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Atlanta, GA (October 9, 2009) – SEEDR and the Tennenbaum Institute (“TI”) at the Georgia Institute of Technology have entered into a strategic Collaboration Agreement and Material Transfer Agreement to enable a collaborative process for various SEEDR initiated projects. TI is an interdisciplinary research center that focuses on understanding and enabling fundamental change of complex organizational systems. When appropriate, SEEDR will work closely with TI’s faculty, staff, and students from across the spectrum of Georgia Tech’s colleges and schools to participate in SEEDR portfolio projects. Shared data and intellectual property rights, if applicable, are contemplated within the agreement signifying the long-term potential of the partnership.
As a firm that designs accessible, sustainable, and transformative applications, SEEDR must factor a multitude of market variables together with its design philosophy to achieve product and solution designs that can meet the challenges of global development. TI significantly improves SEEDR’s objective through simulation modeling to monitor and project the impact SEEDR’s applications will have on cost and effectiveness. SEEDR in turn incorporates these models and projections into its design philosophy in advance to advance its products and solutions toward commercialization.
SEEDR brings together subject matter experts from academia, government, philanthropy and private enterprise in a collaborative manner that informs the design and innovation process. Dr. William B. Rouse, Executive Director of TI, noted that, “This is a wonderful opportunity to apply our modeling skills and tools to an area of global importance with a team of the best and brightest.” This partnership is one of many for SEEDR and continues to demonstrate the firm’s commitment to transdisciplinary collaboration.
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The Tennenbaum Institute at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia is an interdisciplinary research center, reporting to the Office of the Provost, which focuses on understanding and enabling fundamental change of complex organizational systems. Faculty, staff, and students from across the spectrum of Georgia Techʼs colleges and schools participate in a portfolio of research efforts sponsored by government, industry, and foundations. Major initiatives include healthcare delivery and global manufacturing.
Atlanta, GA (September 29, 2009) – As part of its core solution design philosophy, SEEDR employs a collaborative approach to project initiatives by bringing together experts from government, academia, private enterprise, academia and international aid agencies in a collaborative design and innovation process. SEEDR believes that through a transdiciplinary approach will we be able to achieve the greatest returns in social, environmental and economic investment. SEEDR has entered into a Research Collaboration Agreement with the Global Immunization Division of the National Center for International Immunization and Disease at the Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”) for collaborative research in its global public health initiatives.
The GID’s primary responsibilities are to strengthen immunization systems, eliminate and eradicate disease, develop a strategic framework for global immunization, and to work in close partnership with a wide array of international agencies and institutions to shape global health policies and to fund, implement, and evaluate immunization programs. SEEDR is committed to improving global public health by applying its unique design philosophy to its select technology portfolio in order to make innovative health solutions more accessible on a global scale.
The initial purpose of the agreement is to transfer proprietary research materials and proprietary confidential information required to perform collaborative research projects. SEEDR is developing light weight and thermally-efficient long- and short-haul transport carriers for vaccines and biological specimens using proprietary materials and manufacturing processes in order to enhance cold chain systems to protect current and future vaccines as well as support the integrity of biological specimens for surveillance activities.
Upon final selection of the prototype products, SEEDR will provide them to CDC (and other international stakeholders) to conduct field tests of the forward and reverse cold chain equipment, and conduct cost effectiveness and cost-utility analyses of the new equipment. CDC will coordinate and facilitate these activities with appropriate entities at WHO, UNICEF and among bilateral stakeholders, e.g., Ministries of Health with whom CDC has an established research and collaboration history. The results of research conducted within the scope of the agreement will be made publicly available.
Dr. Brent Burkholder, Director of the CDC Global Immunization Division described the potential impact of the project as both economic and programmatic. “Our goal in this project is to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of cold chain capacity around the world, both to protect the significant investment in costly vaccines, and, more importantly, to ensure the safety of those receiving immunizations.”
SEEDR and the CDC intend to engage the collaborative process in other health related projects slated to begin in the second quarter, 2010.
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