What’s the best way to get federally funded technologies out of university and federal labs and into the market? This is the big question of late, and it’s generating a lot of hubbub. Regardless of the merits of all of the initiatives, directives, and legislation, I think a key aspect is being overlooked. As any technology transfer office (TTO) can tell you, not every technology emerging from federal R&D spending will be the next Honeycrisp™ apple, implantable pacemaker, or Red Hat, Inc. But some do have the potential to launch new companies, improve or expand the product/service offerings of existing companies, create jobs, or otherwise positively impact the U.S. economy and/or provide humanitarian benefits. The question is: Which technologies? And, more importantly, how do TTOs find them and commercialize them efficiently? Continue reading →
If you’ve read our earlier posts about market-based technology assessment, you know that Fuentek recommends this second step of technology evaluation as an essential precursor to technology transfer marketing. Assuming you are going to proceed with marketing a particular technology, how do you use the assessment’s information and analysis to begin developing the tech transfer marketing plan? The best marketing plans are those that take into account the questions listed here. It looks a little bit like the guidelines that our teachers used in writing classes. But this isn’t surprising since ultimately technology marketing is a communication effort. 
As I’ve blogged about previously, it is essential that you determine the market’s interest in a new technology before marketing it. In pursuing that information—be it through a market-based assessment like Fuentek’s or some other market research activity—one must not underestimate the value of the technology overview. Whether it’s to ensure your own understanding of the innovation or whether you use it to explain it to industry experts, a strong technology overview is paramount. Without a clear understanding of the technology, how can its market potential be understood? Fuentek has found that an effective technology overview includes… 
The impending shift from a “first to invent” to a “first inventor to file” structure under the recently passed America Invents Act is causing quite a bit of turmoil in the technology transfer industry. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has provided some explanations via FAQs and a letter from director Kappos, yet the rumblings continue. Some in the industry suggest that the appropriate response is to file quick-and-dirty provisionals on virtually everything that comes in the door. I’m sure technology transfer offices (TTOs) hear this advice. But I sincerely hope they do not heed it. 
Before you pick up the phone to gather industry opinions as you assess a technology’s commercial value, do some homework to identify the right experts to call. Who are they? Target those who are most likely to influence or have a viable interest in adopting the technology. How do you find them? Consider the value chain. In doing hundreds of assessments for our clients, Fuentek has found the value chain to be an essential tool to identify target markets and prospective licensees. Basically, the value chain is… 
We at Fuentek have run across some interesting items that I think you’ll want to read. In fact, we’ve decided to turn this occasional post into a monthly feature on our blog. Happy reading, and let us know what you think by posting a comment below or by sending us a private message via our Contact Us page. 
Though it may be tempting to jump immediately into marketing an exciting technology that seems bound for tech transfer success, it’s important to look before you leap to ensure you’re making the best decisions about where to allocate your finite time and resources. Proactive research and planning is critical for developing marketing strategies that are efficient and cost-effective. We’ve blogged about this in our posts about the initial rapid screening and the more in-depth market-based assessment—the two steps for making informed commercialization decisions. The market-based assessment is so essential to technology transfer success that Fuentek has released a free webcast about it. 
Has your tech transfer office set some resolutions for 2012? I’ve been doing some thinking about that, particularly in the context of the political landscape of late that TTOs must navigate. It’s certainly not news that in the last few years politics has been wagging the dog when it comes to tech transfer. And 2011 was no exception. For example, there was a big push toward using tech transfer to generate economic development and startups. But well-intentioned policies are not always aligned with what really brings value to technology communities, not to mention the universities and government labs where the technologies originate. 
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. 
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… 