By Shelia Watson
Contributing Writer

The South Carolina Innovation and Research Centers Act, passed by the state Legislature last year, launched Innovation Centers at each of the state’s three research universities, operated through the South Carolina Research Authority.

Now the SCRA is gearing up to revamp the Innovation Center concept with a program called SCRA Launch.

The Innovation Centers were designed to help commercialize research by providing support for companies doing proof-of-concept, assisting with the patent process, conducting market research, developing business plans and forming management teams around ideas. The universities involved with the Innovation Centers are the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina and Clemson University.

“The legislation called them innovation centers,” said Jim Stritzinger, executive vice president and general manager of the SCRA’s Public Interest Research department. “The problem is the public has a perception that we’re dealing in bricks and mortar. But the centers are not meant to be actual buildings. We’re not investing in real estate.”

To quell that misconception, the SCRA decided to rename the program and enhance its overall design.

“With the Launch program, we’re dividing the state into three launch zones, the upstate, the midlands and the coastal area, and each launch zone has a nucleus in its research university,” said Stritzinger.

The great thing about working from a legislative mandate, Stritzinger said, is that there is room for creativity in the process.

“The mandate is clear that we are to invest $12 million of our strategic cash reserves to begin making investments as outlined, but it doesn’t spell out every detail of how we are to carry out that mission,” Stritzinger said. “There’s a major opportunity here to be good stewards of these assets.”

The $12 million is being divided between operating expenses and direct investment money, he said.

“We want to build a staff that can evaluate and make these investments, in addition to using the dollars in making the investments themselves,” he said.

There is already a collaborative framework for existing economic development organizations to work together, Stritzinger said.

“We have the (Charleston Metro) Chamber (of Commerce), ThinkTEC, the (Charleston) Digital Corridor, the (Charleston) Regional Development Alliance and many others all working toward the same goal,” he said. “In addition, we have top knowledge economy companies who are working with us. Our plan is to bring partners to the table to service those companies and wrap a bow around a set of services for knowledge economy companies.”

Called “practical networking,” he said those services would be available only to companies that join the Launch group.

“It creates value for all the Launch companies to be involved in this program,” Stritzinger said. “Some companies are not necessarily looking for investment dollars, but they could benefit from the various services that will be offered.”

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