Nominations are being accepted for the 2009 Technology Innovation Award, given annually to a University of Arizona researcher who has successfully translated original and innovative technology ideas from the laboratory to the marketplace.

The winner will be honored at the UA's sixth annual Innovation Day, on March 24, with a commemorative plaque and $10,000 to be used for research-related activities. His or her name will be inscribed on award plaques displayed in the reception areas of the Office of the Vice President for Research, Graduate Studies and Economic Development and the Office of Economic Development.

The award recognizes the ways intellectual development at the University can contribute to economic development in the community at large, perhaps through a patent, license or the establishment of a company, said Raphael Gruener, director of technology initiatives for the Office of Economic Development, which is co-sponsoring the award.

"It's to show that the U of A is not an ivory tower, that it is in fact linked to the community," Gruener said.

A Student Innovation Award and five Leading Edge Researcher Awards also are given on Innovation Day and winners are usually chosen from a list of candidates supplied by department heads and deans, Gruener said.

Nominations for the Technology Innovation Award must be submitted by a group of two or more University faculty members and are due no later than Dec. 12.

Nomination dossiers must include a nominating statement of no more than two pages discussing the nominee's principal research achievements and how they have led to the translation of original research into the technology-based private sector, three to five letters of reference supporting the nominee, a one-paragraph bio-sketch of each nominator and reference writer, and an abbreviated – 3-page maximum – curriculum vitae of the nominee.

Last year's winner – Regents' Professor Jay Nunamaker, director of the UA's Center for the Managaement of Information – was recognized for developing Decision Making software, used internationally by companies and governments to efficiently and scientifically guide teams in effective decision making.

The award is sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research, Graduate Studies and Economic Development with co-sponsorship by the Office of Economic Development, the Arizona Center for Innovation and the Office of Technology Transfer.

Five copies of the nomination dossier must be submitted by Dec 12 to:

Director of Technology Initiatives
Office of Economic Development
UA P.O. Box 210458
Tucson, Ariz. 85721

For more information, visit the Innovation Day Web site.