General Information

• What is technology transfer?
  “Technology transfer (or tech transfer), in the context of research institutions, is the process by which new inventions and other innovations created in those institutions’ labs are turned into products and commercialized. This is typically done in two ways: through licensing patented intellectual property to corporations, and the creation of start-up companies, which also often license the IP created by faculty.”
• What is Industry Engagement?
  “In the context of universities, industry engagement involves a variety of arenas and efforts to bring corporations and the world of academia together for mutual benefit. Engagement can be small – a single project or initiative – or can involve what is known as ‘strategic engagement,’ in which the university and a corporate partner work together on a continuum of projects and activities: student recruitment, sponsored research, curriculum development, clinical trials, philanthropy, workforce training, and more.”

Professional, Industry and Trade Associations

• ACCT Canada
  “ACCT Canada is a nationwide organization operating at the intersection of academic, research and industry. We connect Canada’s innovation ecosystem.”
• American Bar Association — Intellectual Property Law
  “The largest IP organization in the world.”
• American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)
  “A 17,000 member, national bar association constituted primarily of intellectual property lawyers in private & corporate practice, in government service, and in the academic community.”
• Angel Capital Association
  “The Angel Capital Association is a peer organization of angel investing groups in North America. The professional association focuses on networking and sharing of best practices among these angel groups.”
• Association for University Research and Industry Links (AURIL)
  “AURIL is the professional association representing all practitioners involved in knowledge creation, development and exchange in the UK who work to ensure that new ideas, technologies and innovations flow from their institution into the market place.”
• Association of American Universities (AAU)
  “A higher education association web site focusing on the federal funding of university research and education and on university-related policy issues.”
• Association of European Science and Technology Transfer Professionals (ASTP)
  “The mission of ASTP is to professionalize and promote technology and knowledge transfer between the European science base and industry.”
• Association of University Research Parks (AURP)
  Organization created to “promote the development and operations of research parks that foster innovation, commercialization and economic competitiveness in a global economy through collaboration among universities, industry and government.”
• Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM)
  “AUTM’s global network of members represent more than 350 universities, research institutions, teaching hospitals and government agencies as well as hundreds of companies involved with managing and licensing innovations.”
• Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
  “BIO is the world’s largest biotechnology organization, providing advocacy, business development and communications services for more than 1,150 members worldwide.”
• Business Software Alliance (BSA)
  “The BSA is the foremost organization dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world. BSA is the voice of the world’s commercial software industry and its hardware partners before governments and in the international market.”
• C4 – Southwest Ontario’s Technology Transfer Community
  “A consortium dedicated to enhancing commercialization by sharing resources and best practices between ten universities and research institutions in south-western Ontario.”
• Canadian Association of University Research Administrators
  “A national voice for research administrators in Canada.”
• Canadian Bar Association — Intellectual Property Section
  “Law and practice relating to all forms of ownership, licensing, transfer and protection of intellectual property and related property rights, including patents, trademarks, copyright, industrial designs, plant breeders’ rights, as well as trade secrets.”
• Council on Governmental Relations (COGR)
  “COGR is an association of research-intensive universities. It is a key source of critical information on current and emerging issues for its members and agencies sponsoring their research activities.”
• European Association of Research Managers and Administrators (EARMA)
  “EARMA exists to promote the best interests of our Members, by providing services in professional development, networking, and dissemination of best practice in the field of research management.”
• Federal Technology Transfer Offices on the Internet
  This guide links technology searchers to technology transfer offices or centers at Federal Laboratories and related sites, highlighting the features of each site. It is arranged by Federal Department or Agency, then alphabetically by name.
• Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC)
  “National association comprised of over 1,700 members from Canada and abroad. IPIC is the only professional association in Canada to which nearly all patent agents, trade-mark agents and lawyers specializing in intellectual property belong.”
• Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO)
  “A trade association for owners of patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. IPO is the only association in the U.S. that serves all intellectual property owners in all industries and all fields of technology.”
• International Network for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (INSME)
  The INSME’s mission is to stimulate transnational cooperation and public and private partnership in the field of innovation and technology transfer to SMEs.
• Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
  “ICANN was formed in 1998. It is a not-for-profit partnership of people from all over the world dedicated to keeping the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It promotes competition and develops policy on the Internet’s unique identifiers.”
• Japan International Center for Environmental Technology Transfer (ICETT)
  Established through the cooperation of industry, academia, and government to serve as an organization effecting the smooth transfer of Japan’s environmental conservation systems in order to contribute to the conservation of the global environment and the
• Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
• Knowledge Commercialization Australasia (KCA)
  Group whose purpose is to “assist in the development and maintenance of skills associated with knowledge transfer from public sector organisations.”
• Licensing Executives Society International (LESI)
  “The Licensing Executives Society International (LESI) is an association of 32 national and regional societies, each composed of men and women who have an interest in the transfer of technology, or licensing of intellectual property rights.”
• Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science
  “Since 1970, the Max Planck Society has maintained its own company to promote the transfer of technology.”
• National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA)
  “The Association’s purpose is to enhance legal assistance to colleges and universities by educating attorneys and administrators to the nature of campus legal issues.”
• National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC)
  “The nation’s oldest higher education association.” The association’s intellectual property section can be found at: http://www.nasulgc.org/Washington_Watch/Intell_property.htm
• National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA)
  “NCURA serves its members and advances the field of research administration through education and professional development programs, the sharing of knowledge and experience, and by fostering a professional, collegial, and respected community.”
• ProTon Europe
  “The purpose of ProTon Europe is to support the professional development of Knowledge Transfer Offices across Europe through networking, the exchange of good practice, staff exchanges and the delivery of appropriate training.”
• Réseau Curie
  French association dedicated to the exploitation of research and technology transfer.
• Society of Physician Entrepreneurs (SOPE)
  Sope was created with the express purpose of providing education and support to physician entrepreneurs; idea stage through funding.
• Society of Research Administrators International
  SRA International is a “nonprofit association dedicated to the education and the professional development of research administrators, as well as the enhancement of public understanding of the importance of research and its administration.”
• South Africa’s National Advisory Council on Innovation
  NACI has been created to advise the Minister of Science and Technology on the role and contribution of science, mathematics, innovation and technology, including indigenous technologies, in promoting and achieving national objectives.
• Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association
  Organization devoted to professional development and capacity building of those involved in managing research and innovation systems as well as promotion of best practice in the management and administration of research and innovation.
• The National Center for Industrial property Information and training (INPIT)
  An independent administrative institution engaging in comprehensive activities to promote patent licensing and to establish a patent licensing market.
• University Companies Association (UNICO)
  “Unico was founded in 1994 to represent the Technology Exploitation companies of UK Universities. It provides a forum for exchange and development of best practice.”
• WestLink Innovation Network Ltd.
  “WestLink Innovation Network Ltd. is a member-based organization working to address the innovation gap within Canada and beyond.”

General Resources

• A Guide to Copyrights, Trademarks and Patents in Print and Beyond
• Bayh-Dole Act (37 CFR 401)
  Bayh-Dole Act (37 CFR 401) is an important piece of legislation in the field of intellectual property in the United States. The act allows a university, small business, or non-profit institution to pursue ownership of an invention before the government.
• FreePatentsOnline
  This free patent search engine offers advanced search techniques and allows users to create accounts to organize, annotate and share documents.
• Idea Trade Network
  A comprehensive list of patent and copyright offices from around the world.
• Intellectual Property & Innovation Management Handbook
  “Prepared by and for policy-makers, leaders of public sector research establishments, technology transfer professionals, licensing executives, and scientists, this online resource offers up-to-date information and strategies.”
• Japan Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry
• KE Good Practice
  The website’s purpose is to provide a dynamic resource for all those involved in HE knowledge transfer and exchange to share and advance good practice, thereby enhancing the effectiveness and impact of HE Knowledge Transfer and Exchange activity.
• National Paralegal College: Patents, Trademarks & Copyrights
  A good general overview of patent, trademark, and copyright history and concepts
• NextTechs
  “We are a communication vehicle between external innovation and the corporate technology acquisition marketplace.”
• Praxis
  Praxis is a U.K. training programme aimed at technology transfer professionals working in universities, research institutions and industry.
• Wendy Kennedy
  A seasoned technology industry executive, award-winning professor, and author who developed her trademark So what? who cares? why you?™ methodology to help articulate the commercial opportunity that great technical ideas and product innovations represent.
• yet2.com
  “Founded in 1999, yet2.com is focused on bringing buyers and sellers of technologies together so that all parties maximize the return on their investments.”

Government Sites

• Asian and Pacific Centre For Transfer of Technology (APCTT)
  APCTT is a regional institution of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). It was established in 1977 with the objective of facilitating technology transfer in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Canadian Intellectual Property Office
  “The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), a Special Operating Agency (SOA) associated with Industry Canada, is responsible for the administration and processing of the greater part of intellectual property in Canada.”
• EDGAR – U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
  “EDGAR, the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system, performs automated collection, validation, indexing, acceptance, and forwarding of submissions by companies and others with the U.S. Securities an Exchange Commission”
• EU European Commission on Innovation and Technology Transfer
  “CORDIS is free of charge and offers a wide range of information about EU research and innovation policies, EU funding programmes, initiatives, potential partners, and previous and on-going projects.”
• European Patent Office
  The EPO provides uniform application procedures for individual inventors and companies seeking patent protection in 38 European countries. It is the executive arm of the European Patent Organisation and is supervised by the Administrative Council.
• Federal Partners in Technology Transfer (FPTT)
  “FPTT is an established network of federal public servants committed to working together to enhance their professional capacity and to ensure the expeditious transfer of the value created in federal laboratories.”
• Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation (JIII)
  JIII was created to encourage invention, enhance original ideas, promote the practical use of them, and diffuse and develop the industrial property system, thus advancing science and technology and contributing to the development of economy in Japan.
• Japan Patent Office (JPO)
  The main functions of the JPO include granting adequate rights for patents, drafting plans for IP policies, international exchange and cooperation, review of the IP system, and dissemination of information on IP.
• National Research Council Canada (NRC)
  “NRC is composed of over 20 institutes and national programs, spanning a wide variety of disciplines and offering a broad array of services.”
• PubMed, National Library of Medicine
  “PubMed is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine that includes over 17 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals for biomedical articles back to the 1950s.”
• Thomas (Library of Congress)
  THOMAS was launched in January of 1995 to make U.S. legislative information freely available to the public.
• U.S. Copyright Office
  “To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries”
• U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
  “The FCC was established by the Communications Act of 1934 and is charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable.”
• U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
  NIST is a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Dept. of Commerce created to promote innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve quality of life.
• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
  The primary services the agency provides include processing patent and trademark applications and disseminating patent and trademark information.
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
  “UNIDO mobilizes knowledge, skills, information and technology to promote productive employment, a competitive economy and a sound environment.”
• World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
  WIPO is dedicated to developing a balanced and accessible international intellectual property (IP) system, which rewards creativity, stimulates innovation and contributes to economic development while safeguarding the public interest.

Industry News / Blogs

• I/P Updates
  The “I/P Updates” news service is written and published by William F. (“Bill”) Heinze, an intellectual property attorney in Atlanta, Georgia USA. It provides the latest news and information for intellectual property practitioners.
• IP Dragon
  “Gathering, commenting on and sharing information about intellectual property in China to make it more transparent, since 2005”
• IPBiz
  Intellectual property news affecting business and everyday life
• IPKat
  “Since June 2003 the IPKat weblog has covered copyright, patent, trade mark and privacy/confidentiality issues from a mainly UK and European perspective.”
• Patent Baristas
  Patent Baristas is an intellectual property news and commentary site featuring freshly brewed chat on patent and IP issues in the biosciences.
• Patently O
  Patent law blog written by Dennis Crouch, Associate Professor of Law at University of Missouri School of Law
• Spicy IP
  “We aim to increase transparency in Indian intellectual property policy/institutions. We also stand for fair, objective and accurate reporting/review of intellectual property and innovation policy news from india.”
• TechLink News
  Reporting news on the latest available technologies and license agreements
• Wall Street Journal Intellectual Property Blog