Calling all technology transfer professionals! Whether you use social media in your work or not, this survey is for you. Longtime readers of Fuentek’s blog may remember that 2 years ago we invited the tech transfer industry to complete a survey about current/planned use for social media. The results of that survey showed that many respondents had started (or planned) to use LinkedIn®, Twitter®, and to a lesser extent Facebook® and blogging to build their brand, market technologies, and build community. Well, 2 years is an eternity on the Internet. And since I’m participating in a panel called “Social Media Unplugged: Is It Worth the Hype?” at the annual meeting of the Association of University Technology Managers® (AUTM®) in San Antonio, Texas, later this month, it’s time to revisit the question:… Continue reading →
It’s time for another post about articles and other tidbits we’ve read that we think you should read too. Feel free to share your thoughts about these items or tell us about your favorite tech transfer stories. Post a comment below or email us via our Contact Us page. 
This summer, the technology transfer office (TTO) at Vanderbilt University conducted an informal survey of members of the AUTM® directors online discussion group on TTO policies and practices regarding returning rights to inventors. I found the results from the 84 respondents intriguing, as should advocates for free agency in tech transfer (including sponsors of the current Startup Act legislation). That’s because this survey showed that the essence of free agency — that is, giving innovators the right to pursue commercialization of their technology — is already in place… and the innovators are not pursuing it. Let’s look at the data. 
We’ve wrapped up our previous poll about why marketing projects tend to go awry. So looking ahead to 2012, we’re wondering:
Two weeks ago we launched a poll asking tech transfer offices (TTOs) what tends to be the primary reason for technology marketing efforts not ending in a deal. The early results are starting to show a trend. (You can still take the poll, BTW.) As you can see in the pie chart, few respondents said the problem tended to be caused by internal issues, such as a lack of resources or a time-consuming process. Instead, the majority (77%) attribute it to a lack of market interest or to technology issues. 
Nobody ever said tech transfer was easy. It isn’t, and we have plenty of stories from the field to prove it (as do you, I’m sure). Marketing seems to be one of the most challenging areas. There are lots of ways a marketing effort can go awry and not result in a deal. We’re wondering whether that tends to happen for recurring reasons across tech transfer offices (TTOs). So we’re taking a poll: When your TTO’s technology marketing projects don’t end in a deal, what tends to be the primary reason? 
We’re seeing some interesting results for our poll regarding how frequently tech transfer offices (TTOs) attend industry conferences and events to market their technologies or partnership opportunities. As you can see in the chart, nearly three-quarters of all respondents use trade shows minimally or not at all. These responses are not surprising. Attending industry conferences and trade shows is an expensive way to do tech transfer marketing, regardless of whether you have a booth in the exhibit hall. Even if they are local events,… 
We have found that industry conferences and trade shows can be a great way to connect with potential partners and licensees. Not only are they a captive audience, but often they’ve chosen to come to the event because they are interested in talking about collaboration. Having a booth or other display is one way to create opportunities for those conversations. If you choose to go that route, then the type of display or booth you bring should match your goals and the type of event. For example,… 
Fuentek is launching a new poll today. The question: How many times last year did your tech transfer office market licensing/partnership opportunities by attending an industry conference or trade show? You can take 
