Tomorrow’s Big Science Requires Big Partnerships

John D. PetersenPresidentUniversity of Tennessee

American Chemical SocietyAugust 30, 2005

Historic Perspective:The Manhattan Project

•Government - Education - Enterprise

The Partnership

•Collaboration•Joint Initiatives•Shared Funding

Traditional Model / Traditional Outcome

•National Labs•Research Scientists•Excellent Facilities

•Educational Buildings•Students•Faculty

The Formula–• From traditional disciplines

•To melded interdisciplinary areas.• From faculty / scientist collaboration

•To real jointly appointed / jointly funded faculty.

• From separate facilities•To joint facilities at multiple sites

• From unlinked student internships •To student internships in spinoffs from joint technology development.

Paradigm Shift–

Biological Science(Genetics and Genomics)

Biological Science(Genetics and Genomics)

ComputationalScienceComputationalScience

Nano Materials

Nano Materials

Neutron ScienceNeutron Science

How Do We Make It Happen?Joint Facilities

• 3 Joint Institutes at ORNL•Computational science•Biology•Neutron science

• Built with State Funds

How Do We Make It Happen?

• 4th Joint Institute on UT campus– Advanced materials

•$50 million investment•$30 million building•$15 million fixed equipment•$5 million support

•Hire joint faculty•National Academy level

•$20 million recurring funding•$10 million state funds•$10 million ORNL

How Do We Make It Happen?

• Research Scientists / Faculty

•Complimentary faculty hired in interdisciplinary area

•35 current joint UT / ORNL faculty

How Do We Make It Happen?

How Do We Make It Happen?

• Spallation Neutron source• World’s Fastest Computer• Mouse House• High resolution electron microscope

Major World-Best Facilities and Equipment Serve as Core

How Do We Make It Happen?

Core Universities Partnership–• UT• Virginia• NC State

•Vanderbilt•Virginia Tech

• Duke• Georgia Tech• Florida State

How Do We Make It Happen?

Entrepreneurial Development–• Spin-off of 61 Companies from

UT-Battelle

Microbes - Diseases / Vaccines

Partners for New Initiatives–

Genomes to Life

Microbes – Energy

UT-Knoxville

UTHSC-Memphis

St. Jude’s Childrens Research Hospital

Vanderbilt Medical Center

ORNL

•Student ImpactHow Do We Make It Happen?

• Re-designed interdisciplinary curriculum

• Research / education with faculty / research scholars in joint sites

• Internships and companies with direct link to intellectual property development

Big Science…

National LabsNational Labs

IndustryIndustryUniversitiesUniversities

GovernmentGovernment

Big Partnerships.