University and Government Tech Transfer Offices
A Roadmap for Commercializing Federally Funded Research: Guidance for University and Government Lab Technology Transfer
(paper PDF-1/2012) Federal R&D funding results in significant amounts of innovation at universities and in government labs. To reap the economic, humanitarian, or other benefits of this R&D requires proactive, efficient, and effective filtering through the dozens—or even hundreds—of innovations that the researchers report each year. This paper presents a filtering model for identifying and prioritizing high-potential technologies offering implementation guidance as well as specific real-world examples of the model in practice.
Best Practices in Centralization, Coordination, and Consolidation in University Technology Transfer Offices
(paper PDF-3/2011) Technology transfer programs at major research universities and other large institutions vary greatly in their technology transfer structure, both at the campus level and (for large, multi-campus institutions) at the institutional level. This paper discusses best practices for implementing (1) centralization within a single campus, (2) coordination across multiple campuses, and (3) consolidation across multiple campuses. Although written with a focus on universities, the principles and practices are applicable to federal laboratories as well.
Enhancing Economic Development through Technology Transfer of Federal- and State-Funded R&D
(paper PDF-11/2010) Federal- and state-funded research and development (R&D) organizations such as public universities and government laboratories have the potential to positively impact regional economic development in many ways. Some of these contributions emerge from these organizations' technology transfer programs. This paper offers specific ways that R&D organization TTOs and economic development agencies can contribute to a mutually beneficial partnership.
Developing an Effective Internship Program for Your University's Technology Transfer Office
(paper PDF-3/2010) There has been much buzz throughout the technology transfer industry about using MBA candidates and other graduate students as an inexpensive resource for university technology transfer offices (TTOs). Tech transfer internship programs offer many benefits to both the students and the organization, but cost-cutting advantages (if any) are low on that list. Still, the tremendous experience such a program can offer students--training the future leaders of the business and tech transfer fields--provides reason enough to commit to an internship program. This paper gives insights into some of the best practices learned at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), which is described in an accompanying case study.
Tech Transfer Office Best Practices
Proactively and Strategically Managing Innovation
(webinar-4/2012) This webinar provides details on creating an efficient and effective technology transfer office. Learn to implement the strategies to achieve tech transfer success, while achieving your goals and meeting your metrics.
Digital Media Guidelines for Tech Transfer Offices
(paper PDF-9/2011) This paper provides comprehensive guidance for all aspects of digital media for tech transfer. In addition to well-established digital tools, such as Web sites, IP exchanges, open innovation portals, and e-mail marketing for licensing and partnership opportunities, the paper discusses strategies for various social media tools. These tools include blogs; microblogging via a Twitter® feed; networking tools such as LinkedIn® and Facebook® sites; and sites for sharing video, slideshows, or other content.
Proactively and Strategically Managing IP
(webcast-5/2011) This webcast provides an overview of each step in the Fuentek Filtering Process, which enables TTOs to be proactive and strategic in managing the many technologies in the intellectual property (IP) portfolio. From screening and assessment into marketing and deal making, this process enhances cost-effectiveness and success.
How'd We Do?: Establishing Useful Technology Transfer Metrics
(paper PDF-10/19/2010) Research-based recommendations for measuring performance and success of tech transfer programs in government, academic, and corporate institutions.
How to Build an Effective Technology Transfer Web Site
(paper PDF-7/2010) Details on creating a Web site that is valuable for your prospective licensees, partners, and other internal and external stakeholders.
Leveraging Social Media for Technology Transfer Marketing
(paper PDF-3/2011) Whether your TTO is already blogging and tweeting or still evaluating the best way to leverage the benefits of Web-based communication tools, this comprehensive primer will help you plan and execute a comprehensive social media strategy. Packed with practical tips, the white paper offers experience-based recommendations for the effective use of the leading social media platforms.
How to Apply for and Win Tech Awards
(podcast-8/2010) Fuentek's Nannette Stangle-Castor discusses why you should submit your technologies for awards and how winning awards can augment your technology transfer efforts.
Technology Marketing
How to Build an Effective Technology Transfer Web Site
(paper PDF-7/2010) Details on creating a Web site that is valuable for your prospective licensees, partners, and other internal and external stakeholders.
How to Write an Effective Technology Marketing Description
(paper PDF-7/2010) Web pages about your licensing/partnering opportunities are a vital component of your overall marketing effort to transfer technologies to and partner with industry, adademia, and government organizations. Such Web pages have the advantage of being dynamic, enabling you to make updates and changes as the technology is further developed or as you receive feedback about the page's content. This paper discusses important factors to consider before you start creating the technology marketing description and presents a step-by-step process for preparing an effective marketing piece.
Leveraging Social Media for Technology Transfer Marketing
(paper PDF-3/2011) Whether your TTO is already blogging and tweeting or still evaluating the best way to leverage the benefits of Web-based communication tools, this comprehensive primer will help you plan and execute a comprehensive social media strategy. Packed with practical tips, the white paper offers experience-based recommendations for the effective use of the leading social media platforms.
The Pros and Cons of No-Cost License Revenue-Sharing Patent Marketing and Brokerage Services
(paper PDF-11/2009) Guidance for federal agencies considering various venues for "passively" marketing their technologies.
Crafting Your Technology Marketing Message
(webcast-5/2011) Just because you're using social media doesn't mean you can ignore the basics. You have to think about the AMMO: your Audience, your Message, the best Mechanism for conveying that message, and the desired Outcomes. This webcast discusses the AMMO and teaches you how to craft your message effectively.
Mechanisms for Technology Marketing
(webcast-5/2011) What is the best way to reach your licensing prospects? This webcast gives a comprehensive review of the various traditional, digital, and social media mechanisms for marketing your technologies. The instructors also present the key questions to ask yourself in determining the best mechanisms.
Marketing Your Technologies Online
(webcast-5/2011) The Web is an ideal tool for promoting your licensing opportunities. But what does an effective technology marketing Web page look like? This webcast provides you a list of the must-have elements for your technology Web pages and shows a real-world page as a sample.
Using Blogs to Market Your Technologies: How and Why
(webcast-5/2011) This webcast provides key tips for technology blog postings and presents hard data on the value of using blogs to promote your technology licensing opportunities.
How to Do an Inventor Podcast for Tech Transfer Marketing
(webcast-5/2011) Podcasts can be an excellent tool for explaining a technology available for licensing... if they are done well. This webcast gives you the key information you need to plan and deliver an effective inventor podcast. Also discussed are the results that podcasts can help generate in terms of leads.
Technology Evaluation
Laura Schoppe Discusses Patent Portfolio Screening
(podcast-6/2008) In this podcast, Schoppe explains what these screenings involve and how they can help companies maximize the value of their intellectual property. She offers advice on when companies should screen their intellectual property and goes into detail about the importance of performing these screenings.
Why Perform Technology Screenings
(webcast-6/2011) In addition to discussing what screenings are and why they are important, this webcast provides real-world data about the outcomes for two organizations that used Fuentek's methodology for technology triage.
The What? and Why? of Market-Based Assessments
(webcast-11/2011) After discussing why the market-based assessment is needed before marketing technologies, this 3-minute webcast explains what you get out of an assessment and how this step is distinct from rapid screenings.
The Technology Overview in Market-Based Assessments
(webcast-11/2011) This 3-minute webcast outlines the components of an effective technology overview—a key element in market-based assessments—and provides two real-world examples.
Technology and Market Research
Research Tip: Developing Keywords
(webcast-6/2011) This webcast provides useful advice on how to use effective keywords in conducting research into the market potential for a technology, as part of the preliminary technology screening or market-based technology assessment processes, allowing you to obtain valuable market data quickly.
Conducting Tech Transfer Interviews with Inventors
(webcast-6/2011) Inventor interviews are a key step in all market-based technology assessments and in some preliminary technology screenings. This webcast will help you get the most out of an inventor interview, providing advice the right questions to ask and what to do with the answers.
The Value Chain
(webcast-11/2011) Doing the homework of a market-based assessment includes understanding where the technology fits into the value chain. This 2-minute webcast explains the various levels of the value chain.
Open Innovation, Symbiotic Innovation, and Collaborative R&D
Investigate before Investing: Using Technology Transfer Principles to Guide R&D
(paper PDF-10/2005) Achieving space program goals in a cost- and time-efficient manner requires that research and development (R&D) investments be strategically directed. An efficient R&D strategy involves careful investigation into existing sources of technical solutions. The investigations into sources for potential technology solutions and the future potential market/social benefits via spin-off are complementary activities that can, and should, be undertaken simultaneously. The findings are dually informative and should be gathered before R&D investments are made. This paper describes how to conduct these investigations.
Sources for Space Technologies: Finding and Evaluating New Partners
(paper PDF-10/2006) Successful technology infusion requires (1) finding a match between an organization's needs and technologies and those of an external partner and (2) helping both parties realize that they have something to gain from working collaboratively. After assessing whether the specific technical need is fully understood and confirming that pursuing partnerships to fulfill that need is indeed a worthy venture (i.e., a "need assessment"), one begins a Strategize-Seek-Secure process. The Strategize phase includes using appropriate parameters and sources to search for all organizations that might be potential partners and then down-selecting the results to only those that are truly relevant. These remaining organizations are then ranked A, B, or C, and a strategy is devised for approaching each level as well as each individual organization. During the Seek phase, appropriate communication materials are developed and used to contact potential partners. Using the information gleaned from these interviews, one then evaluates the organizations, re-ranking them as needed. The Secure phase involves facilitating meetings and conducting negotiations between the potential partner(s) and the internal "Need Owner" who will participate in any agreement for collaborative research and development (R&D). This entire process is part of the "6-S for Partnership Development Success" methodology.
Understand-Address-Present: A 'New Product Development' Approach to Open Innovation
(paper PDF-9/2008) Although the concept of "open innovation" has been expanding its reach into corporate and government R&D laboratories, many organizations still struggle with this paradigm shift. A key challenge can be overcoming the unwillingness to accept ideas/technologies from outside sources. Communicating the value of open innovation clearly and effectively with program managers is essential. Extensive research and first-hand experience indicate that a three-phase, customer-focused approach similar to that used in new product development is effective. This paper presents this three-phase strategy.
Laura Schoppe Discusses Collaborative Research and Development
(podcast-6/2008) In this podcast, Schoppe addresses technology infusion and explains what steps companies should take before searching for potential partners. She goes into detail about the Strategize-Seek-Secure process and how following that methodology will ensure the success of a technology partnership.