AUSTIN, Texas—The IC2 Institute at The University of Texas at Austin will share its expertise in promoting entrepreneurial activity and commercializing technology with the University of Lodz in Poland as part of an offset package associated with the $3.5 billion purchase of jet fighters by Poland from Lockheed Martin. The program will be offered in cooperation with the Polish-American Management Center at the University of Lodz.
Valued at more than $6 billion, the offset arrangement is said to be the biggest in international trade and includes investments in Poland by General Motors and Motorola. Lockheed organized the package as part of its deal to sell 48 F-16 fighters to Poland. Lockheed has signed a three-year, multi-million-dollar contract with IC2 to become part of the offset to:
- Transfer IC2 entrepreneurship, incubator and technology commercialization knowledge to Lodz University.
- License the IC2 Masters of Science in Science and Technology Commercialization (MSSTC) program to University of Lodz.
- Transfer U.S. technology to Polish enterprises.
- Commercialize Polish research and development projects.
“The University of Texas at Austin welcomes this opportunity to share the expertise of the IC2 Institute with other regions of the world,” said Dr. Larry R. Faulkner, president of The University of Texas at Austin. “The alliance we are establishing with the prestigious University of Lodz in Poland carries on the work of the late George Kozmetsky, the visionary founder of IC2. In the spirit of Dr. Kozmetsky, we are pleased to assist with innovative education and economic development, helping communities and nations to grow and prosper.”
“The Offset Project and partnership with The University of Texas at Austin and the IC2 Institute, famous for their outstanding innovations andhigh tech achievements, create a great opportunity for scientific and economic development of our region and country,” said Professor Wieslaw Pus, rector of the University of Lodz.
The goal of the program is to contribute income to the Polish economy, create new technology jobs and develop two technology accelerators in other regions of Poland with entrepreneurial support networks that are linked globally.
Phil Georgariou, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. director of Poland offset said, “Lockheed Martin understands the importance these types of endeavors have for the Polish Government and is proud of the role it has played to bring these two fine universities together to strengthen Polish entrepreneur opportunities.”
To build the technology accelerator, IC2 will provide critical services which are provided at the Austin Technology Incubator (ATI), including infrastructure, Web access, legal counseling, marketing and business consulting. ATI is one of the most successful technology business incubators in the United States with graduated companies generating $1.5 billion in revenues.
“We intend to share what we have learned in Austin over the past two decades,” said Dr. John Sibley Butler, director of IC2 Institute. “At best, Austin was an emerging economic power 20 years ago. Today, according to Fortune magazine, it is the best place to do business in America.”
To transfer IC2’s technology commercialization know-how the University of Lodz will license IC2’s MSSTC degree program. The one-year MSSTC program, designed for working professionals, uses action based learning to accelerate the transfer of technology-based ideas in products and services in the global marketplace.
“We look forward to working closely with the faculty and staff of The University of Texas at Austin,” said Dr. Elzbieta Guzek, director of the Polish-American Management Center at the University of Lodz. “Cooperation with UT and IC2 should enable further development of modern leading-edge education and accelerate high tech transformation of the Polish economy.”
About the IC2 Institute at The University of Texas at Austin
The Institute for Innovation, Creativity, and Capital (IC2) at The University of Texas at Austin is an international, transdisciplinary “Think and Do” tank devoted to solving unstructured problems to accelerate wealth and job creation and shared prosperity at home and abroad. As a research unit IC2 is focused on knowledge exploration, dissemination, and application, across a broad range of academic and applied areas.
About the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is a leader in the design, development, systems integration, production and support of advanced military aircraft and related technologies. Its customers include the military services of the United States and allied countries throughout the world. Products include the F-16, F/A-22, F-35 JSF, F-117, T-50, C-5, C-130, C-130J, P-3, S-3 and U-2.
For more information contact: Sherry Holdridge, IC2 Institute, 512-482-0273 x272; Greg D. Hubbard, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, 817-777-6714.
