Abstract:To improve university and commercial ties with industry, many universities operate a technology transfer office (TTO) as a vehicle to support the creation of spin-off companies. Run effectively, the TTO can define roles and responsibilities, structures and processes that support the creation and development of new ventures. The challenge for universities is to create TTOs with the right skill set. This paper aims to analyze the TTO activities to support transforming research outputs into commercialization in the context of the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine from Cluj-Napoca, Romania (UASVMCN). Throughout this paper, different commercialization channels, the roles of technology transfer offices and multiple associative structures are further discussed with a special focus on agricultural open innovations and technologies. This study contributes to sustainable development of both Academia and agricultural Industry research, development and commercialization activities by illustrating current innovation and technology transfer activities produced by UASVMCN and its own TTO as a catalyst entity, a new model in Romania, so that the Academia-TTO-Economy partners association draw a functional and productive triple helix. In order to assess the sustainability of using the above-mentioned TTO, the methodological tools involving analysis are implemented. Finally, this paper states that correct operating of a university TTO is a real opportunity for technology transfer, both from the perspective of an alternative to research funding or entrepreneurship, and from the cultural perspective of the university correlation to the current trends in research, innovation and technology transfer, on a unique and entrepreneurial European market.
The positive attributes of excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability of biocomposites with the addition of versatile nanocellulose from agriculture wastes have provided plenty opportunities for further development of functional biocomposite in various fields. Therefore, solvent casting was selected as a reinforcement method in order to produce biocomposite comprise of nanocrystalline cellulose and PLA polymer. Modification of nanocrystalline cellulose through acetylation reaction was conducted upon reinforcement to reduce its surface polarity and hidrophilicity. Biocomposite films prepared at various unmodified (uNC) and acetylated nanocrytalline cellulose (aNC) loading were exposed to morphological (FESEM), tensile test and thermal analysis (TGA). Reinforcement of aNC shows a better dispersion in PLA polymer due to the decreasing of surface polarity, thus increasing inter-facial interaction between both materials. This is proven by greater performance of biocomposite films in tensile strength, Young�s modulus and thermal stability of aNC reinforced PLA as compared to uNC reinforced PLA. Overall, it can be concluded that these research findings can widen the scope of biocomposites research area and have significant implications for the commercial application of biomass products.
Animal manure is an important source of anthropogenic GHG (greenhouse gas): methane (CH 4 ), nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). The livestock contributes with 37% of global CH 4 emission. The sources of GHG (CO 2 and CH 4 ) are the liquid manure or slurry storage and the compact solid manure. Measurement systems of GHG emission are important for the selection of the appropriate technology. By using the closed chamber method for soil, landfills, volcanoes etc., the present study evaluates the estimation of total emissions of methane and carbon dioxide from an experimental farm in Cluj County, Romania. The investigated area covered with sheep solid manure was about 579 m 2 and ~5 cm thick, for cattle was about 12 m 2 and 5 m thick and for swine was about 1.5 m 5 and 0.5 m thick. The total methane emission measured for sheep manure was 0.83 t CH 4 /year and for cattle manure was 0.185 t CH 4 / year. The total carbon dioxide emission measured for sheep manure was 61.3 t CO 2 /year and for cattle manure was 4.7 t CO 2 /year. The measurement for pigs manure was high and this could be due to the freshness of the manure. The estimated emissions showed that a considerable amount of CH 4 and CO 2 is produced also by an experimental farm and an appropriate management of manure is important for reducing greenhouse gas. In this respect, we believe that the future solution for a green economy is to use manure in biogas plants.
In the period 2007-2013, the budget sector research, development, innovation and technology transfer (RDITT) in Romania was about 4 billion euro, i.e. an average of about 0.47% of Romania's GDP in the seven years. By comparison, in the German State of Baden-Wuerttemberg (BW) is invested annually in RDITT about 5.1% of state GDP, the industrial sector contributes nearly 80% of investments. A decisive role in the development of the RDITT in BW it has RDITT catalyst institutions such as Max-Planck Society, Fraunhoffer Society, Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers, Innovation Alliance, Steinbeis Foundation. This research aims to reveal the huge potential and benefits it can bring research, innovation and technology transfer in sustainable development of agriculture in Romania using catalyst institutions model. The material used in this study was experts of academia, experts of economics, promoting documents and laboratories visited at the University of Tubingen and at the Natural and Medical Sciences Institute of Reutlingen, Germany. The methods used were documentation, real visiting of the two institutions and analysis the facts and the documents. The conclusion is that using the European models of technology transfer (especially the German model), all the benefits will be found in the future in Romanian economy, bringing added value to the quality of life and wellbeing.
This study reveals data about the physicochemical properties of autumn and winter apple cultivars from Cluj-Napoca, Romania and technological transfer of the research data to apple breeding programs and nutrition area. The main objective pursued is materialized in the study of performances of five autumn-apple varieties and twelve winter ones regarding thirteen characteristics conferring high suitability for juice extraction. It also wants to formulate conclusions and recommendations for: consuming healthy foods and apple improvement programs in view of obtaining new cultivars of high quality fruits, suitable for fresh consumption as well as for juice production. Two of the oldest traditional Romanian apple varieties, ‘Pătul’ and ‘Poinic’, which have been chosen as references for the suitability of such cultivation for the production of juice, are famous for their juicy and balanced taste, riches in vitamin C and low in sugar content. It is obvious that for these traits there are large selecting possibilities of the genitors both as plus variants as well as minus variants, according to the direction of melioration being considered.
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