Rapino named as new director

Staff Norman Rapino, the executive director of Rocket Innovations, took the helm of the organization with the task of promoting university research and development.

Rocket Innovations’ mission is to promote entrepreneurship through faculty and student engagement in research, technology commercialization and economic development.

Rapino said he will not make significant changes to the organization’s goals and directions, but will work to improve efficiency.

“We are bringing a particular process into use that really helps faculty and others — as efficiently as possible — see if there is a place out there in the world for their ideas and technology,” Rapino said.

He said this process is called a lean launch methodology, which helps in identifying promising technology.

Rapino brings experience from the University of Michigan, where he was the Mentor-in-Residence in the office of technology transfer, as well as a vast entrepreneurial experience.

“I learned by watching very smart people in Michigan where they have a particular kind of organizational set-up that has been very effective,” Rapino said.

Rapino also said he has visited numerous prestigious institutions nationwide — including Stanford and MIT — and has discovered UT’s tech transfer process is no different.

“It turns out that the people here at tech transfer really do things about the same way, so the tech transfer process here is very high level and I’m looking forward to working with them,” he said.

Rapino also said he was impressed by the level of passion shown by UT faculty.

“Our faculty believes that it Is important to have what they care about have an impact on the world and it is wonderful to see how excited everybody here is to actually do this,” he added.

University of Toledo Vice-President of Research William Messer spoke about the aim of Rocket Innovations.

“The aim of Rocket Innovations is to help faculty and students with entrepreneurial interests move their technology forward towards commercialization,” Messer said.

According to Messer, Rocket Innovations tries to find ways to connect research with tech transfer so that innovation can be supported and developed.

“And when [discoveries are made], our tech transfer office can work with faculty to file patent applications and work with them to license that technology to outside groups,” he said.

Rapino also said Rocket Innovations works with the Launchpad Incubator.

“[The Launchpad Incubator] is a place where ideas that have been identified as having commercial potential go to get help with training for mentors and advisors, introductions to funding sources,” he said.

Rapino, who received a PhD in chemistry and an MBA from the UT in 1971, said he has now returned to give back to the university and the community.

“Toledo is a place that helped my family and myself grow and have a nice life so it’s nice to return to the area and be a part of making things better,” Rapino said.