A few months ago, the IP Marketing Blog discussed the OpenUlster program at the University of Ulster in Ireland and its evaluation license. It caught my attention for its efforts to streamline licensing and help mitigate the risks that potential licensees may feel when contemplating a new technology. Here’s how the blogger described it: ‘To take out an evaluation license, which costs just one Pound, the visitor just clicks on the link to download the documents, fill out two forms and return them both to Ulster. “When the license is countersigned by one of our commercialization team, the firm has exclusivity to evaluate that technology,” says [technology commercialization manager Dr. John] MacRae… At the end of the evaluation period… the evaluation license can be converted into a full commercial license.”’ Continue reading →
Last week, a tech transfer professional at a university asked me which patent analysis tools Fuentek uses in our market-based technology assessments. Our conversation then evolved into a discussion about how we use patent mapping as well as the value patent maps provide in evaluating a technology’s commercial potential. I’d like to share with you the perspective that I shared with him. Let me begin by being crystal clear: I firmly believe that analysis tools providing visual maps of the patent landscape play a useful role in… 
Although we’ve been blogging a lot lately about effective technology marketing strategies (especially given our new 
Sometimes the most straightforward tech transfer situation can turn into something completely different. Sometimes the simple spin-out of a technology can morph into a larger collaborative R&D partnership. This is why Fuentek always takes a Symbiotic Innovation approach when helping our clients with technology transfer. And today’s Stories from the Field post describes just such a case. 
Innovators can often be a huge asset when you are in discussions with a potential licensee. After all, they bring more knowledge and expertise about the invention to the table than anyone else. They also often are a good source of information about potential applications and target markets. But as we at Fuentek have learned over many years of experience, one should never underestimate the strength of the connection between the innovator and his or her invention–and how that can help or hinder the commercialization process. Let’s take a look at a specific example. 
When moving from the screening into the assessment phase of IP management, it’s important to keep an open mind—and open ears—during the market-based assessment. I say “ears” because Fuentek assessments include interviews with industry experts, which provide extremely valuable market information that guides decisions about how, where, and when—or even whether—to begin marketing the technology. Listening carefully to what industry experts have to say about the market’s needs with respect to the technology lets you know which action is most appropriate. And in some cases, this means not merely holding off on marketing but actually stopping the assessment early. Let’s take a look at a real-world example. 
A recent conversation on one of the AUTM® discussion groups focused on formalizing a technology transfer office’s (TTO’s) triage process. The director initiating the discussion was contemplating using interns for technology triage because his resources are limited and he wanted his licensing project managers to remain focused on getting deals executed. Overall his plan was to start providing feedback on inventions in a standardized format and within a certain timeframe as a way to improve relations and build credibility with faculty. All of this sent me down memory lane!… 
Prioritizing an intellectual property (IP) portfolio is an important, and often huge, task for tech transfer offices (TTOs). In today’s Stories from the Field post, I share details of how an efficient and effective IP portfolio screening helped a university do more than just prioritize its IP for future technology transfer and marketing efforts. A major research university approached Fuentek about screening a group of 30 technologies in the nanotechnology sector… 
We at Fuentek are big believers in the power of specific, tailored marketing messages for technology transfer. Our approach focuses on the AMMO: Audience, Message, Mechanism, Outcome. In today’s Stories from the Field post, I’m going to share specific details of how we used this method to help a client accomplish a successful tech transfer outreach event. NASA’s Glenn Research Center approached us about putting together a technology showcase that would introduce Ohio businesses… 