Issue 46
April 8, 2002
Enterprise UNB —
Back to incubation basics
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INCUBATION CENTRE HELPS COMPANIES— Enterprise UNB Director Larry Armstrongdiscusses floor plans with Nancy Mathis, president of Mathis Instruments Ltd., centre, and Brenda Moxon, manager of Enterprise UNB. Mathis Instruments, which has grown through nine expansions at the incubation centre,just received $7.5 million in venture capital. |
Incutech Brunswick Inc. has a new name and a renewed mandate to incubate fledgling technology companies. Established in 1988 on UNB's Fredericton campus, the facility has changed its name to Enterprise UNB and has returned to its initial mandate with renewed vigour.
"The original partners in Incutech were no longer involved," says Gregory Kealey, vice-president (research) at UNB. "We took this opportunity to revisit the terms of reference and maximize the use of university expertise and facilities by the private sector."
Dr. Kealey explains that part of the university's role is to help technologically innovative companies succeed _ and to aid in economic development. "The refocusing on incubation dovetails with both provincial and federal innovation strategies."
As companies grow in success they can graduate to Fredericton's Knowledge Park, where UNB is also playing a stronger role. Dr. Kealey was recently appointed president of Greater Fredericton Knowledge Park Inc.
Enterprise UNB Director Larry Armstrong is the person charged with returning the facility to a true business, high-tech facility supporting university entrepreneurs, researchers and New Brunswick companies that need a connection to the university to succeed.
"Our vision includes providing new access to the province's business community and municipal and provincial governments," Mr. Armstrong explains. "We will be a direct link between the university and the business community."
Now, the Office of the Vice-president (Research) and the Centre for Research and Development Services are also directly linked to the facility. They provide university expertise in technology assessment and transfer, enhanced access to UNB technical and research facilities, and advisory services on intellectual property rights.
An advisory board recommends policy for the facility and provides mentoring and networking support to clients. In addition to Mr. Armstrong and Dr. Kealey, five other members are from UNB Fredericton: Michael Ircha, associate vice-president (academic-students); deans Jane Fritz and Dan Coleman of the faculties of computer science and administration, respectively; Don Lyon of the department of mechanical engineering; and Barry Bisson, holder of the J. Herbert Smith ACOA Chair in Technology Management and Entrepreneurship. Tony Mais, Fredericton branch manager and first vice-president for CIBC Wood Gundy, and David Hay, CEO of Delegatio Inc., are also board members.
"We provide services to both resident and outreach clients," Mr. Armstrong explains. "If a client calls us at 1-800-561-4038, we will arrange direct contact with an expert on anything from transportation to distance education training.
"Student and youth ventures are also welcome."
To smooth their passage over start-up bumps, clients may receive help with business plan development and review, access to investment capital, marketing and management techniques, and business mentoring. Student and youth ventures are also welcome.
One of the facility's success stories is Mathis Instruments Ltd., which just received $7.5 million in venture capital. "It speaks eloquently to how UNB has helped an emerging company grow," Dr. Kealey observes.
Nancy Mathis, president of the company, describes the facility as "a perfect fit for us." A tenant since 1994, her company was founded to commercialize the technology she developed during her PhD research in chemical engineering at UNB. Called the TC Probe, it's an instrument that measures thermal conductivity and product consistency for companies from IBM to Exxon Mobil. "Since then, we have grown through nine expansions, from 100 to 3,147 square feet and from one to 18 employees."
VLT users have little to win, everything to lose
VLT STUDIES UNDERWAY AT UNB— Researchers at UNB Fredericton are monitoring the VLT play patterns of both problem gamblers and at-risk players. Richard Nicki, centre, is head of the research team which includes PhD students Steve Jefferson, left, and Jason Doiron. |
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There are no win-win situations when it comes to gambling. Especially when players lose themselves in the dark.
In a dimly lit basement corner of UNB Fredericton's Keirstead Hall, in what used to be known as the "rat room," psychology professor Richard Nicki and his team of six researchers are investigating the pitfalls of problem gambling, specifically those associated with video lottery terminals (VLTs).
The VLT lounge, as they call it, has been set up as an "ecologically valid" gambling environment modestly equipped with furniture, video cameras and the pièces de résistance — two video lottery terminals supplied by the New Brunswick Coin Machine Operators Association and the Atlantic Lottery Corp.
Dr. Nicki, working closely with PhD students Steve Jefferson and Jason Doiron, has received funding from the governments of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island to devise ways of delivering effective treatment programs and preventing problem gambling in the first place.
In 1999, Dr. Nicki and Mr. Doiron conducted the first survey ever on the prevalence of problem gambling on Prince Edward Island. Using data from that first study, Mr. Doiron is now developing primary prevention programs for players at risk of becoming problem gamblers.
"The levels of problem gambling on P.E.I. were similar to other provinces, about five per cent of the population," said Mr. Doiron. "However, the data on VLTs showed it to be by far the most problematic form of gambling."
In 2000, Mr. Jefferson conducted research in bars located in Fredericton, Moncton and Saint John. He and Dr. Nicki developed and administered a questionnaire — the Informational Biases Scale — in order to determine gamblers' beliefs about the probability, luck and chance factors associated with VLTs.
"We found that the more severe your VLT problem is the more strongly you endorse faulty beliefs about the random outcomes of VLTs and the more depressed and anxious you are," Mr. Jefferson said.
Research in the near future will investigate the relative contributions of cognitive distortions, depression, impulsiveness and coping styles of his participants to the development of problem gambling.
"Problem gamblers often have had a big win in the past and get caught in the web of immediate satisfaction," Dr. Nicki said. "That explains why VLT play is known as the crack cocaine of gambling."
And what separates recreational gamblers from problem gamblers?
"The degree of faulty thinking accounts substantially for the difference, and recreational gamblers more often than not solve their problems in other ways," said Dr. Nicki. "VLTs are an escape from everyday life but are not an effective problem-solving strategy."
Both problem gamblers and at-risk players will be coming to the UNB VLT lab to take part in this groundbreaking research. Their actual VLT play will be recorded using digital video cameras. Physiological measurements will also be taken.
The researchers say the outcome of their studies will be twofold: Fewer at-risk VLT players will become problem gamblers and more effective cognitive behaviour therapy treatments will be available for problem gamblers.