The Department of Education recently announced a grant for $924,512 awarded to the University at Buffalo to promote the transfer of rehabilitation technologies. The Department of Education’s National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) made the funding available.
The funding will enable the University to operate a “Center on Knowledge Translation for Technology Transfer”. The Center plans to increase the rate of successful transfer for rehabilitation technology products to the marketplace, develop engineering standards, increase the understanding of what leads to successful technology transfer, and help technology developers and researchers engage in technology transfer activities
Specific key activities include:
- Conduct research to understand the factors that affect technology transfer outcomes
- Develop a framework to help with planning and charting technology transfer progress
- Broker partnerships between technology developers and industry
- Provide training and technical assistance to technology developers on planning, implementing, and managing technology transfer
“We want to develop the resources to maximize the full inclusion of people with disabilities into society”, said the Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “The grant will help design rehabilitation technology to enable individuals with disabilities to fully integrate into employment, independent living, and to be economically and socially independent.