Page 31: of Marine Technology Magazine (October 2013)

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, a division of the University of California, San Diego, has been a leader in academic research for most of its 110-year history. Though for much of that time the research Þ ndings and academic knowledge were largely kept locked within the walls of the institution. Today that is beginning to change as Scripps endeavors to build collaborative relationships with private businesses to bring some of its latest discoveries to the commercial marketplace. Spearheading that effort is Hans de Salas-Del Valle, the latest Business Development Analyst at Scripps. He and Dr. Jef- frey Gee, Deputy Director of Research are both committed to forming beneÞ cial partnerships with either existing private companies who are interested in licensing some of the pro-cesses and equipment developed at Scripps, or by facilitating start-up businesses dedicated to commercializing their inven- tions. Among the many research groups and projects ripe for future commercial markets is the Marine Natural Products Group. Scripps is isolating new compounds from marine organisms with the goal of developing new medicines for the pharmaceu- tical and cosmetics industry. Another area of intense interest to the commercial market is ScrippsÕ work on algae bio-fuels. According to de Salas-Del Valle, marine microalgae is an exciting area for research as scientists focus on enhancing the productivity of lipid-produc- ing algae. These lipids have the potential for producing diesel or jet fuel. Increasing quantity and decreasing the costs are the focus of current research. Scripps has some of the leading scientists in the world working on this promising technology. Says de Salas-Del Valle, ÒIt doesnÕt get much attention in the press, but it will eventually allow [bio-fuel] to be economi- cally viable.Ó Making new fuel is not the only exciting prospect in algae research. ÒAlgae can absorb CO2,Ó says de Salas-Del Valle. ÒWe are working with a Southern California gas company to design and deploy a system of algae-based Þ lters that can ab- sorb CO2 at the point of emission.Ó Keeping the research going and growing requires a lot of people-power. They currently have approximately 250 PhD students and 150 faculty and researchers working alongside a number of engineers and technicians who support the re-searchers by developing the tools they need. While private universities have encouraged and sought out sponsored research, the majority of Scripps funding comes from federal sources; National Science Foundation, NOAA, and the OfÞ ce of Naval Research primarily. Federal funding is an uncertainty these days. There are a few exceptions; the marine electromagnetics groups are funded by a consortium of oil and energy companies. This partnership allows the uni- versity to develop instrumentation and train students how to analyze the data collected. The industry then hires the stu- dents when they are ready to move into the workforce. This is a fairly traditional model, but in a few instances, the From Learning to EarningEarning Scripps works to bring new tech to the marketplace Scripps works to bring new tech to the marketplace By Kathleen Gleaves www.seadiscovery.com Marine Technology Reporter 31MTR #8 (18-33).indd 31MTR #8 (18-33).indd 3110/15/2013 4:09:47 PM10/15/2013 4:09:47 PM