Product Incubation
LINC (Leaders in Innovation and Nonwovens Commercialization LLC) is a non-profit organization wholly owned and operated in furtherance of the purposes of the NC State University Partnership Corporation. LINC serves as a manufacturing incubator focused on commercializing nonwoven products, specializing in low-to-medium volume applications.
Commercializing nonwoven products
The challenge with commercializing any new technology is that often new manufacturing assets are required and capital expenditures are difficult to justify in the absence of significant proven market potential.
For new products made from nonwovens, short runs are not possible on large nonwovens manufacturing assets. As a manufacturing incubator, LINC allows new products to be introduced into the marketplace before significant investment is required from an industrial partner.
This becomes even more critical for new products that require specialized equipment or components. In almost all cases, no manufacturing entity can initially produce the product and, therefore, there exists a natural barrier to commercialization.
LINC can help facilitate the initial phase of introduction and testing of the products by limited manufacturing of the products for the companies interested in licensing the technologies developed at The Nonwovens Institute.
Services & specialties
LINC will work with you to identify unique opportunities for the development of new products. All product development will be done through a negotiated agreement with The Nonwovens Institute. If any new IP is developed, the client will have an option to negotiate with the Office of Research Commercialization at NC State University to obtain a license to the technology. LINC will then be able to offer manufacturing incubation services to your company for a limited period until the product is tested and volumes increase. LINC will be able to help identify manufacturing partners for your company and will assist in the transfer of the technology to the manufacturing party.
LINC also has access to pre-existing IP at The Nonwovens Institute and can help explore if these can be utilized to meet your needs.
LINC will not engage in reverse engineering or creating products that compete with existing nonwoven-based products. Our activities are limited to manufacturing incubation for new products.
For more information about NWI’s process for commercializing nonwoven technologies developed at The Nonwovens Institute, email us at nonwovens@ncsu.edu.