UML Launches First Software Commercialized by UMass System

LOWELL - The University of Massachusetts Lowell has launched a new software program - the first to be commercially developed and sold on the open market.

            Managed by the UMass Lowell Commercial Ventures and Intellectual Property (CVIP) office, EMS WebWare^TM will help any organization, university, municipality or state agency develop a method of environmental stewardship, with ease and flexibility of use and complete document control. UML Director of Environment Health and Safety Richard Lemoine developed the program with former computer science graduate student Mikunj Joshi.

Susu Wong, CVIP licensing associate and chief marketer of the software, said business projections are conservative at more than $750,000 over five years, and the market potential is much greater. The UMass Lowell CVIP invested seed money and support for commercialization of EMS WebWare - which has been registered by the U.S. Copyright and Patent Office.

            "EMS WebWare has many features consolidated onto a Web platform," Wong said. "It's really well integrated and functions better than competitors' software. EMS is just the first version of the platform. Any documentation-control environment, such as lawyers' offices would benefit from this software."

Wong plans to sell direct to end-users with a standard licensing agreement; through value-added retailers, such as EMS training providers; and direct to agencies and universities, using sales representatives.

Environmental Management Systems (EMS) was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to encourage all public and private entities to enhance their environmental performance.  EMS is closely modeled on the international ISO 14001 standard requirements that large corporations use.

The EPA has recognized UMass Lowell as one of the first universities in the nation to develop and implement an EMS program.  The EMS WebWare will be fully supported by UML's Administrative Computing Department.

"Developing an Environmental Management System doesn't have to be draining to an organization. Selecting the right software solution can save time, money and frustration," said Lemoine, who believes the UML-developed software will assist any public and private agency or college and university across the country to streamline their process to develop a successful EMS program.

            Lemoine has been an environmental health and safety professional at the University for 20 years. He is a member of an EPA national steering committee for EMS development and implementation. Mikunj Joshi is employed at Workscape, Inc., a Web-based software company headquartered in Framingham.

            Companies can sample the software at www.emswebware.com.

EMS WebWare is the first software taken to market, but it won't be the last, according to Wong.

            "We expect to develop a portfolio," she says. "Faculty and staff across campus develop software for their own use. Many of these may have market potential."

                        The University of Massachusetts Lowell, a comprehensive university with special expertise in applied science and technology, is committed to educating students for lifelong success and conducting research and outreach activities that sustain the economic, environmental and social health of the region. UML offers its 11,000 undergraduate and graduate students more than 80 degree programs in the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Management, and the School of Health and Environment and the Graduate School of Education. Visit the Web site at www.uml.edu.

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