The University of Arizona now has renewed confidence that the innovations generated inside campus laboratories will make a splash in the commercial marketplace as well. According to the Arizona Daily Star, this optimism stems from a bold new vision outlined by recently appointed technology transfer director David Allen.

Allen leaves behind a track record of success from his time in corresponding positions held at Ohio University, Ohio State University and the University of Colorado. According to the news source, he is largely credited with turning the Colorado campus into a focal point of Boulder's now booming technology sector.

The majority of Allen's plans will take place under an umbrella corporation known as Tech Launch Arizona, which will be integrated into the campus administration structure and report directly to the president's office.

"By the beginning of the year, we are going to have five to six technology licensing associates embedded in the research-intensive colleges," Allen told the newspaper. "They'll be close in proximity to the faculty; they'll have an office in that college."

Allen has also been taking advantage of existing innovation mechanisms within the surrounding community. Earlier in the month, Tech Launch America formed a strategic partnership with the Arizona Furnace startup accelerator to fund an intensive, six-month mentorship program for undergraduate researchers.