The Research Review Day was intended to show corporate executives an array of research projects awaiting development. They can tell us whether we're going down the right path. Since the Office of Technology Liaison opened 10 years ago, it has managed more than 850 technologies, patented more than 135 devices and signed more than 400 license agreements. The university and the scientist who developed the technology split the royalties equally. One invention from the University of Maryland's computer science department can process the information from video cameras to recognize humans.
Similar software can distinguish one person's face from another.
Among its possible applications is a security system to prevent identity theft. In addition, marketing firms could use the software to monitor consumer behavior in stores. In addition to the licensing revenue, the university stands to profit by getting government and private grant foundations interested enough to fund projects. Although licensing agreements are not a huge revenue source for the university, administrators of the Office of Technology Liaison say they do help business development. The office soon will be renamed the Office of Technology Commercialization to demonstrate its commitment to offering resources for startups and entrepreneurs.