About the iBridge Network

The iBridge^SM Network, a program of the non-profit Kauffman Innovation Network, Inc., provides the transparency and access to university developed innovations that will lead to further advances and next-generation products. The Network aggregates research materials, technologies, and discoveries in an online, easy-to-search forum—the iBridge Web Site. Innovations on the Web site range from biological cell lines to animal models to computer technologies. The range is vast and the possibilities are endless.

Through the site, researchers and commercial end-users can easily search for and obtain what they need. Users can bookmark pages and make notations for personal reference at a later date. Additionally, some purchases can be made on the site.

The iBridge Web site is proven. With a pilot program of nearly two years, the lessons have led to significant improvements in the functionality of the site and the services that we provide to Network participants.

Background

It is well known that university-based research is responsible for some of the country’s most profound discoveries, spurring breakthrough products and technologies that have markedly improved the way we live. A key to our nation’s long-term success and our ability to remain competitive in the global economy is ensuring that all of universities’ promising research makes it into practical use.

As the only foundation in the United States to focus on entrepreneurship as its major field of interest, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation works to catalyze an entrepreneurial society in which new, high-impact ventures, job creation, and the economy flourish. With this emphasis, the Foundation continually looks at the natural cycle of innovation to see where and how it can work to make the greatest difference. These observations brought Kauffman to study the process of more efficiently moving discoveries out of university laboratories.

One of the ways the Kauffman Foundation is working to advance innovation in this country is through its non-profit Kauffman Innovation Network initiative, which is focused primarily on the iBridge Network. Studies indicate that such relationships are a critical component in advancing new discoveries and may likely lead to even more ideas and inventions, in turn generating greater innovation potential and collectively fueling more entrepreneurial ventures around the country.