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.

AUTM Asia 2021 Partnership

APIOiX is partnering with Branchly Innovation, in collaboration with Shanghai Jiao Tong University and SinoFaith IP Group, to organize AUTM Asia 2022 in Shanghai.

Originally scheduled for Fall of 2020, the program has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and is now scheduled to be held in Fall on 2022.

2020 Intellectual Property Forum Keynote

Arun gave the Keynote Address at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals 2020 Intellectual Property Forum. The topic of the Forum was the role of intellectual property in economic development and Arun’s address was titled “Intellectual Property: Powerhouse for Innovation and Economic Development.”

The Forum provided a first for Saudi Arabia, presenting the experiences of several multinational corporations that have invested in R&D in the Kingdom. A white paper from the conference is pending.

SAGE Launch and Winter Residency at UNR

Michael Batalia, Arundeep Pradhan, join Ellen Purpus, Assistant Vice President for Enterprise & Innovation and Program Director for SAGE.

The second week of February marked the official launch of SAGE: the Sierra Accelerator for Growth & Entrepreneurship.

The SAGE program is the newest addition to the UNR Enterprise & Innovation suite of programs, which includes the InNEVation Center, the Nevada Center for Applied Research, and Nevada Industry Excellence, a NIST Manufacturing Excellence Program partner.

SAGE is a natural extension for APIOiX, which has years of experience providing SBIR/STTR proposal development and technical assistance. SAGE is made possible through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

NCET2 Startup Development Officer Program

Earlier this year, Arundeep Pradhan was selected to serve as part of the National Council of Entrepreneurial Technology Transfer (NCET2) Startup Development Officer Program. According to NCET2, they “created a capstone program to find Startup Development Officers (SDOs) to assist universities, faculty, researchers, students, and entrepreneurs to develop startups aligned to NCET2's Corporate Members' business units.”

As an SDO, Arun volunteers five or more hours each month to guide early-stage startups arising from university research, as well as participating in review of NCETs’s Virtual Startup Pitches.

Ray and Arun Go to Jerusalem

They aren’t quite as exciting as Bill and Ted, but Ray and Arun manage to have fun adventures. In November they traveled to Jerusalem to conduct a one-day workshop at AUTM Asia 2019 and to visit with clients and contacts in Tel Aviv.

Arun has been involved in AUTM Asia since the beginning, helping get the program launched during his term as President of AUTM. Each year, AUTM Asia provides a unique opportunity for technology transfer education and networking.

U.S. Small Business Administration Awards FAST Grant to UNR and APIOiX

SAGE operates out of the InNEVation Center at UNR, a business accelerator and co-working space with impressive Makerspace facilities.

The University of Nevada, Reno and APIOiX have received a grant from U.S. Small Business Administration for the FAST (Federal and State Technology) Partnership Program was awarded effective October 1, 2019.

The funding will be used to create SAGE: The Sierra Accelerator for Growth and Entrepreneurship and is targeted at providing Small Business Innovation in Research (SBIR) grant support to technology-based companies in the Northern Nevada region. Read the full story here.

Driving Innovation for a Stronger India

APIOiX and the AUTM Foundation delivered a four-day Intellectual Property Rights Symposium in Kolkata under a grant from the U.S. Department of State.

Opening Ceremony: US Consul General Patricia Hoffman and Biswajit Sarkar

At the opening of the symposium U.S. Consul General of Kolkata, Ms. Patricia Hoffman, greeted participants and discussed the importance of intellectual property rights and protection to “innovation and creativity, which are drivers of job creation and for increasing high value production and exports.” She then went on to discuss the four pillars of intellectual property: creation, protection, commercialization, and enforcement.

Liz Divito, AUTM Foundation Development Associate and one of the key coordinators of the event, noted “There was a lot of passion in the room. Each time the trainers, Arundeep Pradhan and Michael Batalia of APIOiX , opened the floor to questions there were multiple hands in the air.”

The program received a composite review by attendees of over 90% approval for both courses. Our White Paper, “Driving Innovation for a Stronger India” can be found here.