UofSC, IBM open Center for Innovation; announce new collaboration
Posted on: April 14, 2016; Updated on: April 14, 2016
By Jeff Stensland, stenslan@mailbox.sc.edu, 803-777-3686
The University of South Carolina and IBM announced Thursday (April 14) a broadening of their collaboration, applying cognitive capabilities and the Internet of Things (IoT) to develop new solutions for predictive analytics and maintenance.
On Thursday the two organizations hosted the grand opening of the $25 million Center for Applied Innovation, where university, IBM and private sector researchers — including Fluor Corporation — will use the technology for a host of real-world applications. The initial projects include developing ways to enhance and personalize tools in higher education, make aircraft more reliable and supply chains more efficient.
IoT represents the new frontier in applied research and relies on gathering and integrating large amounts of data taken from an array of interconnected sources to improve how they all function together. IoT holds the potential to reinvent the way people drive, make purchases, get medical treatment, and even how they get energy for their homes.
“This new center places the University squarely in the mix with some of tech’s hottest areas -- cognitive and the Internet of Things,” said university President Harris Pastides. “It also represents the potential for strong public private partnerships to advance our educational mission and significantly raise our research profile.”
Located in the Innovista research district, the Center for Applied Innovation was
formed in 2014 to provide application services to both public and private sector organizations across
North America specializing in analytics and higher education industry solutions. Together,
IBM and the university have been working to create personalized learning tools for
both students and educators using analytics to better align intelligent content, student
assessments and learner data.
The new collaboration announced Thursday builds on the university’s Center for Predictive Maintenance (CPM) and McNair Aerospace’s deep expertise in IoT research for predictive maintenance. Carolina is currently using
predictive analytics to make maintenance on a host of military aircraft more efficient
and reliable. Coupled with IBM Watson IoT expertise and technologies, the center also will house university, IBM and other
private sector researchers dedicated to creating new IoT applications, including interconnected
health equipment and intelligent supply chains.
We look forward to accessing the knowledge, innovations and skills gained by USC students and graduates working with, and as a part of the Center for Applied Innovation, to help provide state-of-the-art methods and techniques, supporting leading edge technological advancements in the integrated solutions we provide to our clients.
David Seaton, chairman and CEO of Fluor
“IBM and USC are working together to provide organizations across industries with
the research expertise and tools needed to manage, analyze and more deeply understand
massive amounts of data from the Internet of Things,” said Chris O’Connor, general
manager, Offerings, IBM Watson Internet of Things. “Bringing together cognition with
the IoT is revolutionizing our joint research on compelling use cases for connected
assets and better asset health, for example, including ways to utilize predictive
maintenance to minimize costly downtime using technologies that sense, reason and
learn.”
Fluor Corporation also is a partner in the center. Fluor, a global leader in engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction and project management, serves as a strategic advisor, providing insight into emerging trends and requirements that will drive offerings delivered from the center. Fluor also has a major operations center in nearby Greenville.
"Fluor is pleased to partner with IBM and the University of South Carolina on this facility, which will keep the university at the forefront of innovation for decades to come,” said David Seaton, chairman and CEO of Fluor. "We look forward to accessing the knowledge, innovations and skills gained by USC students and graduates working with, and as a part of the Center for Applied Innovation, to help provide state-of-the-art methods and techniques, supporting leading edge technological advancements in the integrated solutions we provide to our clients."
Construction on the state-of-the-art, 110,000 square-foot Center for Applied Innovation began in February 2015. Developed by Holder Properties, it is the second public/private building developed on Carolina’s campus.
South Carolina Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt praised the opening of the center as an economic catalyst for the region.
“In South Carolina, we win because all of us work together, and this Center for Applied Innovation is a terrific example of the collaborative approach that has made us so successful,” Hitt said. “A huge resource to the Midlands community and our state as a whole, this center will help us prepare our students for today’s dynamic job market.”
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