Research and Scholarship

FY18 was a strong year in securing competitive research awards, with a total of $45.47 million in new awards, a new university record, and compared to $24.64 million in FY17. Research expenditures were $30.8 million in FY18, compared to $31.2 million in FY17. The number of research awards increased to 166 in FY18 compared to 142 in the prior year. A total of 726 conference and journal papers were published in FY18 compared to 715 in the prior year. There were 17 companies housed in the Stevens Venture Center, consistent with the prior year. Patent activity was robust.

Goal R1

We will create and implement a foundational, holistic research ecosystem to empower and ensure that faculty actively pursue excellence in scholarship and creative activity, research productivity, Ph.D. degree production, and technology transfer. This will involve strengthening the support infrastructure, providing incentives and, in consultation with faculty, mitigate barriers to increasing productivity.

OWNER: PROVOST CHRISTOPHE PIERRE

The research ecosystem at Stevens continues to be strengthened through a multitude of programs and events that focus on providing the tools and networking resources to faculty that foster research and development. Highlights include:

• The Office of Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ORIE) formed the Committee of Deans/Associate Deans of Research to collaboratively establish productivity targets; identify new mechanisms to support faculty proposal efforts that include a variety of incentives and opportunities to spur research and graduate student engagement in research. 

• ORIE continues to identify and distribute new research and scholarship opportunities and provide support and infrastructure to strengthen proposals. In FY18, this included hosting 22 events; participation in federal funding and policy events; and engagements with state and federal legislators, staff, and sponsors in support of Stevens’ research and innovation activities.

• Provided multiple faculty proposal support initiatives including: four writing workshops, CAREER workshop, intranet updates for resources, new faculty training, and one-on-one mentoring on research funding sources and entrepreneurship opportunities.

• Published and distributed three resource books on corporate sponsors, federal sponsors, and foundations.

ORIE published two newsletters each semester, IMPACT and Innovator. Research webpages were updated to link relevant research to Stevens' strategic pillars. ORIE served as the catalyst for new center development and expansion for the Center for Sensor Technology & Applied Research (STAR) and the Center for Quantum Science and Engineering (CQSE). New awards were established for faculty and student excellence in the areas of research and innovation, and ORIE sponsored and/or supported several branding events designed to spotlight research. These include BioNJ, BioPartnering, BioInternational, the Coalition for National Science Funding, Propelify, NJ Tech events, and the Innovation Expo. The research ecosystem also includes programs and efforts that spotlight and celebrate notable faculty research achievements.

Goal R2

All tenure-stream faculty members will be engaged in substantive, original scholarly or creative activities, and will be expected to perform with excellence according to the standards in their respective fields. All tenure-stream faculty in STEM fields will be expected to secure external funding for their research. Non-STEM faculty are expected to be research active as well, with productivity measured by publication in the top-ranked journals and/or other venues, as well as all external support for education and research (e.g., from foundations, funding agencies, and corporations). Single- and multiple-PI peer reviewed competitive grants are high priorities, as are interdisciplinary team research efforts (centers) within STEM disciplines and across STEM and non-STEM fields. By 2022, research expenditures for Stevens will total $50 million per year. Each School/College will set objectives for externally-funded research awards, as well as the quality and number of publications and scholarly and creative works.

OWNER: PROVOST CHRISTOPHE PIERRE

Research awards reached $45.47 million in 2018, the highest level in the university’s history. Research expenditures in FY18 were $34.40 million, compared to $35.14 million in FY17; these will increase as awards continue to exceed prior year award levels by significant amounts. The number of research awards increased to 166 in FY18 compared to 142 in the prior year.

In addition, Stevens achieved or surpassed most significant internal research objectives in FY18, including 31 invention disclosures; 12 provisional patent applications filings; seven non-provisional patent application filings; two U.S. continuation filings; and two PCT patent application filings. In addition, there were 726 publications in FY18 compared to 715 in publications in FY17.

The Schools are developing award and publication goals for FY19. Progress to date includes:

Goal R3

We will achieve an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship on campus that is closely connected to our teaching, research and technology transfer programs, and which welcome innovators and entrepreneurs who recognize the value of associating with Stevens. We will develop and deploy policies and incentives that advance the engagement of faculty and students in entrepreneurial activities, including Stevens Venture Center activities, also acknowledging the value of such achievements. We will pursue patents and licenses with a primary focus on return on investment.

OWNER: PROVOST CHRISTOPHE PIERRE

In FY18 efforts to generate an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship were expanded through an active program of engagement with the student body and the faculty at Stevens. Efforts focused on informing and educating constituents of the entrepreneurial opportunities and support available through the Stevens Venture Center (SVC) and the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE). The scope and value of the Stevens patent portfolio were increased through improvements to the Stevens patenting process and through the aggressive pursuit of opportunities for marketing and outreach of Stevens capabilities and assets to early-stage and well-developed industry players.

In FY18, the OIE brought on new leadership through the hiring of David Zimmerman, Ph.D., J.D., to fill the position of Director of Technology Commercialization. In the last quarter of FY18, OIE expanded efforts to promote external awareness of Stevens’ IP portfolio and research. These activities have led to extensive engagement both internally and externally for Stevens:

• Outreach efforts have increased Stevens’ IP profile at the state and national levels through participation in 2018 AUTM software course; hosting of a meeting of the New Jersey Research Commercialization Consortium; working with other New Jersey research universities to apply for a Biomedical Advanced Research DRIVE grant; entering negotiations to join the New Jersey Academic Drug Discovery Consortium; and joining the National Council of Entrepreneurial Technology Transfer (NCET2).

• The increased licensing focus has led to renewed interest and engagement in Stevens’ IP. FY18 activities included:

  • Negotiating a license for a Stevens patent on nerve growth to a regenerative medicine company

  • Renegotiating the terms of an existing IP license to a Stevens wearable technology startup

  • Initiation of negotiations for exclusive license with a Stevens faculty startup and SVC member

  • Engagement with an SVC company on licensing Stevens IP to support their series A funding round

In FY18, the Stevens Venture Center continued to grow, ending FY18 with 17 technology-focused member companies. This growth took place despite membership turnover due to student graduation and non-renewal or resignation of seven companies. Also, an initiative was undertaken to derive additional value from the Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) program. That effort led to the launch of a program that targets EIR teams to focus on and provide specific types of expertise to particular member companies. One significant SVC start-up company graduate, FinTech Studios, continued to be engaged with the SVC from the outside, raising over $1.5M in FY18 as a result of SVC networking.