is the first event in what Stillwater-IAS hopes will be additional outreach and education to the next generation of entrepreneuers and makers.

Overview

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THE NPDC-TULSA PROVIDED 11 design and

drawing packages TO CLIENTS AND SPENT 2,600 hours

ON DESIGNING AND PROTOTYPING

IN FY16.

NPDC-Tulsa, led by design engineer Tyler Worden and his team of undergraduate stu-dents, focuses on advancing manufacturing and providing design resources for inven-tors and industry in the Tulsa region. The NPDC-Tulsa provides services in the areas of full design and manufacturing drawing packages, manufacturing connections, proto-types, design revisions, research, and supporting product documentation.

Number of clients assisted: 11Prototypes developed: 15Number of prototype testing activities: 4Inventions active in the commercialization process: 10

Collaborative Activities• NPDC-Tulsa collaborates

with the Oklahoma SBDC on nearly all projects to leverage resources and maximize the services and impact to Oklahoma inven-tors and businesses.

• NPDC and OSU are collabo-rating with Nordam to con-duct materials testing on some unique materials to be used in specific applica-tions on cutting edge tech-nology in the aerospace industry. A variety of proce-dures such as tensile, fatigue, and corrosion testing will be administered by NPDC mechanical engineering student interns.

• The NPDC is also currently working with Helmerich and Payne on a materials test-ing project that is investigating material properties and grain structures of materi-als in search of relations to potential wear issues. This testing involves a variety of testing procedures like looking into material hardness and analysis of the material using a Scanning Electron Microscope, Confocal Microscopy, and X-Ray Diffraction.

IMPACT

OverviewTULSA

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MENTORING THE NEXT GENERATIONThe Oklahoma State University New Product Development Center has a history of funding undergraduate and graduate students to perform business and engineering outreach services to university clients. The initial internship program established at the OSU NPDC in 2006 focused on business and marketing communications assis-tance and employed an average of six students each summer and in the fall and spring semesters. Through program success and popularity, internship numbers for the NPDC have grown to more than 30 undergraduate and graduate students per semes-ter majoring in engineering, business, and communications. The NPDC team mentors students in both a group and one-on-one basis and assures deliverable quality and timeliness for all clients.

The goal of the mentoring program is to provide the skills, knowledge and experience to prepare undergraduate and graduate students to excel in their chosen career path. Undergraduate and graduate research assistants engage with a diverse set of state-wide industry and academic partners.

In addition to the experience and skills students gain at the NPDC, another result of our internship model is that small companies gain an appreciation for specialized young business and engineering professionals who customize solutions for their pro-duction or business model. This has led to increased interest from Oklahoma’s small businesses and manufacturers in hiring young professionals upon graduation.

In FY2016, the NPDC employed 44 undergraduate and graduate student interns who worked more than

22,880 hours on projects for NPDC clients.

The NPDC-Tulsa team touring Nordam. (Photo courtesy Nordam)

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RAW DATA AND METHODOLOGIES1. Total number of reviews of inventions: 562. Number of prototypes developed: 233. Number of ptototype testing activities accomplished: 44. Number of inventions by clients of the IAS that are actively in the commercialization process: 295. Number of new products/inventions commercialized or manufactured: None for FY166. Number of new companies created: 177. Dollar amount of gross sales resulting from the new product/process: None for FY168. Private (VC/Angel Investment) and federal dollars leveraged: None for FY169. Number and dollar values of licenses, royalties and fees: N/A10. Number of collaborations: 1211. Evaluation and feedback from OCAST and inventors to enhance and improve activities for FY16:12. Number of companies or individuals assisted with proposal development: 213. Number of proposals submitted: 35 (7 federal, 3 state, 25 industry)14. Value of proposals submitted: $10.2M15. Number of proposals awarded funding: 2 (pending notification on three awards)16. Total value of funds awarded: Projected at $670,000.0017. Educational modules created: N/A - under review and revision by OSU ITLE18. Webinars hosted: 119. Outreach events hosted: 2

Survey data compiled from surveys sent to IAS clients between the dates of 7/1/2015 and 5/1/2016. IAS is realizing a 20 percent response rate.

Impacts reported based on cost avoidance, value of prototypes and design work, value of preliminary market and patent reports, value of grant proposals, and value of affiliated program client hours.

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