The ISU Center for Advanced Technology Development is helping consumers get their businesses up and running.

The center, or CATd, was created in 1987 to play a role in technology-based economic developments in Iowa and its universities, said Mark Laurenzo, associate director of CATd.

CATd aims to “assist start-up activities for a business that is in the beginning stages of development,” he said.

Laurenzo said the center also facilitates an Iowa professor that will be able to serve their needs, including their research and development.

Research and development means raising the funds for the project or start-up businesses from sources such as the federal government rather than trying to ask for a loan from a bank, Laurenzo said.

“You walk into a bank and ask for [research and development] money and they will politely laugh at you, because they don’t do that,” he said.

Beth Taylor, technology transfer associate for CATd, said companies call and ask if she can find a faculty member who is interested in working on their project. Once a professor is found, a meeting is scheduled for the company and the faculty member.

If the company decides it would like to continue working with the faculty member and if the company is happy, the faculty member will draft a budget for materials and time before research begins.

CATd should not be confused with the ISU Research Park, Laurenzo said. The Research Park is intended to aid the business side of the operation, while CATd handles the technological side, he said.

To date, Iowa State has worked with 44 companies within the Research Park. Out of those 44 companies, CATd has been used by 32.

Laurenzo said various students are selected by professors through an application process to assist with the projects in their fields of study.

“[CATd] provides about 25 to 30 projects per year for graduate and undergraduate students to work on,” he said. “[CATd provides] a real world experiences and intern or co-op possibilities that [students] normally would not receive in a classroom. In that, we meet the mission of Iowa State University.”

For more information on CATd, visit the Web site at www.catd.iastate.edu.