Proactively and Strategically Managing Innovation (or Tips for Avoiding the Tech Transfer Chasm): A Free Webcast

There’s a big difference between how research organizations and private corporations communicate and think about technology transfer. Research organizations tend to focus on how to manage and share their intellectual property (IP). Technologies are often embryonic, development moves at a deliberate pace, and the focus isn’t so much on developing a product as on developing the next innovation. For industry, IP has to serve a purpose and advance the bottom line, whether it’s creating new revenue sources, improving net profits, or moving products quickly into the marketplace.

Research organizations that act proactively can bridge this naturally occurring tech transfer chasm by understanding the differences between the two types of organizations, communicating in a way that industry understands, and focusing on what is important to industry.

Identifying and implementing strategies to achieve tech transfer success is the subject of our new webcast, Proactively and Strategically Managing Innovation: Creating the Efficient and Effective Technology Transfer Office. In this 55-minute free webcast, developed for tech transfer professionals and now available for viewing through the in-depth insights section of our website, you’ll learn how to:

• Bridge the tech transfer chasm
• Maximize results using Symbiotic Innovation
• Strategically manage your research organization’s IP
• Establish and maintain an online presence
• Develop a phased approach to accomplish your goals

Allow me to elaborate on a few of these items here.

To help bridge the communication gap between research organizations and private
industry, we at Fuentek have developed an approach that we call Symbiotic Innovation, which acknowledges that for technologies to be successfully transferred and commercialized, they have to fill a need. Symbiotic Innovation is the notion that technology spin-out (commercializing technology) and spin-in (technology sourcing, collaborative R&D partnerships) are interdependent activities that are best pursued simultaneously.

The goal is to develop more than just single transactions. As in business relationships, it’s costly to generate new tech transfer relationships, whether in licensing or R&D. But if you maintain a relationship with the same organization over a long period of time, the relationship can be much more cost-effective and productive.

In the free webcast, I discuss how to make sure corporations can find you when they go looking for technology solutions. There are many communication tools you can use to ensure you are found by companies looking for the solutions you have to offer. At the top of the list is having a top-notch website that is credible and professional and includes information on the technologies you’re developing. This is expected and absolutely necessary. Without it, your office won’t be taken seriously. And while social media used to be considered “nice to have,” today it’s something you need to plan for. There are tips for implementing these strategies and more in the webcast.

It’s well worth about an hour of your time to listen to some of best practices that we’ve spent a decade refining. And if you would like to discuss how Fuentek can help you apply these best practices at your organization, contact us today.