Roughly 40 percent of Clemson's current royalties are derived from a software program used to operate automated tape data storage and retrieval systems. The system, manufactured by Colorado-based StorageTek, was developed by Clemson computer experts through the Clemson University Research Foundation. Another major revenue-earner is a patent for a technique that improves adhesion between an orthopedic implant and bone. The novel concept for hip and knee replacement implants features a polymer precoat that creates a bond that is two or three times stronger than bonds created with conventional techniques. Developed in the 1980s, it is now licensed to Zimmer Inc., a subsidiary of Bristol-Meyers Squibb Company.
Inventions typically come from faculty and students involved in research.
Under Clemson's system, the royalties are divided among the inventors, the academic departments involved and an endowment that supports efforts to move research results from Clemson laboratories into the commercial marketplace. All rights reserved.