IBM 's (NYSE: IBM) analytics-based search engine confirmed positive results in a test performed at N.C. State University to filter possible users of technology developed by the Raleigh school, reported Triangle Business Journal.

The University attempted two experiments to see whether IBM's data analytics tool can reduce the time and effort invested by the university's office of technology transfer to search for companies capable of monetizing the innovations developed at the university.

Billy Houghtelling, director of the Office of Technology Transfer, said NCSU was able to cut the time to find companies from two to four months down to about a week, a boon for the university, which has about 3,000 technologies waiting to find commercial partners.

The university used two IBM data analysis systems, Big Sheets and Language Ware, to refine searches to find potential business partners for two NCSU-developed technologies: a vaccine for salmonella and an apparatus for delivering inhaled medication.

If a regular Google, (Nasdaq: GOOG), Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO), or Bing search was applied, it would have resulted in a cornucopia of results. But with the use of the IBM analytics tool, the search results were refined to thousands from millions, and to 25 from hundreds.

The tool works like Google or Yahoo! but allows users the options to refine the search further with different adjustment parameters and filters. With analytics tool in use, the search becomes much more intelligent than merely searching for key words.

The market for analytics tools that can leverage basic search engines to deliver refined and precise information from a plethora of information available on the web is due to grow.

For IBM, the search engine market becomes potential market. With Google and Yahoo! supporting basic search models, IBM can deliver sophisticated and customized analytics-based search engines. While Google and Yahoo!'s revenues are based on ad revenue, IBM can generate revenue by selling the search tools.

As the use of web expands further with smartphones making access much simpler, there is demand for tools that can simplify the web and deliver refined results which can fit in a smartphone's small screen.

International Business Times, The Global Business News Leader