VP Jenna Matheny Featured on ABA Law Student Podcast!

The IP Career Path: Blending Law, Biotech, and Business Strategy with Jenna Matheny

Targeted for law students, but a great listen for anyone interested in technology transfer and biomedical innovation, Jenna discusses the innovation lifecycle from invention disclosure and patent strategy to regulatory approval (FDA) and commercialization. Topics include:

• The Business of IP: The critical, often-overlooked importance of contracting and compliance in developing and licensing medical technology.

• Finding Your Niche: Jenna's unique career path through university Tech Transfer offices, incubators, and accelerators—and how law students can get their foot in the door.

• Beyond Science: The growing field of social innovation and how non-science majors can find rewarding IP careers focused on copyright and trademark.

• Practical Law School Advice: Which broad-based courses (like securities and international tax) set you up for success, and the value of clinics and residencies.

APIOiX Launches FREE Professional Development Course, “FOUNDATIONS of Academic Technology Transfer”

Designed for early-career technology transfer professionals with less than twelve months’ experience, the APIOiX Foundations of Academic Technology Transfer course lays the groundwork necessary to survive and thrive in academic and research institutions.

Interactive presentations will permit early career technology transfer professionals to put basic structures and concepts into institutional context. Sessions will cover common TTO structures, understanding policies and regulations, contracting basics, ethics and conflicts of interest, and soft skills necessary for success in technology transfer and career growth. 

This FREE training is provided by individuals with decades of experience in establishing and managing university technology transfer offices in the US and abroad. Join us on October 22nd and 23nd from 12:00-1:30 PM Eastern Time. Click now for more information.

NSF ART Seed Grant Reviews and Training at UW Innovation Week

Jenna Matheny, VP, conducting training on principles of market-driven research at the University of Wyoming

APIOiX provides program management and capacity-building at institutions and government agencies, worldwide. Over the last several years, we’ve provided support to re-engineer the University of Wyoming’s TTO and to launch and manage UW’s NSF ART program. In particular, the seed translational research grant and Ambassador programs.

With round two of the seed grant applications reviewed and awarded, APIOiX personnel returned to the UW campus for Innovation Week. Training was provided for NSF ART Ambassadors and seed grant recipients, including presentations on how to write a winning translational research grant application, and conducting customer discovery. The latter serves as an intro to the NSF I-Corps program.

APIOiX VP Jenna Matheny, formerly head of the NSF I-Corps program at the University of New Hampshire is one of a select group of I-Corps trainers in the U.S. For the Ambassador Customer Discovery Program, Matheny works hands-on with graduate students and post-doctoral fellows to teach basic I-Corps principles.

APIOiX and AUTM Essentials

APIOiX personnel have long served as professional development faculty for AUTM. This year, long-time Essentials course faculty Arundeep Pradhan, MS and Ellen Purpus, PhD complete their tenure on the committee and welcome new faculty member, Jenna Matheny, JD.

Additionally, APIOiX has teamed up with AUTM to bring AUTM Essentials to the Caribbean. The event is planned for January of 2026 in Kingston, Jamaica. The course committee with be lead by part-time APIOiX consultant and Executive director of innovation and commercialization at the University of Texas Permian Basin.

Stay tuned for more details!

Jenna Matheny, JD Joins APIOiX as Vice President

Jenna Matheny, JD and new VP at APIOiX

We are thrilled to announce that Jenna Matheny, JD has joined APIOiX. She is the former Director of Technology Transfer at the University of New Hampshire and has led UNH to three separate top 10 rankings for licensing over the last 5 years. Jenna has 17 years of experience in licensing, intellectual property protection and management, business development, and technology commercialization in multiple sectors. She has served as adjunct faculty at UNH, teaching in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences and at the UNH Franklin Pierce Law School. Before joining UNH, Jenna worked at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, at Tulane University, and the New Orleans BioInnovation Center.

She is active with AUTM and is a frequent speaker on intellectual property, contracts, and technology commercialization.

APIOiX Conducts NSF ART Ambassador Training at UW Forum

University of Wyoming’s Technology Transfer Office hosted a two-day event called the National Science Foundation (NSF) ART Ambassador Forum last month to educate and inform more than 40 ambassadors who are volunteers from within and beyond the campus. These ambassadors are tasked with building and sustaining awareness of ways to maximize potential of UW research for outcomes that benefit local, regional and statewide communities of Wyoming.

L to R: Brooks Teuting, Patterson + Sheridan Law; Arundeep Pradhan, University of Wyoming; Mike Freeman, Innosphere

ART, which stands for “Accelerated Research Translation,” is a relatively new NSF funding program designed to support research institutions such as UW that seek to broaden and improve their ability to make academic research beneficial to the public. APIOiX provides implementation support and training to the UW ART program.

“Identifying and training NSF ART ambassadors at UW is a crucial step for us to ensure we are making the most of our research when it comes to applying it for community benefit,” says Parag Chitnis, UW vice president for research and economic development. “This forum helped us educate and inform people we will rely upon to be champions of research translation for UW in the months and years ahead. This is a crucial effort that will increase the pace and scale of making UW research relevant and useful to Wyoming residents.”

Read the UW News Release

Launch of Jamaica Innovations

The Jamaican National Technology Commercialization Program, Jamaica Innovations, officially launched at the 31st Annual Science and Technology Conference.

Jamaica Innovations is the result of a year-long effort to assess needs, develop a strategy, and train personnel. The program is funded by the Development Bank of Jamaica as part of their BIGEE initiative to Boost Innovation, Growth, and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in the country. The launch featured a panel of speakers representing each of the participating institutions,:

Christopher Brown, Development Bank of Jamaica

Prince Graham-Hayes, University of Technology Jamaica

Marjorie Buckley, Northern Caribbean University

John Lindo, University of the West Indies, Mona

Charah Watson, Scientific Research Counsel

Arundeep Pradhan, APIOiX

From Right to Left: Christopher Brown, Prince Graham-Hayes, Marjorie Buckley, John Lindo, Charah Watson, and Arundeep Pradhan

Purpus and Mattu join APIOiX, Pradhan and Batalia Appointed to Academic Leadership Roles

APIOiX is pleased to announce that Ellen Purpus, PhD, RTTP and Taj Mattu, PhD have joined APIOiX as Managing Directors.

Ellen was Assistant Vice-President for Enterprise and Innovation at the University of Nevada, Reno where she managed technology development and commercialization programs including the InNEVation Center, the Nevada Center for Applied Research, and Manufacture Nevada. Prior to UNR, Ellen was Director of Technology Transfer at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Taj is the Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Bristol, CEO of Nidor Diagnostics, Ltd, and former Director at Foresight Science & Technology where he founded and managed the company’s UK division.

In other people news, APIOiX co-founder, Arundeep Pradhan has been appointed Deputy Vice-President of Research & Innovation at the University of Wyoming. He will continue to consult for APIOiX and retains the title of Managing Director. Finally, APIOiX Managing Director, Michael Batalia, PhD, has been appointed Senior Director of Business Development and Licensing at the University of Chicago Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

APIOiX Begins Work with the Development Bank of Jamaica

APIOiX has been engaged by the Development Bank of Jamaica to launch a national academic technology commercialization program. The effort is led by BIGEE: Boosting Innovation, Growth and Entrepreneurship Ecosystems, a DBJ program created to provide “opportunities to all Jamaicans to improve their quality of life through development financing, capacity building, public private partnership and privatisation solutions in keeping with Government policy.”

The APIOiX team will work with BIGEE to conduct assessments, develop a technology commercialization program launch plan, and provide direct support, mentorship, and training to technology transfer professionals and academic innovators at Jamaican universities.

Technology Transfer Training in Athens

APIOiX professionals are working with the Archimedes Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Athens to provide technology transfer and intellectual property management training under a grant from the EU, with an onsite training from January 15-18, 2024. Topics will include Innovation Assessment, Market Research, Marketing Strategies, and Management of Digital Works.

University of Wyoming Receives $6m NSF Grant

The APIOiX grant writing team worked diligently with their client, the University of Wyoming, to help secure a $6 million from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) inaugural Accelerating Research Translation (ART) program, which is designed to accelerate the pace of academic translational research and grow the U.S. economy.

According to the UW press release “This ART project will catalyze university-wide change to foster and speed up the pace of research-enabled innovation,” says Parag Chitnis, UW’s vice president for research and economic development. “Experiential training will be conducted, with an emphasis on graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. Seed translational research projects will be selected to help diversify and grow the Wyoming economy.”

African Academy of Science Training

APIOiX Managing Director, Ray Wheatley, traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, in September to conduct training for the African Academy of Sciences, at their first-ever “Forum on Technology Transfer, Innovation, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship Resource Network for Africa.”

The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) hosted the forum in collaboration with Michigan State University (MSU). The event brought together technology transfer trainers and leaders from across Africa, the United States of America, and India. According to the UNISA website:

“The Forum on Technology Transfer, Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Commercialisation Resource Network for Africa will continue to share information and convene annually under the auspices of the African Academy of Sciences. The long-term goal is to develop technology transfer capacity and competence across the continent.”

Nevada SAGE Fall Training 2023

Now in its 5th year, APIOiX continues its long-running collaboration with SAGE, conducting a Fall 2023 training program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Nevada’s SAGE: the Sierra Accelerator for Growth and Entrepreneurship is a statewide partnership offered through the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the University of Nevada, Reno, and APIO Innovation Transfer (APIOiX). SAGE is funded by the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED).

SAGE is open to all Nevada for-profit technology-based small businesses (fewer than 500 employees). Faculty or community entrepreneurs bring their business concepts to the SAGE team. Initial discussions determine to which agency to apply, map a strategy and even determine whether the business concept is ready for an SBIR or STTR proposal.

If the decision is made to go forward with an application, SAGE assists with proposal writing and navigating the federal grant registration system.

Keynote Address at NI-MSME International Conference, Hyderabad

Arun presented a keynote address at the Indian National Institute for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises in Hyderabad. His talk focused on what is important for small and medium enterprises to consider developing an intellectual property strategy, with a focus on factors that contribute to success.

After the conference, Arun noted “ Having the opportunity to meet with entrepreneurs and practitioners in Hyderabad was eye-opening, not only in the level of sophistication but also the entrepreneurial infrastructure being developed in Hyderabad.”

For more information on the great things being done by NI-MSME in India, visit their website. APIOiX is proud to be an ongoing contributor to innovation and entrepreneurship in India.

New Research on Licensing Outcomes Presented at AUTM

AUTM resumes it’s pre-eminent international event for technology transfer professionals and we’ve got a paper to present! APIOiX and Portland State University debut the results of their research on the impact of resource allocation on licensing incomes. The results are astounding, particularly with regard to the impact of legal costs on licensing incomes.

Learn More.

Digital IP Strategy in the EU and US with L-Università ta' Malta and Interreg Italia-Malta

Working with our client, the University of Malta, APIOiX designed a unique online training program for Maltese and Italian university technology transfer associates and faculty. The training, entitled “Intellection Property Strategies to Maximize the Commercialization of Digital Innovations: A Comparison of Key Intellectual Property Concepts and Strategies in the European Union and United States,” was presented and a subsequent paper published.

LEARN HOW TO LEVERAGE European and U.S. IP LAW to MAXIMIZE DIGITAL INNOVATION SUCCESS.

Nevada SAGE Year 3

In its 3rd year, the APIOiX Nevada SAGE program pivots to focus on the untapped wealth of opportunity in Southern Nevada, in collaboration with UNLV. APIOiX continues its partnership with the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development to bring SBIR/STTR support to small businesses and startups in Nevada — as well as other economic development initiatives.

National SBIR Week 2021

APIOiX developed a suite of programs for 2021 National SBIR Week as part of Nevada SAGE:

• Components of a Winning SBIR-STTR Proposal for Life Sciences

• Components of a Winning SBIR-STTR Proposal for Physical Sciences

• Deep Dive into Intellectual Property and Contracting Issues

  • Part 1: Common Subcontracting Mistakes that Can Derail Your Project – and Your Business

  • Part 2: Identifying Deadly Encumbrances & Conflicts of Interest

  • Part 3: Negotiating IP Terms to Assure Your Rights

Presentation slides can be found at SBIR Week 2021, with videos to be added after events are complete!

World IP Forum 2021

APIOiX and Portland State University have joined forces on a research project to analyze university licensing data. Their preliminary results were featured at the World IP Forum 2021 in a presentation entitled Resource allocation for technology transfer: Determinants of success.

The research project is headed by co-principal investigators Joe Janda, Assistant Vice-President of Research at PSU and Arundeep Pradhan of APIOiX and the Institute for Innovation Ecosystem Development. For more information click on the presentation link above or visit Drivers of Licensing Success.

SAGE Exceeds Targets, Nevada Governor's Office Supports Statewide Expansion

SAGE: The Sierra Accelerator for Growth & Entrepreneurship has been approved to expand statewide with new operations at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

SAGE, a public-private partnership between the University of Nevada, Reno and APIOiX, launched in Fall of 2019. Over the course of its first year, SAGE exceeded goals, and has garnered grant support from the Nevada Knowledge Fund, a program of the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development to expand the program statewide. Read the article at Nevada Today to learn more.