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2 <br />Proposed Study: Analysis of UNC Spin-Off Companies <br />Princi-pal Investigator: Emil Malizia, Department of City & Regional <br />Planning, UNC-CH <br />Project Sponsor: Orange County for Orange County Economic <br />Development (OCED) <br />Period of Performance: September 1 - October 21, 2011 <br />Project Cost: $12,200 <br />Background: Orange County recognizes the economic importance of UNC-CH as the <br />county's primary export industry and economic-engine. UNC-CH's economic impacts <br />are varied and significant including payrollr student, visitor and retiree spending, <br />externally funded research, and post-secondary educational services. Collectively, <br />these activities generate significant sales tax revenues that the county receives partly <br />compensating for fine university's exemption ftom local property taxes. Another <br />important economic impact comes from the local-companies founded by persons <br />affiliated with or graduates of UNC-CH. <br />Purpose:"fhe purpose of this study is to analyze UNC-GH spin-off companies and <br />associated technologies. These companies will be examined with. emphasis on their <br />real estate needs. OC-ED will be better able to attract and retain these companies in <br />Orange County with a clearer understanding of their space requirements and rent <br />levels. <br />Related Work: The study will benefit from on-going work on start-up companies. <br />Distinguished Professor Maryann Feldman and Assistant Professor Nichola Lowe are <br />building the establishment-level regional data base that was begun years ago by the <br />late emeritus professor Bill Little. The OCEDC sponsored an economic development <br />workshop course in fall 2010 that examined official spin-offs from UNC-CH. <br />The chancellor's interes# in innovation and the economic recess-ion have combined to <br />make entrepreneurship increasingly important. One well-established activity is housed <br />in the Office of Technology Development (OTD). Ever since Bayh-Dole passed in 1980, <br />universities have been exploiting their intellectual-property through patents and <br />business spin-offs. UNC-CH currently holds 503 U.S. patents including 27 filed in 2010. <br />Most of the patents are in the broad fields of biology and chemistry which correlate to <br />spin-off companies in the bio-tech industry. Since 2000, 51 companies have been <br />