There will be an open position for a vice president of research at the University of Minnesota come 2013.
The University of Minnesota confirmed that vice president of research Tim Mulcahy will be departing in December after almost eight years on the job.
In a phone interview, Mulcahy said that he plans to retire to spend more time with grandchildren, travel with his wife, pursue photography and do the things he has not had the time to do in the last 17 years.
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“I am retiring from a full-time permanent job, but I am not closing the door to opportunities. I am happy to share my experience,” he said.
In a statement, the University said that President Eric Kaler has appointed Aaron Friedman, vice president for health sciences and dean of the Medical School, and Steven Crouch, dean of the College of Science and Engineering, as co-chairs of a national search for Mulcahy’s successor.
Mulcahy was appointed vice president of research in February 2005 and was responsible for overseeing and administering an externally funded research program of more than $800 million across all five campuses.
He noted that one of the most important accomplishments during his tenure at the university was that he was able to garner the respect and support of the faculty.
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“Not just me personally, but the office as well,” he said.
The University statement noted that Mulcahy has been “instrumental in overseeing the reinvestment of technology transfer royalty revenue into research and scholarly initiatives” that includes $50 million for the 21st Century Graduate Fellowship Endowment and nearly $40 million for major equipment purchases, facility improvements and support for the arts and humanities.
Without an effective tech transfer mechanism, the royalty revenue would not be forthcoming, and Mulcahy brought up organizational changes to revamp the university’s ineffective commercialization program. He hired Jay Schrankler to lead the Office for Technology Commercialization, who is widely credited for cranking up the University’s commercialization engine.
Consider this: Between fiscal 2005 and 2009, the university created 13 startups. In fiscal year 2010 alone, eight were spun out (however, it’s not an exact apples-to-apples comparison given that before 2010, the university only tracked companies that it had an equity stake in and not all companies that licensed the institution’s technology).
Mulcahy said he was very proud of the fact that he has been able to develop, mentor and recruit “outstanding leaders in the units that report to me” adding that there won’t be a “big deficit in leadership” when he departs.
The biggest challenge that will face his successor, he believes, is the “predictable decline in federal investment in research” that will require him or her to find “new strategies to improve the university’s competitive position.”
His advice to his replacement: Be a strong advocate for research.
“Not a cheerleader, but someone who can seek out funding for research, be collaborative and leverage relationships to support research,” he said, noting that it was also important for his replacement to ensure that Minnesota has a say in decision making about research at the national level.
UPDATE: In a phone interview, Dale Wahlstrom, president and CEO of LifeScience Alley and the BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota, said he was “sincerely sorry” to hear of Mulcahy’s departure. Wahlstrom said that Mulcahy’s obvious contribution was in how he reengineered the university’s licensing and tech transfer efforts. He added that aside from providing the support to create more companies out of university technology, Mulcahy was very successful in increasing licensing revenue so that other people could take advantage of the university’s intellectual property.
Wahlstrom said Mulcahy also strove to improve the dialogue between the private sector and academia. He is also deeply involved in the one-of-a kind public-private partnership among the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, LifeScience Alley and the university focusing on the path to advance regulatory science in Minnesota.
“Tim is one of the architects of the partnership,” Wahlstrom said.
[Photo Credit: sheelamohan]
