The Maritime Logistics Innovation Center (MLIC) is a unique non-profit partnership of private industry, academia, including Georgia Tech and federal and state authorities such as the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), working together to develop, apply and promote new technologies, identify unique applications for existing technology, and create best practices for safe, efficient and secure supply-chains. The Center acts as a catalyst for interaction among internationally renowned academic leaders, entrepreneurs and established businesses from around the world. MLIC is the cornerstone of Georgia’s Centers of Innovation Network, launched by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue in the fall of 2003.
Examples of the benefits of the collaborative environment MLIC provides can be seen in the various grants awarded from such agencies as the Federal Highway Administration, Department of Homeland Security, National Science Foundation and the Homeland Secur ity Advanced Research Program Agency. Projects with these agencies include such topics as the Advanced Container Security Device, Risk Mitigation for Port Systems and Intelligent Transportation Systems. These projects, along with others, currently total over $10 million of federal and state investment.
Core elements of the partnership
Industry driven solution development
There are essentially two clusters within the MLIC. The first consists of strategically invited industry partners that are facing the challenges and the opportunities of the maritime logistics industry. These strategic partners represent many elements of the global supply-chain process, from manufacturers and retailers to various transportation mode providers.
The second cluster can best be described as ‘problem solvers’ and is formed from a cross section of world renowned researchers from academia, leaders from the technology community, relevant industry associations, organisations as well as other ‘industry experts’.
Coupling this group of creative problem solvers with industry led challenges; MLIC forms an objective 3rd party, shared ‘sandbox’ where academia, industry and government jointly develop the needed innovative technologies and effective solutions for the maritime and logistics industries.
Technology commercialisation
MLIC not only facilitates the conception of innovative technologies, it works to commercialise and promote them as well. MLIC members gain an exclusive first-look at research and are g iven licensing oppor tunities for new maritime technologies and innovative products. Through its Innovation Center Grant Programme, partner companies can take advantage of overhead-free matching funds to help seed research projects of interest.
Entrepreneurial outreach programme
Start-up companies in fields such as transportation, supply-chain management, information technology and security are nurtured by seasoned Entrepreneurial Outreach Specialists (EOS) who travel extensively to provide hands-on technical expertise to speed bottom-line growth.
To read the rest of this article download PDF
