Buying Purdue technology

Millions of dollars in revenue could be flowing into Purdue University in the straightway year from three new research agreements with private companies.

"We have this huge field and it's nearly like, which field are you going to plow first," Purdue's head of innovation, Gerry McCartney, said, describing the many unequalled technologies created in West Lafayette. "Nevertheless we are going to take these opportunities as they present themselves to us."

McCartney, vice president for information research, announced the three deals Friday while the Purdue Board of Trustees meeting. The agreements are with McGraw-Hill Education, vehicle and engine manufacturer Navistar International and a major medical innovation company to be named then and there week.

In the past few years Purdue's own innovation has been promoted as means to generate new revenue streams. The new deals are clearest example so far of diverse innovation that Purdue can translate into funding possibilities, an alternative to traditional support from tuition and state appropriations.

Chicago-based Navistar will purchase higher-performance computing service from Purdue, likely from its new supercomputer, Carter. The computer was ranked 54th in the latest international Top500.org list of the world's most powerful supercomputers. It has the capacity to compute 186.9 trillion multiplications per second. Purdue faculty use it to predict weather patterns or develop cancer treatments.

Cagney, vice president of advance research and engineering, said Purdue will become a partner through the collaborative use of computer processing and technical support campus staff brings.

The unnamed medical innovation company will use Purdue's HUBzero, which simplifies the posting and use of computational tools. Social network-style features let users build "cloud" communities with others working on the project.

Keith Krach, trustee chairman, said that area of revenue will be a boost along with other long-term revenue plans, just as increasing commercialization of products and shifting to a year-round campus in the at once eight years.

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