The USPTO has issued two patents for technology developed jointly by researchers at the University of Minnesota and Iowa State University that allows scientists to modify genes to create specific traits.

U of M startup company SMART Signal Technologies partners with MnDOT to provide real-time traffic data for road users and traffic engineers.

Recommender systems, invented by U of M computer science professor John Riedl in the 1990s, are Web-based tools that identify user preferences. This technology is now widely used by online commerce and social sites such as Amazon, Netflix, Pandora and Facebook.

The role of business is increasingly important as companies seeking to maximize limited resources draw upon the talent, facilities and expertise of large research institutions like the U.

Jian-Ping Wang and his team are part of an ambitious group of academic researchers and software companies challenging the boundaries of magnetic storage media.