IN 2008, Minnesota will celebrate its 150th year of statehood. Hundreds of events throughout the state will commemorate our past and celebrate who we are today. One of the themes of the yearlong celebration is innovation.
No other educational institution has a history of innovation
that is as deeply intertwined with the state’s history as the University of Minnesota. For example, the state’s booming medical device industry got its start in Minnesota primarily because of technology developed on this campus. Institute of Technology alumnus Earl Bakken worked with University doctors to develop the first battery-operated pacemaker and went on to start Medtronic. The computing industry’s presence in Minnesota
also can be traced directly to several University
engineering alumni, including computing pioneer
Seymour Cray who founded Cray Research.
Today, that spirit of innovation continues. An Institute
of Technology survey conducted three years ago shows that our IT alumni have founded 2,600 active Minnesota companies that employ 175,000 people and generate $46 billion in annual revenue. That reach is even greater worldwide with IT alumni founding 4,150 active companies that employ 551,000 people and generate
$90 billion in annual revenue.
Partnerships between the government, industry,
and Institute of Technology alumni, faculty, and students extend throughout the state and beyond as clearly evidenced in this issue of Inventing Tomorrow.
In our cover story, “Left to Their Own Devices,” we profile three Institute of Technology alumni who have started their own companies in the medical device industry.
They are part of the $25 billion medical device industry in Minnesota that employs many of our graduates
and makes Minnesota a high-tech leader.
Last summer, the University also stepped up its efforts
by launching a new Medical Devices Center aimed at strengthening interdisciplinary research, forging ties with industry and government agencies, and educating the next generation of innovators. The center is part of the new Institute for Engineering in Medicine, a joint initiative of the University’s Institute of Technology and the Medical School to foster collaboration between
the biosciences, engineering, and physical sciences.
Our Institute of Technology students and faculty continue to play an important role for business in a variety of areas. In the last five years, research by Institute of Technology faculty has generated 324 intellectual
property disclosures, 80 patents, and five startup companies.
In our story, “Our Business is Your Business,” we highlight how the University’s students, faculty, and resources have led to the building of a new Twin Cities
facility for a Virginia-based company, new employees
for a Denmark-based company relocating its U.S. headquarters to Minneapolis, and the start up of a new medical device company.
Our reach also extends worldwide. In the story “Winds of Change,” Institute of Technology students are working with local high school students and companies
to build a wind turbine to help bring water to a small village in Nicaragua.
In the story, “Computing Success for a New Generation,”
we show how the computer industry’s history parallels the growth of the University’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Today, the U continues
to be a leader in digital technology research.
O
ur Donor Report in this issue highlights our support
from business and private donations. This support has allowed us to continue to attract the best faculty and students who keep the Institute of Technology a center for new ideas to improve people’s lives.
With this continued support, I am confident the University will remain strong and continue to unlock the potential for innovation in our state, nation, and world.
