FUNDAMENTALS OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

This series of courses is designed to actively engage participants through use of case studies, exercises, and team learning. The Fundamentals suite of courses provide the education and tools needed to effectively evaluate innovations, manage intellectual property management, value innovations, and conduct marketing, licensing, and negotiations.

• Assessing and Valuing Early Stage Innovations: key factors to take in to account. Commercialization of early stage innovations from basic research face an uphill battle. They are often basic in nature, or are ahead of the current state of the art. Because of that there are several factors to take in to account when assessing and valuing these innovations. Concepts taught in the course are applied to real-life examples to illustrate their application.
• Managing Intellectual Assets: The Right Information at the Right Time. Over time, every technology transfer office accumulates a large portfolio of unlicensed technologies. It is important from the outset to create benchmarks and milestones in the management of intellectual assets to maximize efficacy and efficiency, and to achieve maximum value for the institution. This course provides basic information on the factors to consider when making decisions and the tools that a technology transfer manager would need to be effective.
• Marketing Innovations: What Industry Wants. Marketing is an essential function of technology transfer offices. Messages have to be tailored for each category of stakeholders, in addition to marketing technologies to companies. This course provides and overview of marketing concepts, and how these concepts can be applied to marketing for a technology transfer office.
• Best Practices for Technology Gap Funds. There are an increasing number of universities and non-government entities that now provide proof-of-concept funds to increase the technology readiness level of innovations. This course provides examples of practices that have resulted in successful programs. The course provides strategies on how to best use information and resources to enhance the licensing of innovations.
• Market Research for Technology Transfer. Market research for technology transfer differs considerably from traditional market research. The basics of market research still apply and the question of users, customers, market need and drivers still need to be answered. It is usually not sufficient to only do a web search or limit yourself to secondary data. Lear how to use Porter’s Five Forces model for “on the go” quick market research and analysis. Start with a clear set of objectives, identify the target audience, ask the right questions, and effectively use the information collected. This helps define the market for the technology as well as create a compelling narrative to interest potential partners and licensees.
• Lead Generation and Management. Effective generation of “qualified leads” - both for marketing specific technologies and for marketing the technology transfer office - is extremely important as this is one the most time-consuming tasks in marketing technologies. Lead generation methods and management are addressed, including tools and techniques for effective lead generation.  
• Quantitative Patent Analysis. Quantitative patent analysis (QPA) is not determining patentability. QPA is a systematic approach to analyze the patent landscape to improve the quality of patent applications and patent portfolios. In addition, this process also provides insights regarding market trends and potential partner leads. QPA can be used to decide on how to move forward with a potential technology before large amounts of money are spent to obtain patent protection.
• The Art of the Value Proposition. A value proposition statement is the single most effective way to communicate with potential licensees and collaboration partners. Analyzing innovation to determine their value proposition means bringing together aspects of science, business and law that make commercial sense, and is targeted to the audience being addressed. Innovations arising from universities are often ideas with some data (not products) for which the value proposition needs to convey how the innovation fulfills a need.
• Valuation. University research results in early stage technologies, which can be labeled as “ideas for products” and that often only have preliminary or anecdotal evidence, no prototypes, and may not directly fulfill a need. Valuing such early stage technologies is a challenge and needs to be done with great care. Concepts of value creation and key licensing terms that affect licensing are important to consider when using typical methodologies such as comparable, industry standards, discounted cash flow, real options, and equity.
• Licensing and Negotiation. Negotiating license agreement and sponsored research deals is one of the core functions of a technology transfer office. This course prepares you for negotiations by providing insights in negotiation strategy, identifying and sharing needs to achieve success. The participants will also learn how prepare for negotiation and how to anticipate and react in the negotiation process. Active case studies are used to illustrate key points.