Colorado State University Names Assistant Vice President for Research and Industry Partnerships

Note to Reporters: A photo of Mark Wdowik is available with the news release at http://www.news.colostate.edu.

Mark Wdowik has joined the Office of the Vice President for Research at Colorado State University as an assistant vice president for Research and Industry Partnerships.

Wdowik, who has been at CSU Ventures since 2006, will help the university expand its sources of research support and collaboration at a time when federal research-and-development dollars are level or declining, Colorado State officials said. This expansion is consistent with recommendations from the recent refresh of the University’s three-year strategic plan which is being finalized.

Colorado State is one of the nation’s top research universities with annual research expenditures topping $300 million four years in a row. Annual research spending for fiscal year 2011, the most recent available, totaled $330.8 million.

“A concerted effort is needed to expand CSU’s portfolio of industry research, and Mark is well known in the industry and at peer institutions as having the knowledge, background and expertise needed to move this program forward,” said Provost Rick Miranda.

“In line with our land grant and public service mission, industry research will be an important part of this expanded portfolio, and efforts are needed to facilitate these interactions with the faculty through our contracts and grants process, and with an active program of relationship-building and management,” said Bill Farland, vice president for Research. “Mark has built a solid track record on a national scale of recognizing the importance of business collaborations with university research and strategically aligning industry interests with technology transfer and commercialization initiatives.”

Wdowik has held various administrative roles for CSU Ventures associated with industry relations, business development/investments, economic development, technology commercialization and new venture creation. CSU Ventures is part of the Colorado State University Research Foundation, a private, non-profit advocacy organization for the university.

Before joining CSU, Wdowik previously served as executive director of the Office of Technology Transfer at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the University of Kansas Information and Telecommunication Technology Center.

Wdowik also successfully managed two technology-based businesses in Colorado, including a multi-million dollar advanced materials and optoelectronics company, Bandgap Technology Corp. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois-Champaign.

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