Partnerships-Quality of Life Technology Center - Carnegie Mellon University

The Value of Partnerships

We have formed a consortium of companies, practitioners and other universities who share our vision of technology enabling older adults and people with disabilities. The new QoLT field provides partnership opportunities with multiple academic communities - K-12, pre-college, undergraduate, post-graduate - on the use of cutting edge technologies in a vital public service. It provides a vehicle to inspire and engage diverse populations in learning and careers. Student engagement helps refine ERC programs to reflect the communities' needs and preferences, and make QoLT a field that is truly participatory.

The QoLT Center collaborates with member companies in the development, maturation, and field testing of QoLT prototypes. Our model is based largely on past experience in transferring technology to industry, which requires 1) extensive engineering and field testing to create pre-commercial prototypes; and 2) company representatives participation in the project to effectivley and efficiently transfer technology.  Partner organizations and institutions benefit through co-creation of curricula and outreach activities, real-world perspectives of the other partners, and early access to newly implemented QoLT Center devices and methods. We all benefit from a mutual understanding of each others' needs, constraints, challenges, and successes.

We actively seek the participation of regional and U.S. companies and multi-national firms based abroad. Our most important contributions to QoLT ERC member companies are to add value to their product base through access to research and to create entirely new technologies for licensing. Our partnerships with regional economic development organizations facilitate technology transfer and commercialization. 

Become a Partner

Each agreement will spell out membership privileges, costs, and discounts, as well as the general terms of technology licensing. Specific membership benefits are outlined in the table below.

Our experience has shown people are the best mechanism for technology transfer. To help ensure open lines of communication, an ERC faculty member will be a point of contact for each member company in addition to the Industrial Collaboration/Technology Transfer Director.

Industry Member Benefits Assoc Full Master
Open invitation to visit

Facilitated student recruiting

Booth at annual Technology/Industry Day
Listing on CMU QoLT Center web site
Advance copies of all publications
Notification of invention disclosures
Guaranteed seats & discounts for QoLT continuing education courses
Seats on Advisory Board
Participation in QoLT Foundry Advisory Board
Fee for researcher in residence OR sponsored graduate student working on member-specified project
Incl in fees
Annual meeting at member's site  •
Licenses to new quality of life technologies* i***
ii
Directed research project and opportunity for exclusive license  iii
 Annual Dues** $5k $20k $100k

* Requires continued membership in good standing
** Combination of cash & donated equpment/services
*** Non-exclusive licenses available if no members exercise option for exclusive license
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
i — Non-exclusive royalty-free, non-commercial
ii — Member-only option (up to 3 years) to negotiate exclusive licenses
iii — Optional ($150k)

Membersorange bar graphic
Allstate logo Allstate
bosch logo Bosch
blueroof logo Blueroof
etri company logo ETRI - Electronic & Telecommunications Research Institute
etovia logo etovia
gm logo General Motors Corp.
honeywell logo Honeywell
nissan logo Nissan
panasonic logo
Panasonic
psc logo Presbyterian Seniorcare


To Become a Partner Contact:orange bar graphic

Jim Osborn
oz @ cs.cmu.edu

or

Curt Stone
acs @ qoltfoundry.com


Download Details:orange bar graphic

Industry Flyer [pdf]

Partner Benefits [pdf]


partnership blurb