12
Friday, September 11, 1992
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
irene Lanier / KANSAN
A perfect fit
Bett Viehland, left, a sales representative for ArcTacved College Jewelry, shows KU class rings to Marielle Jones, Prairie Village senior, and her mother, lise. The tables were set up on the second floor of the Kansas Union yesterday. Students can order rings at the Union until Sept. 11.
Professor says University weak in research and development
By Stacy Morford Kansan staff writer
The University of Kansas should improve its science and technology development and make more attempts to interact with outside industry, a KU professor told state legislators Wednesday.
Anthony Redwood, director of KU's Institute for Public Policy and Business Research, said basic research, technology development and innovation support were the weakest areas at the University. But technology, he said, is one of the seven foundations of economic development in Kansas
Redwood addressed the Kansas Legislature's Economic Development Committee during a Statehouse hearing.
"We're on the right track. We seem to have the main elements in place. But we need to be better," Redwood said.
Redwood listed several basic shortfalls in science and technology development at KU.
First, the interaction between industry and the University is concentrated in only a few areas within the
University's science and technology department.
To solve this, the University needs to develop a broader network of cooperation with area manufacturers, industries and businesses.
Second, small-and medium-size firms, the backbone of Kansas industry, are in peril in today's business environment. They are slow to adapt to new technologies.
"We need a better understanding of the technology basis and future needs of Kansas industry, and the barriers to that industry and firm level," he said.
Finally, to create solutions to these and future problems, KU needs to establish a technology-oriented think tank.
In Kansas, only the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation employs such a comprehensive set of research and technology transfer programs.
Redwood based his evaluations on a six-month field study he conducted in Germany and Great Britain in 1990.
Kansas lags behind Europe in research and development by more than a decade but is still a leader
nationally. he said.
In Germany, he studied an eight-state network of 35 technology assistance centers, all associated with universities. The state of Baden-Wuerttemberg also sponsored a statewide network linking 100 technology transfer centers and technical consulting services.
In Britain, each university had an industrial liaison office to link university research centers to industrial companies.
Bob Zerwekh, KU's assistant vice chancellor of research, graduate studies and public service, also functions as an industrial liaison for the University by referring people with technical questions to professors who are experts in those areas.
"We do have a good history of working with the private sector," Zwerekwil
But Redwood thinks relations could and should be better.
"A key to successful innovation and competitiveness would seem to be a comprehensive approach that covers from basic research to applied research and development to technical assistance," Redwood said.
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