Philips is moving its North American research headquarters to Kendall Square and has announced a $25 million research alliance with MIT, reports Boston Globe correspondent Karen Weintraub. MIT and Philips have a “resonance on specific technical issues, but also on the approach to innovation,” says Associate Provost Karen Gleason.
Gus Iverson writes for DOTmed about the new alliance between MIT and Philips aimed at spurring innovation in health care and lighting solutions technology. Philips will also be relocating its research hub to Kendall Square, which Henk van Houten, executive vice president and general manager of Philips Research, called "a thriving innovation ecosystem."
MedTech Boston reporter Jenni Whalen writes that Philips has formed an alliance with MIT and plans to move its North American research headquarters to Cambridge. “By moving to Cambridge and collaborating with MIT, its staff and its partners, Philips can work with some of the best minds in the world,” explains Henk van Houten, executive vice president and general manager of Philips Research.
Elisabeth Reynolds, Executive Director of MIT’s Industrial Performance Center (IPC), speaks with Bob Seay of WGBH about a new IPC report that recommends greater interconnectedness in Massachusetts’ manufacturing innovation ecosystem. “What we know is that there is a very vital link between our manufacturing and innovation capabilities,” says Reynolds.
Team Raptor Maps received the top prize in MIT’s annual $100K Entrepreneurship Competition, reports Nidhi Subbaraman for BetaBoston. Founded by three MIT students, Raptor Maps “proposes to use camera-carrying drones to survey farmland and pinpoint damage before pests and diseases can decimate crops.”
OptiBit, a startup that aims to make data centers more energy efficient, won this year’s MIT Clean Energy Prize, reports Vijee Venkatraman for BetaBoston. The OptiBit team explains that their technology offers “10 times more throughput, two times lower latency, and 95 percent less energy use” compared to copper-based chips.
BetaBoston reporter Nidhi Subbaraman writes about the history of the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition, which marks its 25th anniversary this year. Subbaraman writes that the competition “pioneered the college pitch contest, a style that now dominates the startup landscape.”
Nidhi Subbaraman writes for BetaBoston about WaitChatter, a new application developed by MIT students that could help teach users a foreign language while they chat online. “The application uses the brief window when the ellipses dominate the screen as an opportunity to spring a vocabulary quiz,” Subbaraman explains.
Lindsay Kalter writes for The Boston Herald about PicnicHealth, a California-based startup founded by MIT alumnus Troy Astorino that allows patients to store all their medical records in one spot. One day “patients will really have ownership of their own medical info and have it all in one place,” said Astorino.
Jon Christian of The Boston Globe reports that MIT startup Accion Systems has developed a thruster technology that will allow satellites to adjust their orbits. “Eventually, we hope to be able to scale up the performance to address the really large, school bus-size satellites,” explains Accion co-founder and MIT alumna Natalya Brikner.
In an article for BetaBoston, Janelle Nanos writes about Jana, an MIT startup that allows mobile phone users in developing countries to access the Internet for free. “We’re empowering people with connectivity and we’re not limiting how they’re using that connectivity,” explains Jana founder and MIT alumnus Nathan Eagle.
The Boston Globe spotlights how the MIT Edgerton Center provides students opportunities for hands-on learning. “I’ve soldered solar cells, analyzed the aerodynamics of the body, learned how to weld — you figure out how to overcome obstacles you never encounter on the theoretical side,” says graduate student Kathleen Alexander of her work at the center.
Rohan Banerjee writes for The Tech about a new MIT report that examines 15 areas of research that would benefit from increased government support. Prof. Marc Kastner explains that the report is aimed at informing political leaders of the importance of basic research. “It’s important to remind Congress and the public that the health of the country depends on doing research,” he says.
CNBC reporter Meg Tirrell reports on the biotechnology boom in Cambridge, explaining that one reason so many biotech companies want to be located in Kendall Square is the area’s proximity to MIT. “Everybody wants to be next to MIT, this hotbed of technology and life sciences work,” says Tirrell.
Los Angeles Times columnist Michael Hiltzik writes that declining government investment in basic research is contributing to a U.S. innovation deficit, citing a new MIT report examining how funding cuts are impacting different areas of research. The report finds that declining support for basic research is “tantamount to mortgaging our scientific future.”