Daily Business Report-April 6, 2015
The second floor of Atkinson Hall houses the new Qualcomm Institute Innovation Space, initially with seven tenants and more on the way.
Qualcomm Institute Launches
Innovation Space on UC San Diego Campus
Working closely with other campus entities to translate ideas from the lab into products and companies in the marketplace, the Qualcomm Institute has launched an Innovation Space where qualified faculty startups, industry partners or national laboratories can lease office or lab space inside the research institute’s headquarters building on the campus of UC San Diego.
“The Qualcomm Institute Innovation Space is an important new addition to the university’s growing ecosystem supporting entrepreneurship and technology transfer,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “The facility will complement existing campus units that include venture-capital accelerators, incubators, tech transfer and entrepreneurism centers to promote commercialization of research findings.” Those units include the Triton Fund and the recently created UC Ventures fund, EvoNexus (open to campus startups), the university’s Technology Transfer Office, as well as the Moxie Center for Student Entrepreneurship, The von Liebig Entrepreneurism Center, and The Basement, a combined incubator/accelerator program for student entrepreneurs launched in February.
The Qualcomm Institute is the UC San Diego division of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2), whose original mandate included close engagement with industry.
The Qualcomm Institute Innovation Space has carved out roughly 6,000 square feet of space on the second floor of Atkinson Hall. Most of the available space has already been committed to the first half-dozen applicants that were accepted into the program.
“Tenants in the Innovation Space lease space and avail themselves of our technical services at external user’s rates,” said Qualcomm Institute Director Ramesh Rao. “Our goal is to nurture these companies by helping them leverage the state’s investments in science and innovation and help with California’s economic development when they move off campus.”
NASSCO Brings World’s First
LNG Tanker To San Diego
The West Coast’s only commercial shipbuilder may also be the nation’s most environmentally-friendly builder. NASSCO announced the world’s first LNG-powered (liquified natural gas) containership will be launched at the San Diego shipyard on April 18. The ceremony will also commemorate NASSCO’s 100th ship launch. The shipbuilder also began construction on the third energy-efficient ECO tanker for APT.
The ship’s sponsor, Sophie Sacco (wife of Michael Sacco, president of the Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO) will christen the ship with a traditional champagne bottle break over the ship’s hull. Fireworks will commence immediately upon the christening and launch of the ship.
The name of the ship will also be revealed during the ceremony.
As part of a two-ship contract signed in 2012 with TOTE, when completed the 764-foot Marlin-class containerships will be the largest dry cargo ships in the world powered by LNG, which will significantly decrease emissions while increasing fuel efficiency compared to conventionally powered ships. The LNG-powered ships will also include a ballast water treatment system, making them the greenest ships of their size.
Upon delivery in late-2015, the Jones Act-qualified ships will operate between Jacksonville, Fla. and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Scripps Health Awarded Grant
To Regrow Knee Cartilage
Researchers at Scripps Health have been awarded a $7.6 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to support ongoing stem cell research by the Shiley Center for Orthopedic Research and Education at Scripps Clinic targeting the repair and regeneration of knee cartilage, as well as the underlying bone defects and lesions caused by osteoarthritis.
The research is headed by Darryl D’Lima, director of orthopedic research at Scripps Health. The funding will help advance a third-generation cell therapy that combines stem cells with a natural hydrogel scaffold to support the repair of cartilage and bone defects. These defects, if left untreated, are a major factor in contributing to early osteoarthritis in patients younger than 55.
Girl Scouts San Diego to Honor
‘Cool Women’ and ‘Cool Girl’
Girl Scouts San Diego’s “Cool Women 2015” and “Cool Girl 2015” will be honored on Tuesday, April 14, during a luncheon and ceremony at the Del Mar Country Club. Proceeds will help support program outreach for girls in schools in low-income neighborhoods, homeless shelters and the Girls Rehabilitation Facility.
Girl Scouts San Diego board members Julie Dubick and Lori Walton are chairing the 15th annual event. During the ceremony, each honoree will be introduced by a Cool Women from a prior year.
The Cool Women Class of 2015 includes Archi’s Acres co-founder Karen Archipley; Rabbi Cantor Arlene Bernstein of Beth Israel; Cohn Restaurant Group co-founder Lesley Cohn; California State University San Marcos President Karen S. Haynes; businesswoman/philanthropist/jewelry designer Reena Horowitz; immigrant success story Awetash Keflezighi; San Diego Opera Board President Carol Lazier; AMN Healthcare CEO/President Susan Salka; Holocaust survivor/educator Rose Schindler; wireless pioneer Sue Swenson; and Turner Construction Project Executive Carmen Vann.
Del Norte High School junior Elena Crespo is the 2015 Cool Girl. A delegate to Girl Scouts’ national convention, Elena developed a computer lab for a school in Panama and is completing her Girl Scout Gold Award project.
“We’re proud to honor these exemplary women for their extraordinary leadership and community service,” said Jo Dee C. Jacob, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts San Diego. “Our Cool Women’s personal and professional lives make them consummate role models for girls.”
For ticket information, visit www.sdgirlscouts.org.
