Carnegie Mellon University

Engaging with NREC

NREC works with organizations from many industries to solve the world's most challenging problems. Engaging with a team of experts at NREC is easy and follows a proven process. 

CommerCIal Applications

What's your business case? 

With NREC's technology and expertise, we can solve the majority of the problems brought to us. Therefore, the most critical aspect of the assessment steps is to look at the business case related to the problem. This is done in partnership with the clientt.

Government / Military

Innovation and Rapid Fielding

With the vast technology available at NREC and our unique expertise, we can quickly bring innovative robotic systems and technology to the field.

Our Process 

Our proven INNOVATE™ process combines dedicated listening and understanding of your needs, cutting-edge technology, experts engineering a solution, as well as experienced technology transfer and commercialization support for maximum success.

 

INNOVATE™ Process

1


Assess the Problem and Objectives

2


Analyze the Technical and Business Requirements

3


Invent Technology

4


Develop Prototype System

5


Validate, Test & Demonstrate

6


Engineer

7


License IP and Transfer Technology

8


Support Commercialization

Ways to Engage

You can engage with NREC at different stages of our INNOVATE™ process; from studies, to solution development, to licensing. 


1 | SHORT STUDY


 

A Short Study will perform a quick assessment of your operations and your needs.

Scope

We visit one of your operations (limited to the continental U.S.) and list our observations and recommendations with a rough estimate of schedule and budget for a development program.

Schedule and Cost

Contact us for a cost and schedule estimate.

Outcome

A brief development roadmap to solve your problem
 

 


1 - 2 | EXTENSIVE STUDY


For international customers or for more complex problems that require multiple visits and a requirement assessment, we propose an extensive study that will look at different concepts to solve your problem.

Scope

We visit one or more of your facilities, assess several problems or needs, perform requirement analysis and generate conceptual designs.

Schedule and Cost

6 months | $100,000 - $300,000

 

Contact us for an estimate for cost and schedule.

Outcome

Feasibility analysis, conceptual designs and detailed development roadmap

 


3 - 6 | DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS 


Development projects are where most of the innovation happens and provide a prototype solution that you can evaluate for field readiness or commercial viability. Our team can rapidly develop a feasibility prototype or engineer a mature, production-intent prototype.

Scope

We generate conceptual designs, develop prototypes and perform cycles of testing, evaluation and engineering improvements. 

Schedule and Cost

6 - 36 months | $500k - $3M+

Contact us for a cost and schedule estimate.

Outcome

A prototype solution with a demonstration in your operations

A detailed test report

First right of refusal on an exclusive license

 


7 - 8 | INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & LICENSING


As part of our INNOVATE™ process and our licensing, we provide support for the subsequent commercialization steps to ensure successful deployment of the solution to the market and/or the client's operations. Our agreement provides a non-exclusive license to the IP created during the project and the client can elect to negotiate an exclusive license.

Scope

We negotiate a license with the client and provide support for commercialization.

We can also help select a robotic manufacturer if needed.

Schedule and Cost

The client has 180 days to decide on an exclusive license, which is normally sufficient to negotiate the license agreement.

The royalty for the exclusive license is based on fair-market value and negotiated with the client.

Outcome

(Optional) An exclusive license

Documentation, source code, drawings, schematics and bill of material for manufacturing and commercialization

Licensing

Although we typically license the Intellectual Property (IP) to the client who funded its development via our INNOVATE™ process, we also have a long list of Intellectual Property that is available for licensing. 

We have 856 inventions in various areas of robotics that you can license. NREC is available to mature its IP into a solution for a specific application.

Please contact us for more information: contact@nrec.ri.cmu.edu