POTSDAM -- Clarkson University has signed formal partnerships with both Canton-Potsdam Hospital and St. Lawrence University to develop the “commercialization of innovation.”

The partnerships expand Clarkson’s Shipley Center for Innovation services and resources to both institutions.

The Shipley Center provides help to innovators during the process of commercialization through mechanisms like patent preparation, business plan preparation, and links to private, state and federal funding sources.

"These two partnerships are the beginning of an effort to develop an innovation ecosystem here in the North Country, which will connect knowledge producers," says Gabor Forgacs, executive and scientific director of the Shipley Center. "Our primary objective is to leverage the innovations generated by our regional institutions and bring them to the marketplace."

Start-ups that may result from the partnerships will be fed into Clarkson's downtown Potsdam Peyton Hall business incubator to establish local roots with the goal of driving local economic development via a bottom-up approach.

The first meeting for the Canton-Potsdam Hospital partnership was held in November when 17 physicians interested in research attended presentations on collaboration opportunities by 12 Clarkson faculty. The Shipley Center will provide support for undergraduate students to work with the physicians on research projects.

Two projects with St. Lawrence University faculty are already in Shipley Center project pipeline with additional focus on student-run start-ups.