You have heard of that old proverb that goes, "For want of a nail the kingdom was lost", haven't you? You could have the whole kingdom all perfectly functioning and being heaven on earth; and something insignificant and as small as a naill could scupper the whole deal. There are wonderful ideas for scientific inventions stuck in scientific laboratories out there that we never get to hear about, all because those scientists haven't a clue how to go about getting their ideas out of the lab, and into the market. Innovative scientific imagination is about the greatest faculty humans are capable of; but all that is routinely wasted for want of something as small as help from people who know business. This is the most valuable kind of invention help scientists can have today - help rarely found, that can show them a way to exploit their knowledge.
This kind of cooperation is somewhat rare. But there have been some major successes that have come by Internet innovators who have been armed with nothing bigger than an idea over the past ten years though, and these encouraging stories are beginning to breathe new life into a support system that exists to deliver the greatest ideas locked up in our laboratories from obscurity. What kind of support system is it though that inventors blessed with an idea can approach for invention help?
While venture capitalists do exist for this kind of thing , the largest and most cutting edge invention help comes from several of the top universities of the country. The main difference between these places and business incubators or venture capitalists, is that the universities will take on an idea long before it is ever ready for the market. Venture capitalists and business investigators typically need a company that's almost up and running. These new places though involve themselves with these innovative people right time there academics - long before they actually become inventors.
The very best ones are the MIT, and the University of California in San Diego. Is there a specific name for the kind of invention help universities provide in this way? They call it centers for proof of concept. Their aim is to keep tiny little pieces of brilliance alive, to find investors who are capable of seeing and holding a vision, and to help academics navigate the world of business. There have been some great success stories that they've launched too - a pioneering video technology company, a company that makes innovative medical scanners and so on.
The example that these two superstars in the world of proof of concept have set is now followed by several others -the University of Kansas, Georgia Tech and others. The challenge they have on their hands isn't an easy one. They need to find investors who have a vision big enough, that they can invest a quarter million dollars in an idea.
Most of the innovation that has driven Silicon Valley over the decades has come from the universities of the area. And President Obama loves the whole concept so much, he is putting millions of dollars into proof of concept centers. If you are an inventor, these are exciting times to live in. There are ideas on their way to the market now in robotic toys, drug testing devices, and cheaper computers. For scientists who have languished without invention help for decades, people who always felt that there were few people out there who could recognize a good idea, these new developments make for really good news.
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