Skip to content
Search Digital Science

New Online Platform Drives Innovation by Connecting 
Ohio’s Research Universities with Industry

By Alex Jackson September 27, 2018

The Ohio Department of Higher Education and Digital Science launch the Ohio Innovation Exchange

A new online research portal will more efficiently deliver research and innovation opportunities to both industry and Ohio’s academic institutions, facilitating partnerships, expanding workforce and funding opportunities, and fostering economic development throughout the region.

The Ohio Innovation Exchange (OIEx), launched today by research technology company Digital Science and the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE), connects industry with faculty, students, equipment, and facilities available at Ohio’s research universities. OIEx consolidates these academic resources from multiple universities into a single, searchable, and easily accessible web portal.

Combining the research information management capabilities of Symplectic Elements and the search and discovery power of Dimensions, OIEx allows visitors to:

  • Find relevant experts and suitable potential collaborators
  • Explore each institution’s publications, patents, and equipment
  • Connect with the OIEx network of industry liaisons to find more information and create relationships with researchers and institutions

An initiative of ODHE and built by Digital Science, OIEx was originally developed by four Ohio universities with industry support from the Ohio Manufacturing Institute. OIEx is now a publicly available platform that, in its current phase, provides industry in search of expertise with free access to more than 8,250 faculty members and 900 resources from the following universities – Case Western University, Ohio University, The Ohio State University, Cleveland State University, The University of Akron, and the University of Cincinatti.

From research partnerships, intellectual property, and technology licensing opportunities to business development and even student internships, OIEx brings those connections to bear, and the scope of OIEx will expand further as other institutions join.

“It is critical to our state’s economy that we utilize every aspect of our knowledge and innovation talent across the public and private sectors” said ODHE Chancellor John Carey. “We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve created with OIEx – better connecting the experts and resources at our state research universities to the industries that can utilize them to push their breakthrough ideas to fruition.”

Daniel Hook, CEO of Digital Science, said: “Discovery is at the heart of translating research from the university to impact our society, economy, technology and health.  Connecting experts and practitioners is critical to extend the reach of research.  The State of Ohio has shown true vision and leadership in backing this collaborative project to make research in Ohio more discoverable and more open. We are delighted to have been able to support and to help realize this vision.”

“We have experienced much success working with universities to advance our research and product initiatives,” said Margaret Barkett, associate director, the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “But it’s not always obvious who we should partner with, so making those connections in a timely manner can be difficult. We’re excited to use OIEx to jump-start these partnerships, and our own innovations.”

It is anticipated the platform will grow over time to incorporate profiles of up to 13,000 faculty members, with additional institutions joining the OIEx to further expand its scope.

For press enquiries please contact
Alex Jackson
Head of Press, Digital Science
a.jackson@digital-science.com

About the Ohio Innovation Exchange
The Ohio Innovation Exchange (OIEx) connects industry with professors, students, equipment, and facilities available at Ohio research universities. OIEx provides access to more than 8,250 faculty and 900 resources from campuses and laboratories around the state, with a mission to facilitate collaboration between Ohio’s leading academic and industry minds.

From research partnerships, intellectual property, and technology licensing opportunities to business development and even student internships, OIEx fosters economic development and intellectual advancement across Ohio and around the globe. Get connected at www.ohioinnovationexchange.org.

About the Ohio Department of Higher Education
The Ohio Department of Higher Education (formerly known as the Ohio Board of Regents) is a Cabinet-level agency for the Governor of the State of Ohio that oversees higher education for the state. The agency’s main responsibilities include authorizing and approving new degree programs, managing state-funded financial aid programs and developing and advocating policies to maximize higher education’s contributions to the state and its citizens.

About Digital Science
Digital Science is a technology company working to make research more efficient. We invest in, nurture and support innovative businesses and technologies that make all parts of the research process more open and effective. Our portfolio includes admired brands including Altmetric, Anywhere Access, Dimensions, Figshare, ReadCube, Symplectic, IFI Claims, GRID, Overleaf, Labguru, BioRAFT, PeerWith, TetraScience and Transcriptic. We believe that together, we can help researchers make a difference. Visit www.digital-science.com and follow @digitalsci on Twitter.

About Symplectic Elements
Symplectic is a leading developer of Research Information Management systems. Founded in 2003, Symplectic’s flagship product Elements is used by over 330,000 researchers, repository managers and librarians at over 90 of the world’s top institutions including the University of Oxford, University of Melbourne, and Duke University. For more information, visit www.symplectic.info and follow @symplectic on Twitter.

About Dimensions
Dimensions is a linked research knowledge system that re-imagines discovery and access to research. Developed by Digital Science in collaboration with over 100 leading research organizations around the world, Dimensions brings together grants, publications, citations, alternative metrics, clinical trials and patents to deliver a platform that enables users to find and access the most relevant information faster, analyze the academic and broader outcomes of research, and gather insights to inform future strategy. Visit https://dimensions.ai and follow on Twitter @DSDimensions.

© 2024 Digital Science & Research Solutions Ltd. All Rights Reserved