Governor Edward Rendell has appointed Dr. Robert J. Kumpf to serve on the
Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority (BFTDA) board of directors for
a period coinciding with the remainder of the governor's term.
The BFTDA is one of the largest single state technology development programs
in the nation, and it provides financial and technical assistance to businesses,
entrepreneurs, communities, local governments, educators and non-profit organizations
in the commonwealth. The BFTDA oversees five programs: Ben Franklin Technology
Partners, Technology Development Grants, University Research Grant Program,
Venture Investment Program and the Keystone Innovation Zone program. For the
period from fiscal year 2005 until fiscal year 2009, the BFTDA has invested
a total of nearly $220 million in these five programs.
Dr. Kumpf is Chief Administrative Officer for Bayer MaterialScience LLC (BMS).
In addition, he is a member of the company’s North American Leadership
Team, with responsibility for regional business support and administration.
He has held research, product development and technical marketing positions
in various Bayer business units and central research. In his most recent position
as vice president of Future Business, he led the BMS group responsible for developing
materials of the future by focusing on innovation-driven polymer products, next
generation trends and new complex technologies.
Kumpf joined Bayer in 1988 as a research chemist after graduating with a doctorate
degree from the Materials Science and Engineering Department at The Pennsylvania
State University. He currently holds 20 U.S. and European patents and has published
21 articles in various scientific journals.
Kumpf is a member of the board of directors of the Pennsylvania
NanoMaterials Commercialization Center, having previously served as chairman
of the board. In addition, he is a member of Penn State University’s Material
Science and Engineering Advisory Board, the national board of the Industrial
Research Institute and the Carnegie Science Center Sci Tech Initiative Advisory
Board.
Bayer MaterialScience LLC is one of the leading producers of polymers and high-performance
plastics in North America and is part of the global Bayer MaterialScience business
with nearly 15,100 employees at 30 sites around the world and 2008 sales of
9.7 billion euros. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech
polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used
in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical
and electronics, construction, medical, and sports and leisure industries.
The mission of the Pennsylvania NanoMaterials Commercialization Center is to
promote and support the commercialization of nanomaterials research for new
and enhanced products critical to the U.S. economy and manufacturing base. The
Center builds upon Pennsylvania’s excellence in advanced materials research,
development and manufacturing, and it acts as a new model for a public-private
partnership among government, universities, entrepreneurs, small and large companies
to accelerate the transition from nanomaterials invention and innovation to
new products and new companies. The Center’s university partners include
Carnegie Mellon University, Lehigh University, The Pennsylvania State University
and the University of Pittsburgh.