True, Bill Gates is probably not quaking in his boots. Major software companies are not revamping their marketing plans to respond. But, a milestone has been reached.

EMS Webware™ is the first software developed primarily for on-campus use that will be sold on the open market by the University of Massachusetts. UMass Lowell’s Commercial Ventures and Intellectual Property office is managing the process. The software program was developed by Richard Lemoine, Director of Environment Health and Safety at UMass Lowell, and former IT graduate student Mikunj Joshi.

Environmental Management Systems (EMS) was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promote environmental stewardship at colleges, universities and other public agencies. The standards are modeled on the international ISO 14001 requirements that large corporations use.

The EPA has recognized UMass Lowell as one of the first universities to use EMS successfully and uses the UML system as a model in encouraging others. Now that EMS Webware™
 is available for purchase, and is supported by Administrative Computing, the UML-developed program could meet the needs of colleges and universities across the country.

Susu Wong, CVIP licensing associate and chief “marketer” of the software, says their business projections are conservative at about $750,000 over five years, and the market potential is much greater.

“EMS Webware™ has many features consolidated onto a Web platform,” says Wong. “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 (or our office) 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.

Lemoine agrees about the product’s flexibility.

“It can generalize to document control in any kind of business, agency or municipality,” he says. “You create a document or template within seconds, save it, revise it several times. That document is always there and shows all the revisions, who made them, and when. It also accepts any kind of document.

“The important elements are that it’s flexible and easy to use. This product gives you the opportunity to develop, manage, audit and control documents from a single station, on an intranet or the Web.”

Beta testers included the city of Lowell, University of Rhode Island, University of Buffalo – SUNY, Westfield State and the Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI). Lemoine credits many across the University with help in development: the Web Office, Administrative Computing, the Chancellor, CVIP and TURI.

Just as with faculty-developed intellectual property, the University will benefit and the co-inventors will share in any monetary returns. Income is distributed to the Chancellor, inventors, the inventors’ departments and the CVIP.

“It’s been very fulfilling to work on this,” says Lemoine, who has been a safety specialist at the University for 20 years, after early days as a custodian. Lemoine is now a member of the EPA national steering committee for EMS development and implementation. He has made numerous presentations to the EPA, the Department of Environmental Protection and other organizations.

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.”