Vanderbilt Vc's?

Vanderbilt University is not only reorganizing and staffing-up its tech transfer unit, but has created an advisory committee that includes VC's and entrepreneurs. Read more here.

N'ville lifesciences unsung?

Biotech, life sciences, pharmaceuticals... these are domains most Nashville entrepreneurs and investors feel are beyond their ken. Yet, there are amazing things going on here, as we report from Vanderbilt's new drug discovery center.

Sci-tech consortium forming in Nashville

A Tennessee State University executive confirms that, in line with recently introduced legislation in the General Assembly, TSU will be convening a "Capital City Research Consortium." The story is here.

TSN reports Corp-University ties

Today's Tennessean reports on growing research and education ties Universities, corporations and government agencies, in a story spurred partly by a corporate-partnership provision Gov. Phil Bredesen included in his recent education-reform package. The original TSN story's here, and a cached copy's here.

Memphians perceive Bredesen slight

The CA's editorial today makes plain that some Memphians are still rankled that Gov. Bredesen, who has often voiced support for the University of Memphis and the UT Health Sciences Center there, did not include references to those institutions in his address on improving scientific research at UT and in the state, generally.

Gov. Bredesen pushes UT as research powerhouse

With a goal of turning the University of Tennessee into one of the nation's top 25 research universities by 2020, Gov. Phil Bredesen yesterday announced $6MM in seed money to begin a push to add 200 Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists to UT academic ranks, and recruit 400 new graduate students to the campus from Tennessee and around the world. He also wants to double UT's annual research budget to $400MM. The KNS reports it here. The governor said he hopes to attract venture capital and federal funds for the push. UT Chancellor Jimmy Cheek said the governor's plan would prove "transformational" for UT.

More ORHS Kudos

Now, the oft-celebrated students of Oak Ridge High School have won a $10K Lemelson grant and are developing a clever water-purification technique, with the aid of engineer-mentors. The KNS reports.

U.Memphis pushing research

The CA reports today on the University of Memphis' efforts to achieve parity with UT, Vanderbilt and other research institutions. The story's here. Apart from competing for rankings, Memphis may also be concerned that if the governor follows-through on efforts to focus on a single state university as a research hub -- probably UT -- UM could suffer by comparison.

UT shakes-up tech-transfer leadership

The nearly 75-year-old University of Tennessee Research Foundation has quietly laid plans for the departure of its CEO and the total replacement of members of its board of directors. Read about it here.

UT: Petersen's Performance

UT President John Petersen's five-year self-review and forthcoming review by the UT system board provides a rare, integrated view of UT's strategy for supporting not only research and education, but also economic development, public service and its own reputation management. Petersen's self-exam is here (pdf). UT Research Foundation also recently honored 20 UT-linked patent holders, an interesting list. Today's KNS story on Petersen and the review process.

Medical Innovation POC grant

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation (Kansas City, MO) today announced an $8.1 million grant to the University of Kansas (at nearby Lawrence, KS) to establish the Institute for Advancing Medical Innovation, a unique life science proof-of-concept model that draws support from higher education, philanthropy and industry experts to move medical innovations and best practices in their development from the lab to the market. The Kansas University Endowment will match the grant through contributions from other donors. The grant announced today advances a drug-development partnership. Release here.