[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Flintbox_flyer_opt.jpg” caption=”Technology Research Online”]Go ahead. Google 'Flintbox'.

Or go to any other Internet search engine and type in the word Flintbox. What pops up on your screen will be a list of results, with one of the first two always directing you to the Flintbox Web site, “an online platform for marketing and licensing the outcomes of research taking place in and around universities.”

McMaster University has hopped on this platform, poised to bring the outcomes of research taking place here on campus to the boundless market of the World Wide Web.

It's no accident that surfers end up on the Flintbox doorstep. The Flintbox technology  developed at UBC in 2000 and launched in 2001  has powerful features that ensure that the web site gets noticed by search engines such as Google.

Earlier this year, McMaster's Office of Research Contracts and Intellectual Property (ORCIP) entered into an agreement with Flintbox, whereby technology created at the University by our researchers is made available for licensing, either from the Flintbox website or from McMaster's own Web site: www.mcmasterflintbox.ca.

Bob De Wit, Flintbox director of licensing, explains that the licensing of academic materials  whether it's software, CD ROMs, teaching materials, surveys, reference materials or questionnaires  is often complicated by the fact that products which have commercial potential and/or could serve the public good, are not making it to the marketplace because of the high cost of commercialization.

“Before Flintbox, there was a whole category of research artifacts  non-patentable stuff, the other 98 per cent of all research results  that was effectively ignored by existing technology transfer practices. Our thinking was that we needed to get something started for these types of research outcomes,” De Wit says.

Through Flintbox, McMaster researchers can benefit from marketing, distribution and licensing of their inventions, no matter what stage of development. Their product can be software, shareware, freeware or any other research material. If the product is in its early stage of development the researcher can solicit feedback to continue to improve on their technology, or develop relationships with industry users who might become sponsored research supporters.

“For McMaster, Flintbox's real value is in its marketing capabilities  we'll be able to more effectively market non-patentable products. It will give our technology transfer offices extra help when it comes to the time consuming activity of getting information about McMaster technologies to business, industry and the larger research community,” says Arlene Yee, industrial liaison manager for the Faculty of Health Sciences.

By the fall, Flintbox will be fully implemented on McMaster's Web site with a significant number of postings. Some of the technologies posted include: a Human Biochemistry CD ROM, originally created by biochemistry professor Evert Nieboer for nursing and health science students; the McMaster Algorithm for Freeway Traffic Incident Detection, developed by Fred L. Hall, professor of civil engineering; and the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ), developed by Gordon Guyatt and Jan Irvine, department of medicine and professor Alba DiCenso, school of nursing.

The IBDQ is a well-respected quality of life questionnaire that has been used extensively in research and clinical trials since 1997. There is a range of licensing options offered for the IBDQ, dependent on how the questionnaire is used. For example, a student using the IBDQ for academic study would pay significantly less than an organization choosing to use the IBDQ for a clinical trial  anyone can download a sample version for free.

“What's exciting about the Flintbox initiative is that products like the IBDQ have the potential of getting more international recognition and usage because of its exposure on the worldwide web,” says Yee.

Similarly, users can download a demo version of the Human Biochemistry CD ROM or purchase the course for a modest fee. The McMaster Algorithm for Freeway Incident Detection, which was developed under contract to the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, is licensed free to users. “It's as easy as pressing a button  users have downloadable copyright to assignable technologies. We can get a response to McMaster's technologies without money exchanging hands,” adds Yee.

Mamdouh Shoukri, vice-president, research and international affairs, says, “the Flintbox enterprise is an innovative partnership that benefits our researchers and provides them with the opportunity to better connect with the end users of their research efforts. McMaster ranks in the top three research-intensive universities in the country and the opportunity to leverage the work done by our research community on a worldwide scale is exciting.”

Photo caption: With Flintbox, McMaster researchers plan to grab international recognition for their work.