In addition, the Court noted that the case “does not involve method claims, patents on new applications of knowledge about the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, or the patentability of DNA in which the order of the naturally occurring nucleotides has been altered.”

In explaining its decision, the Court focused on the products of nature bar to patentability, reasoning as follows: “It is undisputed that Myriad did not create or alter any of the genetic information encoded in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. The location and order of the nucleotides existed in nature before Myriad found them. Nor did Myriad create or alter the genetic structure of DNA. Instead, Myriad’s principal contribution was uncovering the precise location and genetic sequence of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes within chromosomes 17 and 13.” Further stating that “[g]roundbreaking, innovative, or even brilliant discovery does not by itself satisfy the §101 inquiry,” the justices denied the claims focused on the unaltered genetic material.

To the delight of biotech executives and tech transfer officials, however, the Court also spelled out what remains patent eligible: “cDNA does not present the same obstacles to patentability as naturally occurring, isolated DNA segments…. [C]reation of a cDNA sequence from mRNA results in an exons-only molecule that is not naturally occurring. Petitioners concede that cDNA differs from natural DNA in that ‘the non-coding regions have been removed.’ They nevertheless argue that cDNA is not patent eligible because ‘[t]he nucleotide sequence of cDNA is dictated by nature, not by the lab technician.’ That may be so, but the lab technician unquestionably creates something new when cDNA is made. cDNA retains the naturally occurring exons of DNA, but it is distinct from the DNA from which it was derived. As a result, cDNA is not a “product of nature” and is patent eligible under §101….”

Writing for the blog Patent Baristas, patent attorney Stephen Jenei observes, “clearly, the market recognized that the decision does not eliminate the ability to patent diagnostic tests.  Shares of Myriad Genetics (MYGN) jumped nearly 11% to a four-year high in morning trading Thursday after the U.S. Supreme Court issued the mixed ruling on whether its genetic products could be patented and affirmed the right for Myriad to patent synthetic DNA (cDNA).”

In a guest post on another prominent legal blog, Patently-O, Jason Rantanen speculates on the ruling’s consequences for gene-based diagnostics. “My immediate reaction is that for most practical applications, the Court’s holding means that even though the broadest possible biotechnology product claims (to the isolated DNA itself) aren’t going to be patentable, the key elements in making and using a biotechnology-based invention are still going to be protectable via patents,” Rantanen observes. “This will allow researchers and competitors a little bit of wiggle room to design around biotechnology patents because they can use the basic isolated sequence but there will still be substantial limitations on what they can do with that isolated sequence. For this reason, I’m skeptical that the Court’s opinion will have a negative effect on the incentives for creating biotechnology-based applications. To the contrary: by affirming that cDNA can be patented, it may strengthen the incentives for investing in research in this area.”

Rantanen also speculated on the ruling’s impact for researchers. “First, it may allow researchers more freedom to engage in whole-genome sequencing because they won’t need to deal with a multitude of isolated DNA patents for individual sequences. On the other hand, because early-stage research on newly discovered DNA sequences cannot be patented, it may encourage companies — and perhaps universities — to pursue greater secrecy over those early-stage discoveries.”

Sources: Patent Baristas and Patently-O

The post Supreme Court decision in Myriad case is mixed for biotech industry appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

But not all experience with these template agreements has been positive, and many important lessons have been learned and applied in the years since express agreements first appeared on the scene. These “quick and easy” deals come with trade-offs, and trouble can lurk in seemingly simple contract language and key drafting omissions.

Our Distance Learning Division has recruited two tech transfer veterans and licensing experts to take a fresh look in The Continuing Evolution of Express Licensing: Maximizing the Benefits and Minimizing the Drawbacks, a webinar scheduled for July 17th. Kevin Lei from Emory University and Dean Stell from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center will discuss what’s been learned as express licenses have become more common, where they work best, when they just don’t work, and how to apply best practices developed over the past several years to update, enhance, and refine express agreements so they perform optimally for your university and for your licensees. For complete program details and to register, CLICK HERE.

ALSO COMING SOON:

• Wednesday, June 26: Best Practices for Managing Conflicts of Interest in Faculty Start Ups
• Tuesday, July 9: Securing Senior Level Talent for University Start-Ups and How to Best Structure CEO Compensation
• Wednesday, July 24: The Anatomy of a Great Industry-University Partnership

The post The Continuing Evolution of Express Licensing: Maximizing the Benefits and Minimizing the Drawbacks appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory, LLC (DRIVE) will be separate from but wholly owned by the University. It is intended to pair the school’s researchers with a world-renowned development, business and management team of industry leaders, according an Emory release on the new entity.

“Emory’s unprecedented record of success in drug discovery creates an excellent opportunity to pursue an innovative new venture for translating scientific discoveries into therapeutics for unmet medical needs,” says Emory President James Wagner. “This financially self-sustaining public-private enterprise fits within Emory’s vision of working collaboratively for positive transformation in the world through discoveries that are of global benefit.”

DRIVE will serve as the industrial partner of Emory’s Institute for Drug Development (EIDD), which powers the university’s drug development through experienced scientists and advanced lab facilities.

Why is the new venture center necessary? “The traditional pharmaceutical research and development operating model is no longer sustainable,” says Dennis Liotta, PhD, founder of EIDD and co-inventor of a number of successful drugs. “The marked decrease in the development of new therapeutics is having a uniformly negative effect on global health and threatens life expectancy, quality of life, economic development and national security,” Liotta adds. “Emory’s new public-private enterprise is a bold new approach that can help solve this problem.”

Source: Emory News Center

The post Emory launches tech transfer arm to commercialize drugs appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Dr. Yaakov Nahmias developed the technology alongside his team of researchers at Hebrew University’s Center for Bioengineering. They discovered a way to detect retinal micro-aneurysms that pose a high risk for leakage, which is an underlying cause of a vision-eroding disorder known as diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause for blindness worldwide.

Dr. Nahmias’ method is significant because it can detect the micro-aneurysms early enough to minimize the damage done to the eye and save vision. “The scientists open the route for targeted therapy,” says YaacovMichlin, CEO of Yissum. “By enabling early detection of high-risk areas, treatment of diabetic retinopathy can shift from a reactive treatment to a preventive one, not only preventing blindness but also saving millions of dollars in medical costs.”

Yissum is currently searching for a business partner to help develop the method further and eventually take it to market.

Source: Business Wire

The post Hebrew University researchers develop novel method to prevent blindness appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Ken Letkeman, chief information officer for the clinic’s IS department, will guide the process. The new company is expected to be operating by October 1.

“The pace of change in health care is astonishing,” Letkeman said. “By becoming an independent company, it will allow our technology teams to respond quickly to those changes, and to offer timely, cost-effective solutions to health care companies in an innovative fashion.”

Marshfield Clinic has plenty of history in health information technology and software development. Cattails Software Suite, Marshfield Clinic’s homegrown electronic health record, was developed in conjunction with Clinic providers and the Information Systems Department.

“Launching the Clinic’s information services as an independent company will allow for growth opportunities,” said Dr. Brian Ewert, Marshfield Clinic president and CEO. “MCIS will be better positioned to offer value to its customers, develop new products, pursue marketplace opportunities and attract qualified staff with a tech-focused culture – all with the goal of improving service for patients.”

Source: The Marshfield Clinic

The post Marshfield Clinic to spin out new information services company appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

GE Appliances is the iconic maker of products such as refrigerators, freezers, stoves, dishwashers, and washer-dryers, and other common household necessities. The agreement specifies terms and conditions for the licensing and sharing of jointly developed intellectual property and establishes parameters for future research projects.

UK President Eli Capilouto and Vice President for Research James W. Tracy joined GE Appliances President and CEO Chip Blankenship and today at a ceremony conducted at GE’s Appliance Park in Louisville. “Designing and manufacturing home appliances requires expertise in multiple branches of science and engineering,” GE Appliances VP of Technology Kevin Nolan Nolan said at an event announcing the partnership. “The research agreement between GE Appliances and UK provides the framework for working together on challenging problems and helps us leverage the technical expertise at UK.”

The agreement seeks to streamline how joint projects will take place between GE scientists and UK scientists and students in the future. “This partnership will provide opportunities for our faculty, and the students they mentor, to work on projects with immediate, real-world applications in industry,” UK Vice President for Research James W. Tracy said. “We have talented scientists working in a diverse array of disciplines — such as engineering, energy and Lean systems manufacturing — whose expertise will be called upon as GE continually seeks to innovate its products and its processes. Both sides stand to reap great dividends from this relationship.”

UK and GE will collaborate on projects to improve the functionality and durability of GE’s appliances like extending the life of water-using products and continuing the work GE engineers have started to improve water filtration technologies. In the near future, GE Appliances will work with UK’s Institute for Sustainable Manufacturing to explore new manufacturing technologies and practices.

Source: The Lane Report

The post University of Kentucky, GE Appliances to sign master research agreement appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

“There were times when we barely could pay our Rackspace bill, and one time I distinctly remember our blog being down because we forgot to pay that bill. There was also the time one of our investors cut our credit line in half, unexpectedly, right as we made a huge payment.” Through those and host of other seemingly cursed periods of unexpected problems, however, the company somehow survived – and has led her to conclude that mere survival is actually the key to ultimate success. Just hang in there, she advises, as long as you can and any way you can.

“There are so many things privately and publicly known about ConsumerBell that its nearly a miracle that we’ve made it where we are today,” she says of the company, which provides merchandizers with monitoring alerts for recalled products. “Any person close to us will say we have had no shortage of miracles, and most start-ups that really make it far have similar stories; years where founders did contract work, or full teams were let go.”

Inevitably start-ups – with a few exceptions that take off from day 1 – will eventually have to ask if and when they will get to the next level, and hopefully beyond. “Sometimes it just never happens or even worse, sometimes like with Pandora or Tumblr it takes a while.” She stresses, however, that “there is this correlation between staying alive and rocketship growth. To get there the first part is staying alive, and many other variables added to rocketship growth. Simply put just breath.”

A huge percentage of start-ups are in a sort of middle ground, what Cachette calls a “purgatory of success waiting for the right VC or new CEO or market environment to change.” Here’s her advice for those start-up founders hoping to get their businesses out of purgatory and into heaven.

1. Take a sabbatical. “Founders who take sabbaticals or vacations actually come back refreshed and with a new sense of balance.” And though it may seem impossible to take a week off, it’s not, she says. “Taking a step back often reminds a founder of the things that they want in their personal life and gives motivation to the work life.” Though a vacation may upset investors, she adds, “it has in almost every case helped the company and let’s be honest, if a company is going to die it isn’t going to die in one week.”

2. Reflect and Document. Taking a break may be the perfect time to get your documents in order, such as HR files, product road maps, computer files, social media accounts, e-mails, and the like. And the point is not just to get organized. “In many cases potential acquirers will be want to know many of these things,” Cachette observes. “It never fails that when the acquisition opportunity arises founders are usually too busy with other things, so doing it when possible is not only therapeutic but efficient. Also in the process you might find a gem or two of inspiration.”

3. Help Other Start-ups. Assisting with a colleague or friend’s start-up can help charge up your own business, she notes. “This will be refreshing to transfer knowledge and also help spread the word of what you are working on in a way that could spark new ideas or allies. When all seems lost, helping others often reminds a founder of the world outside its own startup and can give perspective.”

4. Do Something Different. To get out of a rut, just do something totally new, Cachette advises. “Take a class, do something random, spend a week with family somewhere far. Do something totally different and step out of the founder’s role.”

5. Don’t shut down. There are scores of stories about now-booming companies that once survived on the equivalent of ramen noodles. “In the early days of FedEx their CEO gambled his money at blackjack to win and make payroll. Evernote the night before closing its doors received a $500K investment from a user in Sweden, and Blogger (which sold for rumors between $20M and $50M) to Google had to lay off every single employee before finally getting acquired. That founder, Evan Williams went off to start what is now Twitter today,” she recounts. “So the greatest thing a founder can do when their start-up isn’t failing is to make sure it doesn’t die. Timing is everything.”

Source:  Business Insider

The post What to do when your start-up is neither a success nor a failure appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The post “Boot Camp” video series offers detailed best practices for university start-ups appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The opening was hailed by leaders from major technology firms, including Dell, Intel Corporation, Schneider Electric and National Instruments, along with representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy and researchers from The University of Texas and the new Pike Powers Lab.

“We designed this lab to be a launching pad for the ambitions of innovative private sector companies and entrepreneurial university faculty and students,” said the lab’s CEO Brewster McCracken. “This lab is the latest step in Pike Powers’ three decade vision of a modern technology economy. It’s only right that this lab will have Pike’s name on it.”

With nearly 80 terabytes of high speed Dell computing systems, the Pike Powers Lab is an independent facility where companies of all sizes can develop, test and validate a wide range of consumer electronics, software and hardware applications that incorporate wireless, big data management, metrology, building controls, solar photovoltaics, natural gas fuel cell, energy storage, machine-to-machine, vehicle charging and disaggregation technologies.

“We can test, verify and help develop almost anything with an on-off button,” said lab director Scott Hinson. “I’ve been working in product development and testing for over a decade, and I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“From my two decades of developing, testing and selling consumer electronics and distributed energy products for large tech companies, start-ups and the MCC Consortium, I know how difficult it can be for companies to prove what their technologies can achieve,” said the lab’s CTO Bert Haskell. “Creating an advanced testing center where companies can overcome these challenges drove our vision for the Pike Powers Lab. We built the Pike Powers Lab as a sophisticated facility where companies can test their innovations, improve their performance and obtain independent performance reports that they can show to customers and funders.”

The lab is owned and operated by UT-based Pecan Street Inc. and is located just two miles from The University of Texas campus.

Source: Pecan Street, Inc.

The post Cutting edge research and commercialization lab opens adjacent to U Texas appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The new entity will provide product idea support, market analysis, business plan development resources, help find funding sources, grant writing, legal counsel advice, mentoring and proximity to Purdue’s entrepreneurs-in-residence. “If you want help or you’re seeking support, or if there’s anything you need, this is where it’s going to be,” said Dan Hasler, president of Purdue Research Foundation. “What we’re doing here is declaring the Burton D. Morgan Center as the big house for entrepreneurship.”

The Foundry’s opening coincides with a consolidation of other entrepreneurial functions at the university. About two-thirds of the staff at the Foundry will come from the Purdue Research Foundation. Hasler said he expects up to three more part- or full-time hires to be made, including a grant writer.

The goal is to make it easier for innovators to connect with commercialization resources, and in the process double the number of technology-based start-ups over the next two years.

Market analysis and other tech transfer services for Purdue researchers are not new, but having dedicated grant writers and legal experts will be. Hasler said services and employees based at the Foundry will likely evolve as officials scope out the demand for among faculty and students. “This is our own start-up,” he explained. “We’re going to learn, adjust. It really is about being the most supportive that we can possibly be.”

The Foundry also plans to partner with other entities that want to stimulate start-up formation in the state, and has already signed on Indianapolis-based VC Elevate Ventures. “Research institutions like Purdue are powerhouses in generating cutting-edge ideas and technologies,” said Steve Hourigan, CEO of Elevate Ventures. “It is a privilege to partner with Purdue’s leadership in creating this collaborative platform, translating these ideas and technologies into high-potential, high-growth Indiana companies.”

Source: Journal and Courier

The post Purdue’s new Foundry offers one-stop shop for start-up support appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Although Japan is a hub of scientific research and home to many well-established, technology-based companies, the country faces challenges commercializing its technology on a global scale. To address that need, SRI and Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) will launch a technology commercialization accelerator program for promising R&D teams.

Using SRI’s Five Disciplines of Innovation® process — a proven, repeatable method for managing the creation and delivery of new customer value — teams will learn and use a common language and framework for defining innovation, for proposing ideas effectively to the global investment community, and for successfully bringing these innovations to market.

“As Japan’s national champion of innovation, NEDO is working with SRI to provide Japanese entrepreneurs with the tools they need to compete with the best in Japan as well as in international markets,” said Yoshiaki Tojo, NEDO’s director-general in the General Affairs and Policy Planning Department.

“NEDO’s focus on enhancing Japan’s economic competitiveness through hands-on support to industry aligns closely with SRI’s approach to value creation, which starts by addressing important market needs,” adds Stephen Ciesinski, SRI’s vice president of strategic business initiatives. “SRI has been working in Japan for 50 years, and we are proud to now partner on a strategic, long-term program with NEDO that will grow Japan’s entrepreneurial community and invigorate its new venture landscape.”

Source: The Wall Street Journal

The post SRI Int’l to assist Japan in research-based start-up formation appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Atagana says a company’s brand is more than just recognition of the name. “Your brand, especially when it is good, should be the experience your audience gets from your product,” she observes. Too many start-ups, however, mistakenly assume branding is the exclusive province of large consumer-focused companies. She stresses, however, that brand strategy “is equally valuable to early-stage start-ups. Products may change, teams will transition and audiences shift; however, what’s at the core of your brand can (and should) remain a constant force. Brand strategy,” Atagana continues, “makes the turbulent evolution of start-ups more manageable through consensus building amongst co-founders and by providing a rare far-sighted lens in an environment built on short-term actions.”

Many academic start-ups get caught up in the brilliance of their technology — a major oversight, she cautions. “No matter how brilliant an idea or product is, sometimes it’s quite hard to turn brilliance into profit. Strategically thinking about branding and the story that your brand is trying to tell will inadvertently lead to profit.”

For start-ups, a good job with branding can translate into an easier path to funding, Atagana notes. “The financial benefits around having a strong brand seems almost a given yet startups tend to not recognize it. Pitching to an investor is daunting, time-consuming and sometimes those investors are only taking meetings because they are doing someone a favor. So make it worth their time. If your brand cannot be marketed the chances of profit for an investor are slim, and if that’s the case your chances of getting investment is probably zero.”

Even for bootstrapped start-ups, branding can and should be a priority, she asserts. “It’s quite simple: strong and good brand equals users, users equal revenue and if you are very lucky, revenue means profit,” she says. 

So how, as a start-up, can you actually build a sustainable brand? Atagana says good brands share the following characteristics:

• A story that connects to the users.
• Personality is king. Your brand should strive for a likeable personality that appeals to users and investors.
• Visual expression. Your brand should include a visual expression of your vision – a graphic that captures the essence of your brand and sticks in people’s minds. “Think Coca Cola and Nike,” she says.
• Presence. “Presence means market share and market share means money.” 

Source: ventureburn

The post Why branding is important for start-ups appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

• Mark Bugher, director of the University Research Park at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has announced he will retire in October. Bugher has helped the Park become a nationally renowned force in tech transfer since he joined in 1999. “When I came it was a much smaller operation,” he says, “and really not on the radar screen in terms of the university’s commitment to economic development and job creation.” Today, it’s a different story.  “We have 3,600 jobs and 126 companies,” Bugher says. “These are high-paid jobs, many of them filled by our graduates or UW System graduates. The university can be extremely proud of what’s happened here since 1984.” An interim director is expected to take Bugher’s place this fall, while a national search for his successor is slated to begin in 2014. Source: UW-Madison News

The post Comings and Goings appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The post Job Listing: Technology Associate/Manager (Life Science) – Maternity Cover appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

“I think it’s certainly the way of the future,” says Gina Lamendella, a professor in Pennsylvania who raised $10,800 through the crowdfunding website iAMscientist to fund her project on the impacts of hydraulic facturing on Pennsylvania’s stream ecosystems. “There were a lot of initial questions,” she adds, “but we’ve paved the way for other people at smaller institutions to use this funding as a mechanism.”

One of the greatest draws of crowdfunding for scientists is how quickly funds can be raised as compared to the long, often futile process of applying for federal and private grants. Sites such as iAMscientist, Microryza, Petridish and FundaGeek have attracted many academic researchers because of this, and also because the researchers feel they are making a more direct impact on the world around them.

Deakin professor Lee Astheirmer says his campaign on the crowdfunding platform Pozible “allows the community to help us identify what problems they need solving, then provides a unique way to help solve them through funding support.”

“It’s the great thing about crowdfunding,” comments Lamendella. “You’re gathering public interest, and people really feel passionate about your idea. It makes us feel like our hearts, our minds and our money are in the right place.”

Lamendella’s research partner Chris Grant admits that it’s not an easy process, and in terms of marketing, the sites don’t do the work for you. While it’s not exactly a criticism, other researchers see deeper problems in the platform, namely that the funded scientists are not supervised and funding becomes a risk.

Jonathan Thon, a research fellow in medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, proposes a national crowdfunding website by major federal research institutes that would provide a certain degree of security to the process. “I don’t think it could possibly do away with the current grant process,” says Thon. “But I think this could be a nice complement to it.”

Source: Inside Higher Ed

The post As federal research grants dwindle, research crowdfunding takes off appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

That’s why Technology Transfer Tactics’ Distance Learning Division has scheduled this critical webinar: Commercializing Mobile Apps: Effective Management of Legal Threats and Challenges. Join our panel of experts — an IP attorney, a consultant, and a university tech transfer insider — when they reveal how to best manage and overcome the legal challenges facing mobile apps commercialization efforts. This program will be held TOMORROW, June 13 at 1:00 ET — it’s not too late to register but you must act now. Or, if you can’t attend live, the session is also available on DVD, on-demand video, and print transcript. For complete program and faculty details and to register, CLICK HERE.

ALSO COMING SOON:

• Tuesday, June 18: VC/University Partnerships: Build a Powerful Integrated Funding Vehicle
• Wednesday, June 26: Best Practices for Managing Conflicts of Interest in Faculty Start Ups
• Tuesday, July 09, 2013: Securing Senior Level Talent for University Start-Ups and How to Best Structure CEO Compensation
• Wednesday, July 17, 2013: The Continuing Evolution of Express Licensing: Maximizing the Benefits and Minimizing the Drawbacks

The post TOMORROW: Commercializing Mobile Apps: Effective Management of Legal Threats and Challenges appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

“We want to move to the next level,” says Lisa Kuuttila, STC President and CEO. “We believe some of these companies have the potential to create hundreds of jobs with a big impact on our economy.”

To carry this out, UNM aims to lead the development of a thriving, tech-based business district in downtown Albuquerque where start-ups can take root and investors and entrepreneurs can gather to build companies and create jobs.

“We’ll start with an incubator building for start-ups that either launch with UNM technologies or that form independently and want to locate there,” explains Kuuttila. “As a hub concept, we also expect to attract many service providers, such as accountants, attorneys and software and web developers.”

UNM’s long-term strategy is to move beyond licensing inventions and actually collaborate with New Mexico’s broader industry network. “UNM has been helping to launch start-ups for many years,” says University President Bob Frank, “but I want to greatly increase the pace, and we can’t do that by ourselves. We need to reach out to make this a broad community goal.”

Stuart Rose, an Albuquerque-based serial entrepreneur, is optimistic about the UNM initiative. “I believe we’re well poised to move to the next level here,” he comments, “but it will require a huge effort by many different community groups working together.”

Source: ABQ Journal

The post U of New Mexico moving to “next level” in start-ups, job creation appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The collaboration expands on an agreement struck by CTI and UCSF in October 2010 for large-molecule, or biologics, discovery. Under the terms of the new agreement, UCSF will receive funding from Pfizer to support preclinical and clinical development of small-molecule research programs. Pfizer will help move promising drugs into clinical trials, and UCSF will receive milestone payments and royalties when products created through the collaboration are commercialized.

The CTI program has established 20 other partnerships with academic medical centers in the U.S.

Source: Fierce Biotech

The post Pfizer to expand research collaboration with UC-San Francisco appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Matrix-Bio uses metabolite profiling to detect cancer and other diseases. Its founder Dan Raftery developed the newly licensed technologies while based on researched he conducted at Purdue.

The technologies include metabolite biomarkers for detecting esophageal, liver, pancreatic and colon cancer; for identifying liver cancer in patients with hepatitis C; and for predicting preoperative chemotherapy effectiveness for breast cancer patients.

The agreement between Matrix-Bio and Purdue is for one year, with the option to extend.

“Metabolite profiling is an emerging field of diagnostics that looks at the changes in small molecule biomarkers in cells. Patterns of these metabolite biomarkers in the blood are altered when cancer is present,” explains Eric Beier, CEO of Matrix-Bio. “Dr. Raftery’s technology identifies metabolic changes with very high sensitivity and specificity,” Beier adds, “and can detect various cancers in early, more treatable stages more accurately than currently available tests.”

Beier also notes that studies have shown metabolite profiling can assist in monitoring cancer treatment.

Source: Purdue University Newsroom

The post Matrix-Bio licenses Purdue technology for cancer diagnostics appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The checklist was created by Sue Koch, vice president of development, who runs the firm’s certified coach program for incubators (both inside and outside universities), tech transfer groups, research labs, and corporations.

Koch reaffirms that coachability is a critical factor in whether early-stage companies will survive. “This is especially true for incubators, who need to pick those start-ups that will be successful,” she notes. “But it’s also important for faculty-driven efforts in order to be able to work with them to model and map their idea. You need to find the ‘sweetness’ in that idea and to work with them in a coaching scenario.”

Though some start-ups based on faculty research keep the faculty member at arm’s length when it comes to the business side of the venture, she continues, “we believe you need to keep the inventor involved; they have the passion and the domain knowledge, and they just need tools to map the idea in business terms,” Koch asserts. “If they can be coached, a lot of powerful stuff can come out of the process.”

The checklist poses the following key questions:

• Is the founder willing to be coached?
• Is the founder willing to put in some sweat equity and hard work?
• Is the founder passionate about the idea?
• Does the founder get defensive when challenged?
• Does the founder make it an ongoing practice to get feedback?
• Is the founder open to new directions or do they have “founderitis?”
• Has the founder shown an ability to handle failure?
• Does the founder listen?
• Can the founder commit to the coaching schedule?
• Is there good chemistry between the coach and founders?

“Often the faculty member will seem hesitant because the process is not familiar — it does not come naturally to them,” notes Koch. “What we hear from coaches is that when they have that first meeting there are some clear signs they look for — like ‘I don’t think I need this,’ ‘I know how to do the idea,’ or ‘I’m only here because someone said I needed coaching.’” When it comes to passion, “part of what you look for is body language — their eyes light up in terms of what value they will bring,” says Koch.

A detailed article on the “coachability checklist,” including a copy of the checklist itself, appears in the May issue of Technology Transfer Tactics. To begin a subscription and access the full article, along with our extensive archive of best practices, tools, and case studies for TTOs, CLICK HERE.

The post Use this “coachability checklist” to assess faculty’s readiness for start-up role appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The Central Maryland BioHealth Entrepreneur’s Resource and Finance Guide 2013 is a collaborative effort between BHI, the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development, and the Baltimore Business Journal.

The Guide informs researchers and entrepreneurs on how to approach funding, economic developments, university facilities and programs, and existing federal laboratory facilities and programs.

BHI has been developing many projects to help turn Central Maryland into a vibrant, nurturing ecosystem for biohealth start-ups. The Guide has been distributed to Baltimore and Washington business journal subscribers, and is being distributed to all regional partners. E-News readers can download the Guide here.

Source: Biohealth Innovation

The post Maryland tech transfer firm releases guide to help researchers launch companies appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The latter study, “A Grace Period for Patents: Could it Help European Universities Innovate?” finds that European tech transfer pros strongly favor an EU grace period for patents, on the grounds that it would remove a significant disadvantage for university researchers, increase on-campus patent activity and support innovation. More than half of those polled say they often feel at risk for losing patent opportunities due to premature disclosure of an invention.

In the U.S., inventors get a 12-month grace period to file a patent after publically disclosing their innovations; the same goes for South Korea, currently ranked 4^th in world patent activity. A grace period lets researchers protect their inventions while they continue to advance their academic careers.

The study also polled the private sector, which produced more divided results. Those opposed to the grace period claim it will increase legal uncertainty, leading to more frequent court disputes.

The second Innovation Board study, “Inside the Mind of European Academic Entrepreneurs: Perceptions of ACES finalists about the process of science entrepreneurship,” was conducted in collaboration with the INSEAD Science Entrepreneurship Initiative. The study finds a central hindrance to the growth and success of university-based start-ups is the differences in motivation and expertise between academic and business entrepreneurs.

For example, few academic entrepreneurs are driven by financial reward, and few understand business models. “Yet they are very good at leveraging university resources and competences,” the study reads. On the other hand, business entrepreneurs are mostly motivated by economic success, and don’t see the university as playing an important role in helping start-ups flourish.

The study offers a few recommendations, mainly on patent policy and investing. For one, it urges that academic start-up leaders should receive business training to better handle organizational challenges.

Source: Science Business

The post New studies examine success factors of university start-ups, opinions on a European grace period appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Each of the 10 teams is paired up with a New York-based entrepreneur or VC. Mentors include Paul Berry, founder and CEO of RebelMouse, and David Tisch, managing partner of Box Group.

“It’s been documented that 75% of startups ultimately fail, and that’s even when founders have 100% of their time committed to working on it,” says

The NYU accelerator is unique in that the startups don’t give up any equity in exchange for the stipend, which they are allowed to spend as they wish. “We invested in you guys, more so than the product,” Frank Rimalovski, executive director of the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute and leader of the new accelerator, told teams on the second day of the program.

Start-ups in the program include Databetes, an app to provide self-management support tools for diabetes patients, and Kinvolved, a series of apps to increase school attendance among low-income students.

Alexandra Meis, co-founder of Kinvolved, comments on the NYU accelerator: “We think that this team of mentors, coaches and our peers will really equip us so at the end of the 10 weeks, we will be able to sustain ourselves.”

Source: Forbes

The post NYU summer accelerator provides seed funds for 10 teams appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Located in Menlo Park, CA, the Center is one of four start-up incubators that J&J aims to develop to help bring promising start-ups to market. This plan includes helping academic researchers form companies, an unusual commitment for a pharma giant.

“There has never been better science in the history of the world — never,” says Diego Miralles, head of the California Innovation Center. “We need to roll up our sleeves and go further upstream. Otherwise, there’s not enough to sustain the industry.”

With a staff composed of scientists, business experts and investors, the 7,000 sq-ft center in Menlo Park is just a bike ride away from Stanford University and Sand Hill Road, a mecca for venture capital.

“We want to make sure we add value to the community,” comments Miralles. “Traditionally, pharmaceutical companies have been waiting for other people to set up companies that need investment. The 21st century is very interactive. We want to have a much more porous organization.”

Source: Xconomy

The post J&J opens California incubator to grow early-stage life science companies appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

It’s the first edition of the Index, which examined more than 150 incubators across 22 countries according to a set of 50 performance indicators that measure the degree of value an incubator creates for its start-up companies.

Brad Burke, managing director of the Rice Alliance, attributes the incubator’s success to the way it focuses on technology early on by partnering with Rice’s engineering and natural science schools, whereas other incubators just partner with the university’s business school.

“There is a lot of great technology and innovations created here by the Rice faculty,” Burke comments, “and there is great potential to launch these technologies even more than we have in the past.”

So far the Rice Alliance has helped launch over 1,400 start-ups, thereby raising more than $2.7B in funding and creating over 10,000 jobs.

Rice’s competitors within the Index included Stanford’s Venture Lab and the University of Oxford’s Entrepreneurs Incubation Centre.

Source: Houston Business Journal

The post New university incubator index names Rice U world’s number one appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The post 8th edition of Royalty Rates for Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology available appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

In effect, founders with pitch fatigue come across as unenthusiastic to investors, and are less likely to peak interest.

To tackle this, in his book Say Yes to the Mess management professor Frank J. Barrett suggests entrepreneurs use an old acting technique — they are performing in a way, after all — and focus more on how the pitch is affecting the person you’re performing with (or in this case, to) than on your own experience.

Source: Fast Company

The post How founders can fight “pitch fatigue” appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

A) For patents issued by the EPO, patentees will be able to choose between the existing system of multiple national validations, requiring separate renewal fees for each nation, or the new Unitary Patent system, which covers multiple EU countries and requires a single renewal fee.

B) A Unified Patent Court will be established alongside existing national courts, allowing a single action to cover multiple jurisdictions and providing wider relief for damages and injunctions than the current fragmented system.

Here’s what Roberts says are the critical five things to understand about the new system:

1) It’s not here yet; the nearest prediction is early 2015.

2) Once it is here, any European patent or application will fall under the Unified Patent Court jurisdiction by default. It will be possible to opt patents out of this for at least seven years, though the fees and other details of this process are so far unknown.

3) It will be possible to target competitor patents in the Unified Patent Court for multi-jurisdiction revocation in a single action, even if the nine-month post-grant opposition period has expired.

4) It’s likely that the judges of the Unified Patent Court are going to be the same ones operating in Europe today. “And some of these judges are fantastic,” says Roberts. “Assume the courts will be good.”

5) The new court will be accessible to European patents that are granted after the court is active. With the EPO as backlogged as it is, it’s possible that even some applications pending today will not be granted until the new system takes effect.

Source: Patently-O

The post What you need to know about Europe’s new Unitary Patent system appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Source: UQ News Online

The post Comings and Goings appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

According to the press office statement, “innovators continue to face challenges from Patent Assertion Entities (PAEs), companies that, in the President’s words ‘don’t actually produce anything themselves,’ and instead develop a business model ‘to essentially leverage and hijack somebody else’s idea and see if they can extort some money out of them.’” In addition to patent trolls, the release called out participants in the so-called “smartphone patent wars” – what the White House termed “several major companies [that] spend more on patent litigation and defensive acquisition than on research and development.”

To counteract these forces, the Administration lists seven legislative measures it is recommending to Congress:

1. Require patentees and applicants to disclose the “Real Party-in-Interest,” by requiring that any party sending demand letters, filing an infringement suit or seeking PTO review of a patent to file updated ownership information, and enabling the PTO or district courts to impose sanctions for non-compliance.
2. Permit more discretion in awarding fees to prevailing parties in patent cases, providing district courts with more discretion to award attorney’s fees under 35 USC 285 as a sanction for abusive court filings (similar to the legal standard that applies in copyright infringement cases).
3. Expand the PTO’s transitional program for covered business method patents to include a broader category of computer-enabled patents and permit a wider range of challengers to petition for review of issued patents before the Patent Trial and Appeals Board (PTAB).
4. Protect off-the-shelf use by consumers and businesses by providing them with better legal protection against liability for a product being used off-the-shelf and solely for its intended use. Also, stay judicial proceedings against such consumers when an infringement suit has also been brought against a vendor, retailer, or manufacturer.
5. Change the ITC standard for obtaining an injunction to better align it with the traditional four-factor test in eBay Inc. v. MercExchange, to enhance consistency in the standards applied at the ITC and district courts.
6. Use demand letter transparency to help curb abusive suits, incentivizing public filing of demand letters in a way that makes them accessible and searchable to the public.
7. Ensure the ITC has adequate flexibility in hiring qualified Administrative Law Judges.

The Obama Administration is not waiting for legislation, however. It announced the following executive actions, which do not require Congressional approval. These actions, the press office says, are designed to “help bring about greater transparency to the patent system and level the playing field for innovators.” They include:

1. Making “Real Party-in-Interest” the New Default.  Patent trolls often set up shell companies to hide their activities and enable their abusive litigation and extraction of settlements. This tactic prevents those facing litigation from knowing the full extent of the patents that their adversaries hold when negotiating settlements, or even knowing connections between multiple trolls…. [T]he PTO will begin a rulemaking process to require patent applicants and owners to regularly update ownership information when they are involved in proceedings before the PTO, specifically designating the “ultimate parent entity” in control of the patent or application.
2. Tightening Functional Claiming. The AIA made important improvements to the examination process and overall patent quality, but stakeholders remain concerned about patents with overly broad claims — particularly in the context of software. The PTO will provide new targeted training to its examiners on scrutiny of functional claims and will, over the next six months, develop strategies to improve claim clarity, such as by use of glossaries in patent specifications to assist examiners in the software field.
3. Empowering Downstream Users. Patent trolls are increasingly targeting Main Street retailers, consumers and other end-users of products containing patented technology — for instance, for using point-of-sale software or a particular business method. End-users should not be subject to lawsuits for simply using a product as intended, and need an easier way to know their rights before entering into costly litigation or settlement… [T]he PTO is announcing new education and outreach materials, including an accessible, plain-English web site offering answers to common questions by those facing demands from a possible troll.

In addition, the White House announced new outreach and education efforts surrounding patent policy, as well as a review of ITC exclusion order procedures.

Source: The White House

The post White House executive orders, legislative proposals take dead aim at patent trolls appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The problem is even more acute for university start-ups, since the CEO must mesh with the faculty inventor as well as the campus culture — an environment that some business pros find difficult and frustrating. And even when you think you’ve found “the one,” the compensation package offered can make or break the deal.

That’s why Technology Transfer Tactics has scheduled a strategy-packed distance learning program that offers specific and practical guidance from three experts on how to attract high quality CEOs for university start-ups, and how to reward them without damaging the start-up’s typically fragile cash position. When you attend Securing Senior Level Talent for University Start-Ups and How to Best Structure CEO Compensation, scheduled for July 9, 2013, our expert faculty — who’ve filled dozens of start-up CEO positions and learned critical lessons along the way — are ready to share their experience, guidance, and specific recommendations. For complete program and faculty details, or to register, CLICK HERE.

ALSO COMING SOON:

• Thursday, June 13: Commercializing Mobile Apps: Effective Management of Legal Threats and Challenges
• Tuesday, June 18: VC/University Partnerships: Build a Powerful Integrated Funding Vehicle
• Wednesday, June 26: Best Practices for Managing Conflicts of Interest in Faculty Start Ups

The post Securing Senior Level Talent for University Start-Ups and How to Best Structure CEO Compensation appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Cost of securing IP. While most inventors understand that acquiring a patent is expensive, many don’t realize just how expensive, or that the cost keeps adding up after the initial application filing. Schott recommends using the Gantt chart below to help educate faculty founders:

Focus your invention. Too many startups try to apply their products to every conceivable market. But it makes it easier on TTOs to know an invention’s true focus, or what it is most likely to be used for. “This not only helps the tech transfer office understand the invention,” writes Schott, “but it helps to focus the university’s patent attorneys on the expansive drafting process.”

Does getting a patent matter? Schott urges founders to research this question, since the answer is not as clear-cut as many believe. “It’s important,” says Schott, “that a patent owner understands that venture capitalists (VC) and large companies (the startups’ future sources of income) believe in patents.” But it’s also necessary to understand that patents are not always the best course of action.

What other IP tools are out there? Quite a few besides patenting, actually. Trademarks, copyrights, non-disclosure agreements, cease and desist letters, claim charts and employee agreements are all important potential avenues to protecting your start-up and your IP.

What shouldn’t I do? Don’t miss deadlines, says Schott. Don’t meddle in your attorney’s work, don’t update your technology without showing your TTO, and don’t publish your work in any way unless you know it’s safe from an IP protection standpoint.

Source: Volpe and Koenig, P.C.

The post 5 things tech transfer offices wish their start-ups knew appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

However, since most start-ups don’t yet have the ideas or information required for a meaningful business plan — manufacturing process, for example — their plans are typically “full of errors, guesses and general BS that is directed to the sort of thing that a target entity wants to fund.”

Malone says he has a better idea — to eschew the business plan and instead list all of the most likely reasons your product will fail, be it in production, IP, marketing, or any other area. “In the process,” Malone says, “you will develop a better idea and the next bogus business plan you write will be less bogus.”

Until then, Malone advises you “fake it” for all those in the start-up game who don’t know better.

Source: it could BE different

The post Why business plans for start-ups are “bogus” appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

To Bartlett, a well-done plan doesn’t stop at industry statistics and niches. What determines the niche? Is the market growing? How will it be penetrated? Ads? Promos? Direct mail? These questions and a host of others should show up in a marketing plan.

Another critical feature is evidence that the plan has been drafted and then revised several times by people with varying backgrounds and experience.

Plans should also be specific, Bartlett writes, whether it’s the kind of media outlets you plan to use or the territories a sales office is expected to cover.

“The coda,” he adds, “is the section on competition.” Competition cannot be kept at bay for long, no matter how special you think your start-up is, he stresses. In your plan, be as specific as possible about existing competition, what legal and economic obstacles can be thrown in their path, and how long you expect your monopoly will last.

Source: VC Experts

The post How startups can take their marketing plan above and beyond appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

“We know when smart people get together and have conversations, amazing things happen,” says Jane Muir, associate director of UF’s Office of Technology Licensing and director of the Innovation Hub. “Right now we’re up to 26 companies,” Muir says, “and I anticipate by the end of the summer we’ll be getting close to full capacity.”

Current start-ups include Feathr, a smartphone app that allows users to create and exchange interactive digital business cards; TruVitals, a wireless monitor that uses radio waves to detect vital signs such as respiration and heartbeat; and Beacon, an app that scans a user’s surroundings to inform them of everything from the weather to a restaurant’s daily specials.

To foster the collaborative spirit Muir is aiming for, the Innovation Hub sponsors seminars that double as training events and networking opportunities. At the “lunch-and-learn” series, for example, entrepreneurs hear from accountants, IP attorneys and other experts on how to successfully launch.

The tenants themselves form what amounts to a self-contained innovation ecosystem. For example, start-ups needing investment advice can find it on the building’s second and third floors, where Boston-based MPM Capital and Harbert Venture Partners, an Alabama-based venture capital firm, maintain offices. Other residents include James Moore & Co., a full-service accounting firm, and Saliwanchik Lloyd & Eisenschenk, an IP law firm. Muir and the other members of UF’s Office of Technology Licensing, meanwhile, are housed on the first floor of the business incubator.

In the first year and a half since the Hub opened, start-up tenants have created over 200 jobs.

“We know we’re not going to hit home runs with all of these,” Muir admits, “but we try hard to look at the companies coming in and make a judgment based on whether they’re technology-based, have the ability to create jobs and are willing to be part of the program.”

Source: Florida Trend

The post U of Florida incubator fosters collaboration, boosts local jobs appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

“We’ve been working on a number of programs here to help increase the opportunities and the productivity of transferring our technologies into the marketplace,” says Russell A. Straate, associate director of the university’s Venture Center. “As we looked at ways to facilitate that, one thing that came to mind was to enable [faculty researchers] to step out of their teaching role temporarily.”

Leaves of absence had been granted on an ad hoc basis, he adds, in some cases involving the use of sabbaticals, “but we felt they deserved a program specific to this situation, and by setting this program up it sends a message to faculty that we want them to do this.”

The program, he adds, was not a “hard sell” to administration. “Everyone’s been very supportive,” he says, although the dynamics, rules, guidelines and process did take “a bit of sorting out” between various stakeholder groups.

Faculty members seeking to participate in the program must get approval from their department head, Straate explains. While there is no guarantee that the leave will be granted, the criteria for applying are very broad. “The only situation [where a leave would be denied] would be one where the department just can’t handle covering the workload,” Straate notes.

A faculty member can apply for a 12-month leave period with an option to extend it by an additional six months via special request. “They do not get a salary during this time — we expect them to be compensated by the group they’re working with or receive equity in exchange,” Straate explains. “But we do cover their benefits because new companies often do not include benefits.” Retirement, healthcare, and life insurance all remain intact. A detailed article on the Entrepreneurial Leave Program appears in the May issue of Technology Transfer Tactics – including a copy of the university’s leave policy provisions.

The post University hopes new faculty-friendly leave policy will spur start-ups appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

It also finds that in the past five years, URC alumni were 1.5 times as successful as the average U.S. business owner at keeping their ventures alive. The URC entrepreneurs are based in a range of academic fields, including law, computer science, business, communications, architecture and the arts.

The report used responses from over 40,000 of the three schools’ 1.2 million alumni, finding that more than 19% of those surveyed had launched at least one company.

“Every year the URC institutions are graduating more than 30,000 students. The study suggests that a significant number of these alumni are starting their own businesses, and more than 50% of those businesses are here in Michigan, contributing to our state’s economic prosperity,” says URC executive director Jeff Mason. “The URC is committed to supplying the tools that can lead to new companies and more jobs.”

Those tools include more than 40 new programs — classes, degrees, start-ups incubators, gap funds, for example — that encourage an entrepreneurial spirit in URC students, alumni and faculty.

“The three URC universities see themselves as the leading engine for innovation in Michigan and the Great Lakes region, with a focus on increasing economic prosperity and connecting Michigan to the world,” says Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour. “Our coordinated efforts should encourage even more entrepreneurs and start-ups in the future.”

Source: PR Newswire

The post Study finds Michigan universities spawning better entrepreneurs appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

In the Guide to Intellectual Property Valuation, 2nd Edition you’ll also find advanced tools that will help you navigate common landmines and arrive at supportable, optimum valuations for your innovations. This is not your typical IP valuation text. It goes far beyond the basics of IP valuation, theoretical models, or accounting gimmickry. And you won’t find rehashed topics already covered thoroughly in other resources. This guide provides you with a deeper, more practical analysis that the critical task of IP valuation demands. For complete details and to order, CLICK HERE.

The post The Guide to Intellectual Property Valuation, 2nd Edition available appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The Index looks at 79 unique indicators, categorized into five general components: research and development inputs, risk capital and entrepreneurial infrastructure, human capital investment, technology and science work force, and technology concentration and dynamism.

According to the institute, “the overwhelming trend this year is that technology and science are leading America’s economic recovery.” Here are the top 10 states, which are mirrored in the 2010 index, though in a slightly different order. The 2010 rankings are in parentheses.

1. Massachusetts (1)
2. Maryland (2)
3. California (4)
4. Colorado (3)
5. Washington (6)
6. Virginia (8)
7. Utah (5)
8. Delaware (10)
9. Connecticut (9)
10. New Hampshire (7)

E-news readers can download the Index for free here.

Source: Milken Institute

The post Massachusetts keeps top spot in latest Milken tech and science index appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The state of Indiana has so far appropriated $25 million for the next two years to help launch the Institute, while an additional $25 million is being sought from industry and philanthropic sources. Operating costs will be funded through the Institute’s endowment proceeds, industry-sponsored research, and federally grants.

“Indiana has built a life sciences ecosystem unlike any other state and faces a new season of opportunity as a result,” says Pence. “The institute will strengthen Indiana’s reputation as a global sciences hub and produce breakthroughs that will attract new investment in our state and create good paying jobs for Hoosiers.”

Bart Peterson, senior vice president of corporate affairs for Eli Lilly, says the Institute will focus on commercially viable research. “The institute,” he says, “will help us nurture our partnerships across the country and develop more intellectual capital here in Indiana, allowing us to keep more research dollars in the state, attract more federal research funds and draw top scientific minds to feed our research pipeline and local economies.”

According to David Johnson, president and CEO of BioCrossroads, the Institute has two key goals: “We want to advance human health,” he says, “but also advance our state’s economy.”

Source: Evansville Courier & Press

The post Indiana to open first industry-led life sciences research center appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

ASTP-Proton will be a nonprofit association, with its main headquarters in the Netherlands and a satellite office in Brussels. Together, the two groups aim to provide more and better services to universities and other institutions involved in tech transfer.

The formal merger is slated for November 30th this year.

Source: Proton-Europe

The post ASTP and Proton-Europe join forces to boost tech transfer in Europe appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The post Comings and Goings appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
David Schwartz
CEO and Publisher
2Market Information Inc.
404-626-8191
dschwartz@techtransfercentral.com

ATLANTA — 2Market Information Inc., publisher of Technology Transfer Tactics, has launched a new web portal – TechTransferCentral.com. The new site is designed to be a one-stop destination supplying information, news, products, and services for technology transfer and intellectual property professionals.

In addition to Technology Transfer Tactics, the world’s most widely read and respected independent publication for tech transfer professionals, the company also publishes the free weekly online publication Tech Transfer eNews. In addition, its Distance Learning Division produces more than 30 interactive webinars each year and has compiled an archive of nearly 200 recorded programs, all available on demand.

The company also offers a variety of books and reports and has partnered with other information providers so that a broad array of resources for tech transfer, licensing, legal, and other professionals could be offered in one place. These resources include royalty rate and IP valuation references, patent law guidebooks, valuation and technology assessment software and tools, market research reports, TTO benchmarking resources, certification programs, directories, and databases among others.

Tech Transfer Central brings all these resources into one convenient location and indexes them by both product type and topic, so if users are looking for guidance in a specific subject — say royalty rates or IP valuation — they can easily find all relevant products in one location. Topic categories include:

The site also features weekly specials on selected products, a selection of free webinars and online resources, a searchable archive of Tech Transfer eNews articles, a tech transfer jobs page with positions available, and a free, continuously updated university-specific search engine of patents issued.

“We are thrilled and excited to release this new site to our subscribers worldwide and to the technology transfer and IP community at large,” said 2Market Information CEO and publisher David Schwartz. “This is a true destination site for tech transfer and IP professionals, designed to meet the need for quality professional development programs, publications, and tools in this important field. With the launch of TechTransferCentral.com, those seeking information and guidance on virtually any topic in technology transfer can easily find it.”

To visit the site, go to www.techtransfercentral.com.

The post 2Market Information launches new web portal TechTransferCentral.com appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Assembly Speaker Robin Voc (R-Rochester) of the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee has expressed interest in UM’s agenda. “In general, if it’s a public institution things should be public,” he comments, “but I don’t want to hurt [research].”

UW is pushing the bill to counteract the change in U.S. patent law earlier this year, under which competitors can take advantage of Wisconsin’s open records law to prematurely access university IP. Theoretically, because of the move to a first-to-file system, a competitor could use the open records law to gain premature access to patentable intellectual property, then race to the patent office to seek patent protection for the ideas of researchers, UW officials say.

“Open records laws are admirably transparent, but there’s nothing specific in them for universities, which are a unique enterprise,” says Bill Barker, director of the Office of Industrial Partnerships at UW-Madison. “You want to make sure your competitors don’t know what you’re doing before it’s published.”

There is considerable opposition to the measure, however. Bill Lueders, president of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, finds the bill unnecessary and ill-conceived.

“The open records law already allows UW to deny requests if it can cite a legitimate public policy reason for doing so,” says Lueders. “This [bill] would create a broad exemption for a whole category of records, whether or not any harmful consequences of disclosure can be identified. It is likely to be over-applied, and abused.”

Barker insists that UW “isn’t trying to hide anything from anybody… You’ve got to be as competitive as the world is.” The university’s memo says researchers in medical fields are at a competitive disadvantage if research contracts, protocols and investigational brochures are public documents. “Drug and device manufacturers spend billions of dollars bringing a new drug or device to market,” often working with universities to license early drug discoveries,” the memo says. “If they have fear that their confidential data will be disclosed to one of their competitors before they have the ability to patent their drug/device to bring it to market, they will simply contract with a private entity.”

Some critics have charged that the bill is merely a way for the university to cloak some of its research ties to big businesses, and to escape scrutiny of animal research practices.

Source: Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel

The post U Wisconsin fights open records law to keep research IP private in first-to-file age appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

How? By expanding your tech transfer intern program, adding highly motivated students to your team, and improving the intern program’s effectiveness and usefulness to your TTO. In the process, you can not only significantly expand your office’s manpower and productivity, you’ll also provide a richer, more valuable, real-world learning experience for your student interns. Join Technology Transfer Tactics Distance Learning Division TOMORROW, May 30th for this nuts-and-bolts, how-to program: Beyond Internships: Creating a Student-Based Workforce in Your TTO. For complete program and faculty details or to register, CLICK HERE.

MORE DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS COMING SOON:

• Thursday, June 13: Commercializing Mobile Apps: Effective Management of Legal Threats and Challenges
• Tuesday, June 18: VC/University Partnerships: Build a Powerful Integrated Funding Vehicle
• Wednesday, June 26: Best Practices for Managing Conflicts of Interest in Faculty Start Ups

The post Beyond Internships: Creating a Student-Based Workforce in Your TTO appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Time constraints. The board members have day jobs, too, and it can be very difficult for them to spend time and energy helping out TTOs on a regular basis.

Limited value to them. Chances are, if a board doesn’t spot any high potential technologies at a TTO within the first couple meetings, members will quickly lose interest.

Limited expertise from them. Just because they’re experts doesn’t mean board members know your specific technology or field. Industry leaders may know their business model, Schoppe writes, “but they rarely understand licensing and commercialization of embryonic innovations.”

Conflicts of interest. Given the inside information they acquire from working with a TTO over time, external advisory boards will sometimes tailor advice to serve their own best interest. But on a one-time basis, when a board is properly matched with the technology, this is not an issue.

Schoppe says she sees the external board’s value for most TTOs as limited. “In my experience, the ongoing use of an external board is difficult to sustain and may not always serve the best interests of the institution,” she asserts.

Source: Fuentek Blog

The post IP expert offers TTOs advice on using external advisory boards appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

“This funding will help support AntiOp’s efforts to create a delivery system that is easier to utilize for health care providers, friends and family members of those battling opioid addiction,” says Wermeling. The company will be coordinating a clinical trial for the nasal spray, as well as seeking a partner to license and commercialize the product.

Kentucky is one of several states that recently permitted third parties to obtain prescriptions for naloxone in hopes of reducing rising rates of overdoses. The Kentucky Cabinet for Development has given AntiOp grant support alongside NIH.

Source: Kentucky.com

The post NIH grants U of Kentucky spinoff $3M to develop nasal spray that stops overdoses appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

For starters, if a company must get revenues from customers rather than funding from investors for survival, it will focus all its efforts on designing a product that customers want, enjoy, or find useful. Seeking money from investors, however, will more likely lead companies to focus on convincing those investors, rather than pleasing customers. 

Of course, avoiding VCs will limit your budget. But Gazdecki sees an advantage in being broke. “It forces you to think creatively about how to get things done,” he writes. “Where many established or funded companies would tend to throw money at a problem and explore all the avenues possible, a bootstrapped company will have to find the best way, fast.”

Being strapped for cash also means being strapped for time; these companies will probably be better at prioritizing than the cozier ones that “spend late nights debating the company’s choice of colors for the logo while more important matters tend to get left for tomorrow.”

In general, bootstrapped start-ups run tighter ships — deadlines can’t slide, members can’t slack, time must be spent wisely. “It’s woven into the fabric of the enterprise,” Gazdecki writes.

“At the end of the day, all entrepreneurs who hope to build something more than just a salable idea should ask themselves one fundamental question,” he concludes. “Do I really need funding?”

Source: gigaom

The post Are start-ups better off without VC funding? appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The benefits can include reducing the time to possession of a valid U.S. patent by half, as well as slashing about two-thirds off the cost. There are, of course, some restrictions.

“There is currently a Green Technology Initiative in Canada that is open to any technology wherein ‘commercialization of the technology will resolve or mitigate environmental impacts or conserve the natural environment and resources,’” explains Erica Lowthers, PhD, a registered patent agent with Sim & McBurney, an IP practice in Toronto. It is “a fairly broad definition and encompasses many technologies.”

The program is free to enter, she says, and provides about a two-month turn-around time per action. “So if you file a response to an Office Action, you will get a response from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office within two months,” she says, “which is much faster than the typical six-to-18-month turnaround time. More importantly, you will get a first Office Action within two to three months, compared to the typical two years or so.”

Even if your technology doesn’t fall within the scope of the green initiative definition, Lowthers notes, you may be eligible to request advanced examination under the normal route. “In that case, there is a $500 fee and you must file a declaration stating that failure to advance the prosecution of the application out of order would prejudice the applicant’s rights,” she explains. “For example, there may be impending infringement or perhaps a licensing deal that depends on an issued patent.” Again, the turn-around time is about two months. A detailed article on this strategy appears in the May issue of Technology Transfer Tactics. To subscribe and access the full article, plus hundreds of other practical articles in our 6-year archive, CLICK HERE.

The post Need an issued patent fast? Go to Canada first, then turn onto the PPH appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

“An ideal solution,” says Dr. Syed Tofail, leader of the UL research team, “is a device that is fully visible under the X-ray, but the alloy would have to be developed based on the currently approved alloys for medical devices.

 “Up to now,” Tofail adds, “many companies have used gold or platinum to modify existing alloys, which improve X-ray visibility but are very expensive. We have identified a number of alloying elements that will make these devices as visible as those where platinum has been added to enhance the visibility, but at a significantly reduced cost.”

The research was conducted under an Innovation Partnership between UL and the international medical devices company COOK Medical, with support from the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Partnership Programme.

“Tests on a prototype wire of the newly developed alloy have shown its potential for use in a number of COOK products,” says Shay Lavelle, lead investigator from COOK. “The fact that the raw materials are more viable than the platinum added solutions also means that the commercialization potential of this newly developed alloy is very high.”

Source: TheJournal.ie

The post U Limerick researchers develop new material to make medical devices more visible under X-ray appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Whether it’s royalties, equity in start-ups, or wealth generated in the private sector, Lamphier says all proceeds from university research should be kept track of, especially in countries like Canada with weak tech sectors that must be observed before they can be fixed.

“There’s more and more pressure on the universities from their funders for a return on investment,” says Jeffrey Crelinsten, president of Research Infosource. “Nonetheless when a university says, ‘We’ve created 40 startup spinoff companies in the last five years,’ I always ask them, ‘So how are they doing?’ And they almost never know. Typically, they don’t track that stuff. It’s amazing.”

Research Infosource found that the greatest return at research universities comes in the form of industry contracts, where researchers’ ideas are applied to specific problems. Only a small amount or ROI comes from licensing and start-up activity, the organization says.

“The real value that industry sees in the universities is not so much their ideas — which is what the universities are always selling — but applying their knowledge to specific problems,” says Crelinsten. “The problem is they’re not making that argument. They should make that argument, but because they want governments to keep funding basic research, they’ve been ‘selling a line’ a bit” on ROI associated with that funding, he adds.

Source: Edmonton Journal

The post Universities urged to improve measurement of research return on investment appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Start Local. Not only is there a new wave of early stage funds in Europe, but many of them regularly network with funds in the U.S. and can introduce you to them. Some examples are Connect, Hoxton, Kima, Number1, Playfair, EC1, Team Europe, and Passion.

Timing. The standard U.S. Visa Waiver program is 90 days, so plan accordingly. Mostly this means scheduling meetings with investors far in advance, especially if you’re trying to get a number of people in the same room.

Be prepared. Are you moving to the U.S. or staying in Europe? Are only some founders moving? Use these questions to filter your approach.

Getting meetings. Cast a wide net and reach out to as many people as you can. Portfolio companies are great for this, or any company that you have something in common with and can answer your questions.

Office hours. This is a great way to get close, undivided attention with investors. Sites like Ohours will alert you of these opportunities happening at conferences and elsewhere. “Don’t be afraid to e-mail or reach out to investors on Twitter and ask if they have any scheduled,” Gill writes. “The ecosystem needs more of them.”

Advisors. Investors are often impressed when start-ups have industry veterans on their advisory boards. These vets will also hook you up with investors they have worked with in the past.

AngelList. “Just do it. Right now,” says Gill. It’s the ultimate way to get your start-up noticed by a lot of people.

Accelerator programs. They may not all be stellar, but in general accelerators have great investor connections and can teach you what investors want to hear in a pitch.

Ask for another intro even if they don’t invest. Most start-ups will need to take every opportunity they can get for an intro; this includes investors who didn’t choose to invest in the first place. That’s how Gill did it.

Do your homework. After doing some serious research, make a hit list of promising investors to contact. “It’s not glamorous,” Gill writes. “You need to put in quality time with your computer, day after day…  Above all, keep going.”

Source: The Next Web

The post Advice for European entrepreneurs looking to raise funds in the U.S. appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

• Early-stage and Start-up Funding
• Licensing Best Practices
• Patent Law
• Social Media and Digital Marketing
• Business Development
• Faculty and Corporate Outreach
• Start Up Boot Camp

Each session is expertly presented with a how-to focus on value. All faculty are industry experts who understand the real-world challenges and opportunities faced by TTO staff every day. Plus, you can share these programs with your staff, faculty, student entrepreneurs and anyone else in your organization that has a hand in the commercialization of valuable IP. Each series comes with all programs on DVD, links for on-demand video access to all programs, PDF transcripts to all programs, and all of the original program materials including slideshows and handouts. For details on each topic and to order any of these outstanding compilations, CLICK HERE.

The post Topics in Technology Transfer: A distance learning series addressing seven key challenges for TTOs appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Eight companies in total competed, and a panel of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, scientists and industry professionals judged the entries based on technology, business plan and presentation.

3dim has developed and patented 3D gesture recognition technology to be implemented into smartphones, tablets and similar devices; this would allow users to interact with their devices without touching the screen.

“Every mobile-device manufacturer is scrambling to bring gesture recognition into their devices,” says 3dim co-founder Andrea Colaco. “This is an immediate unaddressed market.”

On the victory, Colaco comments, “It took a lot of work. Just a year ago we were technologists at MIT with an idea. Now we’re here.”

Each of the eight finalists, chosen from a pool of 215 entries, received $15,000 for winning its respective track: life sciences, products and services, mobile, web/IT, energy, the Segal Family Foundation’s emerging markets track, and two wildcard entries.

Source: MIT News

The post 3D tech startup wins $100k grand prize at MIT Entrepreneurship Competition appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Many researchers at Babraham already collaborate with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, a dynamic supported by the Institute’s Knowledge Exchange and Commercialization (KEC) program, which links Babraham technologies with other researchers, charities, clinicians, biotech and pharma companies, policymakers and the public.

The new tech transfer arm arrives as Babraham expands through a £44 million (over $66M US) investment by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, a government organization to support bioscience innovation.

Source: Business Weekly

The post Cambridge research institute gets £44 from gov’t, launches tech transfer arm appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

• The University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF), UT’s nonprofit tech transfer arm, has chosen David Washburn as its new president to lead the commercialization of faculty-built technologies. Washburn, former vice president of UTRF’s Knoxville office, moved into his role as president on May 16. Before joining the Foundation, Washburn led the commercialization of software developed by faculty at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He has spent over 12 years as a tech transfer professional, and another 12 developing venture-backed software companies. “The leadership at UT has made a clear commitment to economic development and commercialization by providing the resources needed for success,” Washburn comments. “We need to leverage that commitment to expand our services and further develop partnerships to help us move our solutions out to market.” One of Washburn’s priorities at UTRF is to establish a small seed fund for promising UT technologies that need further development to attract the venture and private equity communities. Source: The University of Tennessee Research Foundation

The post Comings and Goings appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

With major support from software companies, the End Anonymous Patents Act would require any sales or transfers of patents to be disclosed; this would be the case for both new patents and currently held patents, the latter of which would be disclosed at next scheduled maintenance fee payment. The purchaser would also have to file a notice of the real patent-holding party in interest.

“Recording ownership in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s assignment database is at present voluntary,” comments Microsoft, one of a number of companies in support of the Act, in a recent blog post.

“The result [is] that records of patent ownership are often inaccurate and incomplete,” the post continues. “Some patent owners take advantage of this obscurity to try to hide what they own for tactical advantage in licensing negotiations or to avoid complying with patent licensing commitments.”

The Act has also found support with the Consumer Electronics Association and the Software Alliance. Its sponsor, Florida Democrat Rep. Ted Deutch, says the legislation promotes transparency and would help potential licensees uncover the actual owners of patents and agree on terms.

Source: TechHive

The post Legislation would put an end to anonymous patent trolling appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

That’s why Technology Transfer Tactics’ Distance Learning Division has scheduled this critical webinar: Best Practices for Managing Conflicts of Interest in Faculty Start Ups. Please join our expert presenters Dr. Dipanjan (DJ) Nag, CEO and President of IPShakti LLC, and David T. Wehrle, CPA, CIA, CFE, Director of the Conflict of Interest Office for the University of Pittsburgh, on June 26th when they will share their best practices based on many years of experience managing COI issues. For complete program details and to register, CLICK HERE.

ALSO COMING SOON:

• Thursday, May 30: Beyond Internships: Creating a Student-Based Workforce in Your TTO
• Thursday, June 13: Commercializing Mobile Apps: Effective Management of Legal Threats and Challenges
• Tuesday, June 18: VC/University Partnerships: Build a Powerful Integrated Funding Vehicle

The post Best Practices for Managing Conflicts of Interest in Faculty Start Ups appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

“We just want to drive the point home,” says Kenney, “that if you’re thinking of doing a start-up in North America, why don’t you come to Canada? You can do so permanently.”

According to a study by researcher Vivek Wadhwa, in 2005 immigrant-founded companies in the U.S. generated $52 billion in sales and employed 450,000 workers, mostly in software and innovation-related fields.

But for many of them “the clock is ticking,” says Kenney, with the American government wrangling over immigration reform and jeopardizing the futures of high-skilled immigrants in the process.

“Canada has equal opportunity,” Kenney argues. “They could have thousands of companies moving there if it can convince these entrepreneurs to go there instead of going back home.”

The Canadian start-up visa is offered to tech-focused immigrants with solid business plans, language proficiency, at least one year of post-secondary education, and the capability to support themselves financially as they settle in. Most importantly, they must secure at least $75,000 from a Canadian angel investor or $200,000 from venture capitalists to qualify.

Kenney’s efforts in Silicon Valley include speaking with students at Stanford, as well as planting a 45-foot highway billboard urging those struggling to acquire a foreign worker visa in the U.S. to “pivot to Canada.”

An American bill with provisions similar to Canada’s start-up visa is caught in the gridlock in Congress over immigration. Kenney, however, views this as an opportunity for other countries like Canada to appeal to those foreigners in the tech field. “It’s a short window here where you’re dealing with American stupidity,” he says. “Better to strike while the iron is hot.”

Source: Ottawa Citizen

The post Canada start-up visa aims to attract talent as U.S. lawmakers bicker appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Licensee reporting is a task that “really lends itself to a template,” Stoughton says. The UT-Dallas OTC asks licensees to complete both a quarterly license report and an annual commercialization report. “We developed the templates because we had a lower compliance rate than we would have liked for licensee reporting,” says Stoughton. “As we tried to understand why that was the case, we learned that there is a perception on the part of some licensees, particularly smaller licensees and start-up companies, that the reporting obligation is more onerous than it really is. So the original impetus for developing the forms was to make it as simple to comply as possible. We wanted to enhance compliance with the reporting obligations under the license by sending the message, ‘We need this information, but look, it’s not that hard.’”

Reporting templates are a valuable resource to track your licensees’ progress in developing a technology, says Nina Potter, manager for Compliance and Intellectual Property in the Industrial Partnerships Office at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). “We don’t want anyone licensing a technology and then shelving that technology. These forms enable us to keep in touch with all of our licensees and know where they stand related to the due diligence or performance obligations written into each license agreement. For example, they might need to have a working prototype or a completed product ready for sale within a certain amount of time. Our reports enable us to stay on top of that.”

Reporting templates also allow TTOs to obtain some uniformity of data, says Stoughton. “Lacking any sort of format structure, we were seeing a very wide variety of report formats. With licensees using our own reporting tool, it is nice to have the data returned in a way that we are familiar with. This allows us to easily make comparisons, both linearly over time with a given company and from company to company at a snapshot point in time. In addition, we can identify gaps in reporting more easily than with an ad-hoc, free-form reporting format.”

Having reporting templates also makes TTO operations more efficient, points out Stoughton. “When we initially execute a license agreement, it’s very simple for us to provide the form rather than answer a lot of ad-hoc questions about what’s required. In addition, an indirect benefit is enhanced communication and congeniality between our office and the licensee.” A detailed article on reporting templates – including links to seven templates used by LLNL, UT-Dallas, and several other TTOs — appears in the May issue of Technology Transfer Tactics. To subscriber and access the full article — and hundreds more practical strategies in our six-year archive – CLICK HERE. 

The post Reporting templates generate higher licensee compliance, stronger data appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Namely, if one of the owners were to non-exclusively license the innovation to a company, must it share the resulting proceeds with its co-owner? The answer is no; in such an agreement, most anything goes so long as neither co-owner restricts the ability of the other to act on the patent. An exclusive license to a third party, for example, would not fly, unless both owners agree to do so.

Co-owning software is a bit more complicated. This is because, unlike patents, software copyrights obey what is called the “rule of co-ownership of chattel.” While co-owners of a patent can go on to create separate products that are distinct from each other and belong to separate markets, software co-owners have only one product to copy and sell. If a customer purchases the software from one co-owner, chances are they will not give business to the other.

“Therefore,” Bentley points out, “it would be fundamentally unfair for the first entity to keep the entirety of the royalty it earns under its license, and it is obligated to share the royalties that it receives with its co-owner.” This is true even in the absence of a contract between the two parties, though the terms are certainly negotiable.

Source: Vanderbilt University CTTC

The post Co-owning patents vs. co-owning software: what’s the difference? appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

“The hope is that the results in the nonhuman primate models will translate into vaccine-induced prevention in humans,” says Harriet L. Robinson, PhD, chief scientific officer at GeoVax Labs, who has been co-leading the research team.

Rama Rao Amara, PhD, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Emory, has led the project alongside Robinson. “It is impressive to note,” Amara comments, “that protection could be observed against both neutralization sensitive and neutralization resistant viruses.” In other words, the vaccine has proven effective against viruses that are responsive to antibodies, as well as those that resist.

The National Institutes of Health HIV Vaccine Trials Network has supported GeoVax in putting the vaccine through Phase 1 and 2a clinical trials, and it is helping GeoVax set the stage for the second-generation vaccine to move from its initial Phase 1 safety testing to a Phase 2b trial in humans who are at high risk of exposure to HIV.

GeoVax has licensed the IP for the vaccine from Emory. The university has an equity interest in GeoVax and is entitled to future royalties.

Source: Emory University

The post Atlanta researchers develop potential breakthrough HIV vaccine appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

1. Competition, or demand, among investors. VCs will become more interested if they see that other VCs are interested. This brings up valuation because “only so many investors can get in on a start-up’s round of fundraising, so the more who desire it will result in a higher valuation.”
2. Growth. Because chartable growth can allow for revenue predictions, it will influence a company’s value.
3. Opportunity. A start-up with no competition has potential for high valuation, because it is potentially doing something that no one else is, which could mean a big payoff for VCs.
4. Revenue. “The moment you have revenues,” Frankhauser quotes VC Dustin Dolginow, “the financial literature has a lot of different tools you can use to value something.”
5. Founders. A founder’s execution and business skill will go a long way in upping valuation.
6. Other investors. If a VC sees that the other VCs on board with your start-up are solid players, your value will increase.
7. Accelerators or incubators. If you go through an accelerator that has a good rate of success with start-ups, chances are your value will go up.
8. Story. Investors want to know your team works well together, and those investors might have you undergo some kind of analysis to gauge this.

Source: Mashable

The post 8 things investors look for when valuing startups appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

This boot camp series allows you to stretch your professional education budget and give your staff and faculty a well-rounded understanding of their role in nurturing technologies toward the marketplace. You receive all 13 programs in three formats — DVD, on-demand video, and print transcript — with links to all handouts and Powerpoints. You can share it throughout your organization, any time and any place, all for one low price. For complete details on the programs and faculty, and to order this cost-effective training and education tool, CLICK HERE.

The post Stretch your training budget with 13-session University Technology Commercialization Boot Camp appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The licensed Pulse-Step-Sine Rotation test, developed by OHSU’s Dr. Robert Peterka, joins over 30 diagnostic tests that neurologists, audiologists and other medical specialists can perform using NKI’s I-Portal testing protocols and equipment.

“OHSU’s Pulse-Step-Sine test is a significant new tool,” says NKI president and CEO J. Howison Schroeder, “that will improve medical research into a range of patient issues.”

Specifically, the test stimulates each horizontal semicircular canal component of the vestibular organ in each ear independently; this enables a quick diagnosis of a deficit in one ear compared to the other. This novel test could replace the current standard tool, the caloric, which squirts hot and cold water into each ear and can be time-consuming, as well as uncomfortable.

Timothy Stout, MD, PhD, MBA, OHSU’s vice president of technology transfer and business development, comments: “Our agreement with Neuro Kinetics is a perfect example of the benefits that stem from collaboration between academic researchers and commercial vendors.

“OHSU will earn royalties to help fund ongoing research,” Stout adds, while “Neuro Kinetics will have additional tests to offer its user base, research capabilities will improve and, most importantly, patients will ultimately benefit. This is a true win-win-win for all concerned.”

Source: Marketwired

The post Oregon Health & Science U licenses novel test for hearing problems appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

“The University of Virginia is among the very first institutions of higher education to use philanthropic crowdfunding to advance university research,” says Thomas C. Skalak, vice president for research at U.Va. “It’s our hope,” he adds, “that this innovative initiative will build on the success of the University’s proof-of-concept research programs and establish a new model for funding promising, early-stage research.”

USEED Inc., a crowdfunding startup for philanthropic university-based research projects, helped U.Va. build the new website (www.virginia.edu/useed), which features videos and information on up to 10 select projects, each of which will be geared toward commercialization.

“U.Va. researchers are constantly problem-solving through innovation,” says W. Mark Crowell, executive director of U.Va. Innovation and associate vice president for research at U.Va. “Through this crowdfunding initiative, we’re creating opportunities for members of the community to be a part of advancing these exciting discoveries.”

The site launched with two featured projects, which are currently seeking between $19,000 and $35,000. One aims to advance clean-water technology, and the other to improve detection of injuries following sexual assault, specifically for women with darker skin.

Source: UVA Today

The post U of Virginia launches its own crowdfunding site appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The inventor, OSU professor Daral Jackwood, is taking a lead role with LARAD, which stands for Leadership for Advanced Responses to Animal Diseases.

“We are very excited to work with Dr. Jackwood in the start-up of his company,” says Shauna R. Brummet, president and CEO of the OARDC-based BioHio Research Park, which is supporting the launch. “This is an example,” Brummet adds, “of the important technology being developed at OARDC that can be moved into a locally based start-up company, which will create high-paying jobs in our region.”

LARAD is using molecular biology methods to create virus-like particle technologies that will lead to new vaccines and diagnostics for the food-animal industry and safeguard the food production system. It will initially focus on vaccines for infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), a highly contagious immunosuppressive disease that affects poultry across the world. This kind of treatment is crucial for the U.S., the world’s largest poultry producer with over $20 billion in annual farm value.

“These are cutting-edge products that will allow the industry to do things it hasn’t been able to do before,” Jackwood says, pointing out that there are currently no vaccines for IBDV available commercially. That gives LARAD the potential to capture a $17 million a year market while producing the IBDV vaccine at a lower cost than conventional vaccines.

 “Another advantage of this vaccine is that it is flexible,” says Jackwood, “meaning that if virus mutations take place, new antigens can be introduced to keep pace with those changes.”

 “The potential for this company to become a leader,” says Brummet, “for protecting the health of food animals and companion animals is high.”

Source: Drovers Cattle Network

The post Ohio State spinoff develops vaccine technology to treat disease in livestock appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

• Joan C. Dunbar, PhD, has been appointed associate vice president of technology commercialization for Wayne State University. She had been serving as interim associate VP for technology commercialization for the past year. In that time, Dunbar nearly doubled faculty invention disclosures, facilitated a pipeline of nine start-up opportunities, launched a mentors-in-residence program, created an innovation fellows program, opened the Technology Development Incubator, and strengthened partnerships with WSU’s TechTown. Said Hilary Ratner, PhD, WSU’s vice president for research, “Dr. Dunbar is re-energizing our faculty and students to translate their research in even more productive ways that benefit not only the university but the region, state and nation as well. Dr. Dunbar’s deep knowledge and experience will serve Wayne State and our faculty well as we advance the mission of the Wayne State’s Technology Commercialization Office.” Source: Newswise

The post Comings & Goings appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The post Cambridge Enterprise Limited seeking Technology Associate to join Physical Sciences team appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Though the court could have dealt with a broad swath of such potential patent disputes, Justice Elena Kagan, writing for the court, emphasized that the decision should be viewed only narrowly. “Our holding today is limited — addressing the situation before us, rather than every one involving a self-replicating product,” she wrote. “We recognize that such inventions are becoming ever more prevalent, complex and diverse. In another case, the article’s self-replication might occur outside the purchaser’s control. Or it might be a necessary but incidental step in using the item for another purpose.”

Despite that caveat, the ruling had to warm the hearts of biotech execs. The case was based on Monstanto’s practice of requiring farmers who buy its patented seeds to sign a contract warranting that they will not harvest and save seeds from the resulting crop, meaning they must buy new seeds each year. The seeds are valuable because they are resistant to the Monsanto herbicide Roundup.

One Indiana farmer, Vernon Bowman, thought he found a way around the requirement. Rather than harvest seeds from his main crop, he planted a second crop using seeds he bought a grain elevator filled with a mix of seeds, hoping that some percentage contained the patented gene and would survive spraying. Many did in fact survive, and he then replanted those seeds.

Monsanto sued, and a federal judge in Indiana ordered Bowman to pay the company more than $84,000, a ruling later upheld by the Fed Circuit. The Supreme Court again confirmed the original ruling.

Mr. Bowman’s main argument was based on the patent exhaustion doctrine. He argued that he could do what he liked with products he had obtained legally. But Justice Kagan said the doctrine does not apply to the way he had used the seeds.

“Under the patent exhaustion doctrine, Bowman could resell the patented soybeans he purchased from the grain elevator; so too he could consume the beans himself or feed them to his animals,” she wrote. “But the exhaustion doctrine does not enable Bowman to make additional patented soybeans without Monsanto’s permission.”

Justice Kagan asserted that allowing Mr. Bowman’s tactic would destroy the value of Monsanto’s patent. “The exhaustion doctrine is limited to the ‘particular item’ sold,” she wrote, “to avoid just such a mismatch between invention and reward.” Accepting Bowman’s argument, she added, would create an “unprecedented exception” to the exhaustion doctrine. “If simple copying were a protected use,” she wrote, “a patent would plummet in value after the first sale of the item containing the invention.”

Sources: Patently-O and The New York Times

The post U.S. Supreme Court rules for Monsanto in gene-based seed patent case appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Our Distance Learning Division has scheduled an essential webinar that highlights one such partnership between the University of Florida and Osage University Partners. UFL brings a robust research and entrepreneurial ecosystem to the partnership, OUP adds a built-in audience with top-tier VCs, experienced leaders, and opportunities for collaborating with other research institutions. On June 18, please join Lou Berneman, founding partner of Osage University Partners, and David L. Day, director of the Office of Technology Licensing at the University of Florida, for an insightful look at the inner workings of their partnership and how you can apply their best practices to your partnering efforts. For more information or to register for VC/University Partnerships: Build a Powerful Integrated Funding Vehicle, CLICK HERE.

ALSO COMING SOON:

• Thursday, May 30: Beyond Internships: Creating a Student-Based Workforce in Your TTO
• Thursday, June 13: Commercializing Mobile Apps: Effective Management of Legal Threats and Challenges

The post VC/University Partnerships: Build a Powerful Integrated Funding Vehicle appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Rosenthal recently launched his latest company, gEyeCue, in Galway, Ireland, where he says there are few constraints on entrepreneurs, good infrastructure and support, and government incentives. “My guess,” he says, “would be that other countries have earmarked money for this purpose and want to spend it.”

Here are five tips Rosenthal offers for founders looking to launch overseas:

1. Look for universities in your specialty area. This way you can find students and faculty — potential employees — who have the expertise your company needs.
2. Find out where the big players in your field have outposts. If you’re starting a web-based software company, look up where Google and other big players have their development centers. “Once you have an anchor company,” explains Rosenthal, “everybody realizes the local economy is built around that expertise.”
3. Look for government agencies that fund start-ups. Countries that are known for supporting innovation include the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Ireland. Just search the web and find your target country’s funding agency website for details.
4. Check out local VCs. A bit harder to find than government programs, but if you sort through overseas start-ups in your field and visit their websites, you will probably see who invested in them, or at least who’s on their board of directors.
5. Network with existing start-ups. Most will be open to sharing their experiences in that country, and most will offer advice. “Reach out,” urges Rosenthal. “Getting the wisdom of someone who’s been there, done that is a great way to start out.”

Source: Inc.com

The post Serial entrepreneur makes case for launching start-ups overseas appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

“Investors and university technology managers are busy people,” says Bryan Ritchie, director of the University of Utah’s Technology Commercialization Office (TCO).

“This event,” he adds, “allows universities to present technologies to 50+ investors at one time, and it allows these same investors to hear about multiple great opportunities for investment in a short period of time.”

The showcase is a great way for universities to network with Utah’s investment community, as well a way to promote Utah’s economic growth. Ritchie calls it “an effort to build the entire ecosystem of technology development in Utah,” bringing all its research universities together for a statewide business matchmaking session. “This event,” he concludes, “is a tremendous opportunity for all of us to come together and show our joint commitment to entrepreneurship, innovation and technology development in Utah.”

Source: innovosource

The post Annual U of Utah tech showcase is like speed dating for tech transfer appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

RF and SUNY join a number of other renowned institutions taking advantage of site license agreements to make Technology Transfer Tactics’ unique, practical information on improving the results of commercialization activity available to their key tech transfer and licensing staff. In addition, with 2Market Information’s extensive schedule and archive of distance learning programs, SUNY staff will have access to targeted training programs presented by experts on a wide variety of specific challenges and opportunities for university technology transfer offices.

Dr. Tim Killeen, vice chancellor for research at SUNY and president of the RF, commented on the agreement: “We’re pleased to offer this valuable resource to commercialization staff across our campuses. Technology Transfer Tactics provides faculty and students with easy access to practical and tactical information that supports our goal to drive SUNY research and innovation to commercial marketplace for public benefit.”

Added David Schwartz, 2Market Information’s CEO and Publisher of Technology Transfer Tactics, himself a graduate of SUNY’s Binghamton University, “it’s especially gratifying for us as a company to have this level of faith placed in the high quality of the information we’re providing. When universities and organizations of excellence like the RF entrust us with providing training and professional education for their staffs through our publications and programs, we take that responsibility very seriously. For all our subscribers and customers, we strive to produce information with true practical value, which they can use to improve performance, processes, and commercialization results.”

For more information, please visit www.technologytransfertactics.com. To discuss a site license for your organization, contact David Schwartz directly at dschwartz@technologytransfertactics.com, or 404-626-8191.

Source: PR Web

The post SUNY Research Foundation enters site license agreement with publisher of Technology Transfer Tactics appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

File early and often.

Do not disclose inventions before filing. Under the first-to-file system, “the best practice is to absolutely not publicly disclose an invention before filing an application,” Morton says.

No foreign use or sale before filing. What happens overseas now might bar your patents in America.

Monitor applications and patents in your field. Or as Morton more bluntly puts it, “watch to see if someone has stolen your idea.” Be on the look out if an employee leaves your company, if you disclosed something at a tradeshow, and in other vulnerable moments.

Documentation is still key. Keep your inventor notebooks, R&D documents and any other paperwork on hand for the application. Morton adds that trade secret protection is now more attractive, particularly for companies with important internal processes.

Use virtual marking. When marking under the new law, companies need only to put a list of all patent numbers for all products on the company website, marked either “patent” or “pat.”

Be careful about statements of value. Morton advises companies filing patents to assume that everything will be discovered and used against them in court. This includes internal e-mail and documents, licensing discussions, and confidential discussions with strategic partners and investors. He also recommended that companies define the their IP’s value of that value at the moment — not estimated value based on future performance.

Source: MedCity News

The post IP attorney offers keys to adapt effectively to America Invents Act appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Now it’s UNLV’s turn to help make Vegas a city where government is friendly to entrepreneurs, real estate is cheap, capital is available, and talent runs deep. One way the university can do this is by inspiring more students to consider entrepreneurship.

According to Robert Nielsen, director of UNLV’s Business Startup Center, this effort is already well underway. “This past January I had the chance to talk with incoming graduate students,” he says. “I asked the audience, ‘How many of you have thought about starting a business?’ Probably 70 to 80 percent raised their hands.”

But UNLV is one of very few colleges in the Vegas area, and at 25,000 students, it is by far the largest. “Where is the talent going to come from?” asks Duncan Logan, founder and CEO of the elite San Francisco incubator Rocketspace. “Las Vegas is super interesting to us… but it’s really one man’s effort,” he adds, referring to Hseih’s $350M contribution.

Nielsen insists, however, on making UNLV the city’s premier source of young talent. Last year he applied for and received a $200,000 SBA grant to expand the Startup Center, hire three full-time employees to assist the student entrepreneurs, and help grow the roster of Vegas-based entrepreneurs who serve as mentors for the students.

UNLV also hosts a Center for Entrepreneurship, where MBA students can take courses on starting a company — in some courses students will launch actual businesses — while the school’s affiliated VC firm, Rebel Venture Fund, makes small investments (around $10,000 to $25,000) in Nevada start-ups. In addition, Nielsen has faith in the city’s gamblers, in whatever form they take. “You have risk takers in this town that just start doing something,” he says.

Source: Inc.com

The post How Vegas could become the country’s next start-up destination appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Initial tests of VitreOx™ have shown its anti-fogging properties to last not just hours or days but for the life of a product with the right surface. “Our focus right now is to finalize a number of beta products for our corporate clients,” says CEO and co-founder Clarizza Watson.

Until FDA approval is achieved for medical applications, SiO2 first aims to develop and commercialize vision protection equipment for athletes, from football players to snowboarders. The company is currently prototyping the VitreSport™ product line at the Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation, a community-based business incubator located at GateWay Community College in Phoenix.

SiO2 is one of the first companies to emerge from the Arizona Furnace Technology Transfer Accelerator. It  will debut its products alongside other Arizona Furnace start-ups at the first-ever Arizona Furnace Demo Day on June 5that ASU SkySong.

Source: Times Union

The post ASU start-up turns medical anti-fogging technology into products appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

1. Get focused and identify goals. If you enter social media without any specific goals in mind, how will you measure your success? To get started, here are three common objectives: higher revenue, reduced costs, and improved customer satisfaction.
2. Get attention and reach your audience. Don’t just measure how many people get your message, but also how many of them find it remarkable (shares, favorites, etc). This helps measure word-of-mouth impact.
3. Measure respect and find influencers. Who is multiplying your message, and how many do it? This will show you if your offerings have the right scope, spread quickly, and resonate with your target audience.
4. Track the emotional sentiment. “Counting is fine,” writes Zwilling, but “tracking public sentiment over time provides invaluable insight and gives you the chance to stay right on top of changes in the marketplace and your organization’s brand equity.”
5. Measure customer response and action. How do your customers respond to your messages? Do they actually click through to your website, or interact with you “in new and different ways?” Zwilling poses. “Action is when people are drawn into a profitable and sustainable relationship with your company. That’s where the money is.”
6. Get the message from your customer. Social media give you the opportunity to conduct “real-time market research,” he notes. But it’s of little use if you don’t act on it. “You need to measure how well you are hearing [customer feedback] and acting on it in your business strategy planning.”
7. Drive business outcomes and get results. Go back and reassess what impact your social media efforts are making. Increase in revenue? Lower costs? Better customer satisfaction? Also look beyond these major three.
8. Get buy-in from your colleagues. Noting that “some executives are slow to understand and embrace new communications methods,” Zwilling advises using your data “to convince them that social media is a vital part of your marketing mix, and deserves the resources necessary for proper implementation and measurement.”
9. Project the future. Prepare for shifts in social media — looking out two to 10 years — so that your company won’t be the last to implement them.

Source: Startup Professionals Musings

The post 9 ways for entrepreneurs to make the most of social media appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

In concise chapters, Drafting Patent License Agreements, Seventh Edition tracks and discusses — clause by clause — all the critical components of a license agreement. Its three IP attorney authors address every typical provision used in patent and know?how licenses. Sample provisions are provided with references to applicable legal and practical consequences. Also included with this comprehensive desk reference is a CD that provides access to a set of form paragraphs and clauses you can incorporate into your license agreements. The form paragraphs are indexed to the text, and each one includes the rationale and legal support. This valuable CD companion also includes sample license agreements, confidential disclosure agreements, employment agreements, and more. For complete details and to order, CLICK HERE.

The post Drafting Patent License Agreements, 7th Edition now available appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Tata’s $5 million investment kicks off the Technology Innovation Momentum Fund, which the company is viewing as giving it an eye into the hottest coming technologies. “This is our attempt to scout Israeli technology more deeply,” says Tata’s Rameshwar Jamwal.

Ramot CEO Shlomo Nimrodi elaborates on what’s driving the collaborations exemplified by the Tata deal. “Major corporations are facing increasing competition, and they are rarely investing in basic research. As a result, they are all trying to figure out where to get the next big thing. They can go to young companies, but that world has its own challenges in raising money. That leaves academic institutions as the source of groundbreaking innovation.”

The Momentum Fund managers will identify worthy TAU-based technologies to develop and then shop around for the right industry partner to commercialize them. So far, some promising candidates include a muscle cell therapy for ALS; a novel bone cancer drug; an automatic system for the elderly to detect falls at home; and a wound-healing cream.

The benefits to Tata are likely to be far beyond the cash invested, Nimrodi says. “They get access to a top research institution, promising innovation on a right-of-first-opportunity basis, and a good financial investment.”

Source: Israel21c

The post What underlies the Tata-Tel Aviv U collaboration appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The start-up collaborated with the Vietnamese company GD Wasser to build the plant, with funding from Singapore-based investment firm New Asia Investment. De.Mem is a subsidiary and partner of MINT (Membrane Instruments & Technology), an NTU spinoff that supplies water quality sensor technologies developed at NTU’s Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute (NEWRI). The plant uses MINT’s technologies in its wireless monitoring system.

Andreas Kroell, director of New Asia Investments, says the overall venture “meets a need for modern but cost-efficient decentralized water treatment technologies in Southeast Asia.” De.Mem plans on building four more Vietnam-based plants by the end of the year. 

Source: Phys.org

The post Nanyang Tech spinoff launches remote-controlled water plant in Vietnam appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

• Louisiana State University has appointed Kalliat Valsaraj to be the next vice chancellor of research and economic development. Valsaraj currently serves as associate vice chancellor of research and economic development, and has worked at LSU for 27 years. He begins his post on July 1, replacing Thomas Klei, who will return to a research position at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine. Source: ktbs.com

The post Comings & Goings appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Through its publications and webinars, Atlanta-based 2Market Information Inc. has become the leading independent information provider for tech transfer and research commercialization professionals worldwide. RF and SUNY join a number of other renowned institutions taking advantage of site license agreements to make Technology Transfer Tactics’ unique, practical information on improving the results of commercialization activity available to their key tech transfer and licensing staff. In addition, with 2Market Information’s extensive schedule and archive of distance learning programs, SUNY staff will have access to targeted training programs presented by experts on a wide variety of specific challenges and opportunities for university technology transfer offices.

Additional organizations with Technology Transfer Tactics site license agreements include Columbia University, Exploit Technologies (Singapore), Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, University of Texas system, PNNL/Battelle, Johns Hopkins University, MRC Technology (UK), and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, among others.

Dr. Tim Killeen, vice chancellor for research at SUNY and president of the RF, commented on the agreement: “We’re pleased to offer this valuable resource to commercialization staff across our campuses. Technology Transfer Tactics provides faculty and students with easy access to practical and tactical information that supports our goal to drive SUNY research and innovation to commercial marketplace for public benefit.”

Added David Schwartz, 2Market Information’s CEO and Publisher of Technology Transfer Tactics, himself a graduate of SUNY’s Binghamton University, “it’s especially gratifying for us as a company to have this level of faith placed in the high quality of the information we’re providing. When universities and organizations of excellence like the RF entrust us with providing training and professional education for their staffs through our publications and programs, we take that responsibility very seriously. For all our subscribers and customers, we strive to produce information with true practical value, which they can use to improve performance, processes, and commercialization results.”

For more information, please visit www.technologytransfertactics.com. To discuss a site license for your organization, contact David Schwartz directly at dschwartz@technologytransfertactics.com, or 404-626-8191.

About The Research Foundation for The State University of New York
The RF was founded in 1951 to serve SUNY and to capitalize on its scope, scale and diversity as an engine of New York’s innovation economy. The largest, most comprehensive university-connected research foundation in the country, the RF supports nearly $1 billion in SUNY research activity annually, providing sponsored programs administration and innovation support services to SUNY faculty performing research in life sciences and medicine; engineering and nanotechnology; physical sciences and energy; social sciences, and computer and information sciences. To learn more about the RF visit www.rfsuny.org and connect with the RF on Facebook.

About The State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating approximately 468,000 students in more than 7,500 degree and certificate programs, and nearly 2 million in workforce and professional development programs, on 64 campuses. There are nearly 3 million SUNY alumni worldwide. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

Contact: David Schwartz
CEO and Publisher
2Market Information Inc.
www.technologytransfertactics.com
404-626-8191
E-mail: dschwartz@technologytransfertactics.com

The post The Research Foundation for The State University of New York enters site license agreement with 2Market Information Inc., publisher of Technology Transfer Tactics appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Titled “From Lab Bench to Innovation: Critical Challenges to Nascent Academic Entrepreneurs,” the paper by MIT-based start-up advisor Roman M. Lubynsky is among the few to focus specifically on this group of entrepreneurs (NAEs for short) at the individual rather than institutional level.

Among other findings, Lubynsky discovered that more PhD students form ideas for technologies and products than faculty. “This is significant because many universities in the U.S. do not clearly define intellectual property rights in support of student entrepreneurs,” comments Lesa Mitchell, vice president of innovation and networks at the Kauffman Foundation. “I’m hoping this paper will encourage universities to consider more open policies.”

Lubynsky followed and analyzed the experiences of 10 NAEs involved in eight MIT ventures, all of whom were enrolled in the university’s Venture Mentoring Service. The cases spanned the product life cycle from idea to commercialization across a range of technologies and industries, with data collected through interviews, observation and archival data. He defines an NAE as a faculty, staff or student researcher at a university who has left the university, or intends to leave, to devote full-time attention to a start-up based on university research in which he or she was involved.

Some of the study’s findings include:

• Many academic entrepreneurs are students at the time they formed their initial idea and began exploring the possibility of a start-up venture.
• NAEs typically begin their ventures as “research-based start-ups,” hoping to further develop the new technology to make it ready for commercialization. They may spend years — even a decade — in this phase.
• The decision to launch a start-up evolves as the NAE gains confidence in his or her entrepreneurial abilities and determines that the technology likely cannot be licensed unless they bring it to maturity first.
• Finally, academic entrepreneurs are more likely than typical technology entrepreneurs to experience serious conflicts — particularly with their faculty advisors — over IP rights and equity stakes

 Lubynsky also offers recommendations for NAEs, as well as to TTOs and entrepreneurship programs in how to improve support for these start-ups. “Nascent academic entrepreneurship provides the foundation for future innovators,” says Lubynsky. “It is important to help transform these inventors into leaders.”

To download the full study, click here.

Source: Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

The post Study finds students outpace faculty in innovations, analyzes ‘nascent academic entrepreneurs’ appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The post Biopharmaceutical Royalty Rate Analysis: Essential Benchmarks for Dealmaking appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

“We’ve all confronted or are challenged by this sequester,” says Isaac T. Kohlberg, chief technology development officer at Harvard. “This [donation] is very, very powerful fuel for the research engine of the university.”

The gift will support grants for Harvard researchers, as well as launch a fellowship at Harvard Business School to boost life science entrepreneurship among students by increasing their exposure to technologies and basic research. “By increasing the collaborative efforts between Harvard Business School and Harvard’s scientific community, we will empower the next generation of life science entrepreneurs and provide a further catalyst for innovation and research development,” says Foundation partner Len Blavatnik, who attended the Harvard Business School.

According to Vicki Sato, a professor at the Harvard Business School, academic research is often less robust than the kind companies need to develop a successful drug or product. But, she adds, gifts as large as the Blavatnik’s go a long way toward helping researchers advance their work to the point where a company could move it toward a possible therapy.

Source: Boston.com

The post One of Harvard’s largest-ever donations aims to boost tech transfer appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

These illnesses include dengue fever, malaria, chikungunya, and hand, foot and mouth disease. Veredus teamed up with Singapore’s A*STAR Agency for Science, Technology and Research to develop the novel blood test, and A*STAR’s Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN) provided expertise in infectious disease.

“Tropical diseases often reflect common symptoms like fever, and may not be accurately diagnosed early by doctors,” says associate professor Lisa F.P. Ng, lead virologist for the A*STAR team. “This portable test kit is a rapid and reliable method to accurately test for multiple pathogenic targets from just one blood sample in a matter of hours.”

Dr. Rosemary Tan, CEO of Veredus, says the project “has combined the strengths and expertise of A*STAR, Veredus and STMicroelecrontics to create a powerful multiplexed molecular product that can rapidly detect and differentiate symptomatically similar tropical infectious diseases and enable timely proper treatment.”

Source: Electronics EeTimes

The post Veredus Labs and A*STAR develop novel blood test for tropical diseases appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

Shaped in a rounded half bubble and outfitted with a range of electronics and sensors, the camera can be used for high-quality surveillance or for imaging in endoscopic procedures. The researchers say the design – which offers a 180-degree view — would be simple enough to attach two cameras together for a full 360-degree view.

“What we have, in a sense, is many small eyes on one big eye,” says Yonggang Huang, a Northeastern researcher and senior author of the paper. “Each small eye, composed of a microlens and a microscale photodetector, is a separate imaging system,” Huang adds. “But when they are all taken together, the camera can take a clear picture, with just one snap, of nearly 180 degrees.”

John A. Rogers, a researcher at Urbana-Champaign and Huang’s longtime collaborator, comments, “Nature has developed and refined these concepts over the course of billions of years of evolution…. This type of hemispherical design provides unmatched field of view and other powerful capabilities in imaging.”

Source: EurekAlert

The post Inspired by fly’s eye, researchers create camera with nearly 200 lenses for wider view appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

“We made exactly the right sorts of contacts we needed,” adds Calvin Chu, senior technology licensing officer for CTV and one of the two licensing officers who led the CES team and worked closely with the student start-ups in preparing for the big show. “We were not really expecting as much traffic and interest as we generated, so in a way we exceeded expectations.”

Herskowitz and Chu had scouted out the big event in prior years, and had taken note of the fact that the exhibitors went much deeper than the big electronics giants like Samsung, Apple, and Microsoft. “There were hundreds of exhibitors in smaller booths displaying more cutting edge technology, gadgets, software programs, and increasingly medical and educational technologies — beyond what you think of as the core of CES,” Herskowitz notes. In addition, CES has added a venue called Eureka Park, “which was specifically designed for early-stage start-ups to exhibit their technologies,” he adds.

The only criteria for exhibitors in the park was that the start-ups had to be under a certain volume of sales or within a certain number of years of going on the market, and they needed to have a working product to demonstrate. “The idea came to us that this would be a great opportunity,” Herskowitz recalls. “We had been seeing a surge in hardware and software start-ups in the past five years, and this offered a great chance to bring the entrepreneurs to meet all sorts of potential funders and industry partners. And just as important, it would give them a chance to learn how to make the most out of big conferences — how to practice pitching their products in very short cycles all day long for four days straight; how to think about maximizing the material they brought to the booth to show visitors; and to think about how to follow up with all the different contacts they made at the show.”

For all these reasons, the decision was made to “give it a shot and see how it worked.” A detailed article on Columbia’s marketing effort at the CES event appears in the April issue of Technology Transfer Tactics. To subscribe and access the full article, plus hundreds of archived best practices and success strategies for TTOs, CLICK HERE.

The post Columbia start-ups hit the jackpot in Vegas with CES demonstrations appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

“Every angel investor has had this experience,” Luk explains. “You have this weird, awkward scenario where you’re sending an e-mail, asking, ‘Hey, are you still in business?’” This mostly happens when a start-up leaves an accelerator program, and the frenzy of running a company distracts the founders from touching base with their investors.

Luk’s app – named Hockeystick after the hoped-for revenue curve of a newly launched company — gives entrepreneurs a simplified, customizable one-page form to fill out periodically. The form tracks revenues and expenses, and it offers a customized set of legal disclosures and other resources for entrepreneurs in the areas they need help in.

Hockeystick – which is available from Luk’s company Scalability Inc. — then sends the form to investors who need to see it, and archives it in a secure space. The app also sends out e-mails to remind founders to keep up with reporting.

Luk’s service should prove especially useful now in the crowdfunding world, where entrepreneurs find themselves funded not by just a few big investors, but by many small investors, and now must struggle to keep them all updated. “When you’re a big company, you’ve got a department for everything,” says Luk. “When you’re a small company, you are the department of everything.”

The Hockeystick platform is already in service across the Global Accelerator Network and at accelerators funded by the Business Development Bank of Canada.

Source: The Globe and Mail

The post New app makes it easier for startups to stay in touch with its investors appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The program, dubbed the Global Founders’ Skill Accelerator, aims to help all 14 teams develop a marketable product or service to launch a successful start-up. Each team is eligible for $20,000 in funding and will receive mentoring and tutelage from successful entrepreneurs and MIT faculty.

To show full support for student entrepreneurship, the university has decided to take no ownership stake in any of the teams after the program ends. “We don’t want them to leave MIT because they didn’t feel like they had enough support here to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams,” says Bill Aulet, managing director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, who will oversee the accelerator.

According to Edward Crawley, an MIT professor on leave, extending the program to include international students is an important step in terms of boosting entrepreneurship in places that could use it. “There really is a way we do this [in the U.S.] that is more intense and aggressive than in a lot of other countries,” says Crawley. “Working in an environment where the system is running well will give them a sense of how to go back to where they’re from and help the system run better. They really are going to have their eyes opened.”

Source: The Boston Globe

The post MIT expands start-up accelerator program to include students from abroad appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The good news is that marketing skills can be taught, practiced, and perfected. And making an investment in these skill sets will pay huge dividends for your TTO in its ability to tell a compelling story about your innovations and attract the licensees, investors, entrepreneurs, and partners you need. That’s why we’re inviting you and your staff to this how-to, focused webinar workshop that will teach you to apply customer-centric marketing writing techniques and effectively convey your innovation’s true value. Join our seasoned technology marketing experts on May 15th for Marketing Writing Workshop for Tech Transfer Professionals. This interactive, how-to workshop with three marketing professionals focuses exclusively on the marketing needs of tech transfer offices. It will give you the tools and guidance you need to make a dramatic improvement in your marketing ability — and your TTO’s ability to tell compelling stories around its technologies. For complete details and to register, CLICK HERE.

ALSO COMING SOON:

• Thursday, May 30: Beyond Internships: Creating a Student-Based Workforce in Your TTO
• Thursday, June 13: Commercializing Mobile Apps: Effective Management of Legal Threats and Challenges

The post Marketing Writing Workshop for Tech Transfer Professionals next week appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

TTOs participating in the ENTENTE program will be able to consult with MRC about business culture and commercialization; they will also be set up for potential collaborations with MRC in the future.

According to Mike Johnson, director of corporate partnerships at MRC, the ENTENTE program “opens up and adds strength to the TTO network, which ultimately will bring new medicines to patients faster.”

Karine Baudin, ENTENTE Coordinator, says of MRC: “Their willingness to share knowledge, expertise and time is an example of true professionalism and reinforces our joint desire to move healthcare forward. We hope this is the first step in a long term, sustainable initiative.”

Johnson adds, “We are very pleased to be contributing to this program. MRC Technology has a wealth of in-house expertise and has achieved considerable project success. We look forward to passing on our experience.”

Source: Select Science

The post Program enlists MRC to serve as mentor for other European TTOs appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

“It has to be a win, win, win,” says Advanced Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk. “Private sector needs the professors, but also there must be value for the institution and the individual researchers. The benefits have to be shared three ways in this kind of public-private partnership.” Royalties streams from the institute’s activities could help fund the budgets of post-secondary institutions in the future, he added.

As seems typical for research funding schemes in Canada, however, the plans for the commercialization hub have drawn sharp criticism. Some of the region’s researchers are skeptical about the new institute, fearful that it might come “at the expense of other programs or at the expense of pure or basic research,” says legislator Rachel Notley.

Donna Wilson, head of the U of Alberta Faculty Association, says the commercial partnerships the institute is designed to engender come with serious conflicts of interest, and clear rules and transparency surrounding those potential conflicts would be needed to protect researchers.

According to Wilson, the government would be wiser to spend its money supporting independent, university-based research – which has taken big hits in recent budgets. “Is this why we were cut by $147 million, so the government could go ahead with this stand-alone research institute?” she asked.

Lukaszuk said the institute will provide a much-needed forum where academics from different campus can come together. Currently, co-operation is limited because campuses compete for research grants. He said the government’s vision for the institute is that it will evolve into something similar to the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Source: Calgary Herald

The post Tech transfer institute to open in Alberta, bringing both excitement and skepticism appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

1. Set clear objectives for yourself in your business growth: Think about what areas you need the most help with before seeking a mentor. If you are having trouble with marketing, for example, a successful financial executive probably isn’t the right mentor for you.
2. Work, study, and practice continually to solidify the guidance: Show your mentor that you’re willing to learn and grow quickly; don’t make excuses or waste time.
3. Don’t ask for too much time or make a nuisance of yourself: Good mentors are often busy, so ask them for small, focused blocks of time to meet privately, and be prepared with real issues to discuss.
4. When you meet with a mentor, you should lead the discussion: “Your mentor should not be driving your business,” Zwilling says. You should come with your own agenda and seek specific insights, while still pressing your mentor for broader or related implications.
5. Remember the difference between a mentor, a friend, and a coach: Unlike a friend, a mentor only tells you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. And unlike a coach, a mentor helps you through specific trials, not the whole business.
6. On a regular basis, send a note to communicate progress and current tasks: Let your mentor know not only that you are taking his or her advice, but that it is working. According to Zwilling, “there is nothing that makes a mentor more open to helping you.”
7. Keep the relationship positive and productive: If you find yourself stuck with an unresponsive or uncommunicative mentor, back out immediately. Also know that most mentors have a status in industry that could help you as well as hurt you, so don’t antagonize them.

Source: Startup Professionals Musings

The post 7 steps to finding and maintaining to right start-up mentor appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The Australian company Finisar has picked up Dr. Schroeder’s invention and attached it to an existing Finisar programmable optical processor called the WaveShaper. The new technology gives each processing chip multiple output circuits, thus creating reconfigurable light outputs.

 “The new technology is particularly useful for researchers and developers of optical communication systems,” says Dr. Schroeder, “as it enables more thorough system testing as well as reduced development time for optical components and systems.”

Professor Ben Eggleton, director of where Schroeder’s lab, calls the novel filter “an example of incredibly insightful optical physics.” He adds: “This sort of successful technology transfer creates wealth in Sydney, which is incredibly important for both researchers and high tech industry here.” The original WaveShaper was also the result of a collaboration between Finisar and U Sydney.

Source: PACE

The post Australian researcher’s hi-tech optical filter makes its way to market appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The incubator is called Cydan, and it is the pet project of life sciences veteran David Mott. He managed to gather $16M in funding from Pfizer’s VC arm and Alexandra Real Estate Equities to get Cydan off the ground.

The pre-established drug candidates all target rare diseases; once they are introduced to the incubator, they will undergo a series of experiments by outside contractors to achieve clinical milestones and thus make the drugs less risky for further development.

The Cydan-based start-ups will attempt to reward investors either by signing lucrative partnerships with pharma companies – who are increasingly interested in the orphan drug market — or by getting acquired outright.

“I think it’s a way to help capitalize on a science that’s evolving,” says Mott, “to help develop assets that ultimately there’ll be a lot of buyers for, or partners for, since so many Big Pharmas now like this space, and [to] make a big difference for all the patients out there.”

In theory, Cydan’s process of acquiring and prepping drugs for commercialization would take 12 months and would prove to be an economically efficient way to lower the risk inherent in developing drugs for rare diseases.

Mott says Cydan will spend around $500,000 to $2m on “de-risking” assets before it begins to launch companies. Some start-ups might be run by Cydan alone, while others could become full companies run by outside management teams. Cydan hopes to spin out its first company in 2014.

Source: Xconomy

The post New biotech incubator model gives start-ups drug candidates to develop appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

ALSO COMING SOON:

• Wednesday, May 15: Marketing Writing Workshop for Tech Transfer Professionals
• Thursday, May 30: Beyond Internships: Creating a Student-Based Workforce in Your TTO

The post Commercializing Mobile Apps: Effective Management of Legal Threats and Challenges appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

“Few things inspire like seeing entrepreneurs — especially students — solve problems by creating new companies,” says Brad Bernthal, director of the Silicon Flatiron Center’s Entrepreneurship Initiative at CU-Boulder. This feeling helped spawn and sustain NVC, which in its fifth year had more than 60 start-ups competing.

Here are five lessons Bernthal says the university has learned over those five years about throwing successful entrepreneurial events:

1. Bake campus-wide engagement into the event’s DNA. From the outset, a start-up competition should invite students from all schools, from business to digital arts. Not only does this make entrepreneurship accessible to all students, it pairs up organizations “that should be working together but too often are not.”

2. Make high-quality mentors available Each start-up team should have a mentor with experience in that team’s technology area, Bernthal advises. Not only will the start-ups receive valuable advice and insights, they will also have an opportunity to network in the local start-up community.

3. Capture the event’s power and identify a campus fundraiser. The prizes for these competitions don’t grow on trees — you need substantial funds, and to get funds you have to make noise. “If I could go back five years,” says Bernthal, “I would hire a videographer each year to capture the energy and inspiration of the NVC.”

4. Bake in subject matter diversity. NVC teams get to choose their track — IT, cleantech, social entrepreneurship, music, or a general track. The winners in each track go on to compete against one another, which tests the diversity of problems they each can tackle.

5. Use campus start-up classes as a feeder. Open up entrepreneurship classes to the entire campus. That way, when NVC rolls around, students can take “a more systematic dive” into launching a company. Now that CU has taken this step, “the NVC is seeing better teams, and participants get a richer experience,” says Bernthal.

Source: Xconomy

The post 5 lessons U Colorado learned from running a start-up competition appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.

The pair just launched the University Tech Vault, a crowdfunding web portal tailored to funding university science and technology innovations. The site does feature selected U Utah technologies but not exclusively; the site is open to any university looking to crowdfund their early-stage innovations and start-ups. The portal will also be well positioned to enable equity-based crowdfunding in new start-ups once the SEC rules for these offerings are finalized.

“Because university tech transfer offices deal with early-stage technologies, there is quite a bit of vetting and development that must go on before the new technologies are ready for the market,” says Taylor Bench, director of economic development in the TCO. “Crowdfunding allows universities to leverage the power of the crowd to not only get funding for projects, but also to get information that is just as important as the funding: market feedback.”

Getting that crowd input, he adds, is “amazingly helpful in the development of early-stage technologies.” Bench says UTV thus represents “a way to get both funding and that critical feedback and information from stakeholders and potential customers of the technology.”

The TCO already has four start-ups posted on the portal. RocketHub has actually had science and technology crowdfunding campaigns on its platform for some time, Bench notes. “About a year ago, the TCO had an interest in creating crowdfunding campaigns around its technologies,” he says. “That interest sparked research into the topic and the U of U identified RocketHub as the best partner poised to help get its technologies onto a crowdfunding platform.”

After what he refers to as “much collective brainstorming, discussion and work by the U of U and RocketHub,” the UTV was born. For its part, RocketHub, one of the largest crowdfunding platforms in the world — and the biggest in the science and technology space — had been “actively looking at working closely with tech transfer offices to help them fully unlock the potential that lies within their university ecosystem,” reports Alon Hillel-Tuch, founder and CFO there. “We have been approached by various groups, and after engaged conversations with the U of U, we decided to collaborate and create the UTV” — a platform specifically for university and research institution technologies to launch crowdfunding campaigns.

UTV is open to any university, and collaboration between and among universities is encouraged. “It is anticipated that multiple universities will launch multiple campaigns on the platform,” Hillel-Tuch adds, “and leverage their communities, alumni and ecosystems to engage with their campaigns.” A detailed article on the U of Utah collaboration with RocketHub appears in the April issue of Technology Transfer Tactics. To subscribe and access the full article, along with our entire 6-year archive of case studies, best practices, and success strategies for TTOs, CLICK HERE.

The post U Utah, RocketHub collaborate to launch new crowdfunding platform for universities appeared first on Tech Transfer Central.