Technology commercialization is facilitated through the EERC Foundation, a nonprofit corporation
formed in 1992 that provides the Center with a dedicated infrastructure to support its commercialization
activities. The Foundation exists to house the rights to technologies developed by the EERC and promote
business relationships with strategic industrial partners interested in commercializing those
technologies. The EERC Foundation has licensed rights to a number of EERC-developed technologies.
Commercialization of cutting-edge technologies is often dependent upon an ability to maintain
confidentiality between the EERC and its clients. Through more than a decade of experience serving a
wide variety of unique client confidentiality needs, the EERC has developed highly flexible and
innovative approaches to effective confidentiality agreements. Confidentiality for industrial clients
seeking to maintain their competitive edge is provided through North Dakota law, which allows for
practical confidentiality agreements between the EERC and its partners.
The EERC and its partner, the EERC Foundation, are committed to commercialization. Spin-off businesses, high-tech
jobs that pay well, and manufacturing jobs are the fruits of successful commercialization efforts. According to the
U.S. Department of Commerce, the global market for environmental technologies will reach $586 billion by 2008.
Clearly, the potential benefits of effective commercialization of EERC-developed technologies are enormous.
The Foundation's role is to house and license technologies for which the EERC holds a unique position by virtue
of expertise, patents, copyrights, service marks, and trademarks and to facilitate the formation of spin-off
technology companies that will commercialize EERC-derived technologies. Under university policy, inventors in a
commercialized technology must receive 30% of the royalties or other payments. The Foundation also provides
financial support for innovative technologies under development at the EERC that are potentially commercially viable.
The Foundation's Board of Directors has 11 members:
- Three nonvoting ex officio members from UND
- The executive director of the UND Alumni Association who acts as an ex officio voting member
- Four members nominated at large, representing industry and business
- One member nominated at large, representing the community
- Two members, nonspecific designation, representing industry or the community