Today’s guest has been an employee of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) since 1989. Today, James Wilson is the Assistant Regional Director of their Elijah J. McCoy Midwest Regional Office (the first one to be established outside of the DC area) which offers a variety of resources to 9 states across the region. From trademark basics boot camps to courses on how to protect your technology abroad, the Midwest Regional Office offers virtual training courses for various virtual tr...
Jul 06, 2022•31 min
Sexism has existed since people have existed, and despite what you may have heard, the data shows that it’s only getting worse. Thankfully, there are people working hard to change this. One of them is today’s guest, Dr. Lynn Schmidt. Lynn is a global management consultant, executive coach, best selling author, and keynote speaker who is a passionate advocate for women’s rights. She joins us to discuss her new book, Antisexist, which offers a roadmap for learning about, acknowledging, and managin...
Jun 29, 2022•58 min
If you are under the impression that the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) is only useful for fundamental physics experiments and doesn’t have any capacity for real-world applications, think again! Today’s guest, Matt Garrett, is the Director of Technology Transfer and Private Partnerships at SLAC (one of 17 Department of Energy National Laboratories). In today’s episode, Matt explains how SLAC’s linear particle accelerator contributes to science and the enormous potential for societal i...
Jun 22, 2022•45 min
Bayh-Dole helped the U.S. reverse its downward spiral into irrelevance and become the dominant force that it is today. The world economy is unraveling again, and Joe Allen is a firm believer in the power of the Bayh-Dole Act to turn things around for countries across the world. Not everybody agrees. Despite the fact that the Bayh-Dole Act is foundational to the U.S. economy, it has been under attack since it was passed in 1980. From day one, Joe Allen has been there to fight the battles on its b...
Jun 12, 2022•59 min
The Croatian government has historically not offered a lot of support to its technology transfer sector. However, slowly but surely, things are beginning to change. Today’s guest is Ivana Vuka, head of the Technology Transfer Office at the University of Split (the second-largest university in Croatia with over 20,000 students), who is part of the drive to create a thriving technology transfer ecosystem in Croatia. In today’s episode, Ivana and I discuss how she became involved in technology tran...
Jun 08, 2022•32 min
Throughout his career in the technology transfer realm, Kevin Cullen has been driving transformation. From introducing the concept of Easy Access IP at the University of Glasgow and the University of New South Wales, to his current position as Vice President of Innovation and Economic Development at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), where he is helping Saudi Arabia reach its goal of enhancing global prosperity through focusing on research and innovation in the food,...
Jun 01, 2022•1 hr 3 min
For Jason Roncancio, and many other academic entrepreneurs in emerging economies, the driving force behind the work they do is their desire to bring about social change within their communities and the world at large. In today’s episode, Jason shares some of the key lessons that he has learned from his experience working in the biotechnology industry and through the many years he has spent as a researcher focusing on innovation and entrepreneurship.. Jason provides an insightful comparison betwe...
May 25, 2022•1 hr 15 min
The philosophy that Molly Kocialiski lives by is one based on continuous learning. She is also a firm believer in the concept of “you get what you give,” and the power of saying yes whenever possible. She has had a fascinating personal and professional journey as a result! After working as an IP litigator and an in-house patent attorney, Molly is now the Regional Director of the Rocky Mountain USPTO. Her job (which she absolutely loves) is to make sure that examiners and judges have a great plac...
May 18, 2022•47 min
We’ve reached the 100 episode mark; thank you for being a part of the TTIP journey so far! Over the past 99 episodes I have had the pleasure of interviewing people in 69 offices within, and 16 offices outside of, the United States, all of whom are doing incredible things in the technology transfer space! In today’s episode I share some memorable insights from these inspiring conversations. A particular passion of mine (as you will know if you are a regular listener) is enhancing diversity, equit...
May 11, 2022•43 min
Mental ill-health and various forms of social injustice are prevalent in our workplaces, and in our society as a whole, and today’s guest is a vocal advocate for their elimination. Michael Kasdan is an IP attorney and partner at Wiggin and Dana, proud member of The Good Men Project, and founder of Lawyering While Human. In a number of different ways which we discuss today, Michael aims to facilitate difficult conversations in order to change the systemic, harmful ways of thinking and working whi...
May 04, 2022•59 min
While he was working as a technology scout, Ruben Flores-Saaib had no intention of entering the technology transfer field, but that’s exactly where he ended up! After 15 years of experience in research, business development and technology commercialization, today, Ruben is the Associate Director of Licensing at the University of Southern California (USC) Stevens Center for Innovation. In this episode, Ruben shares what makes the USC ecosystem so unique and diverse, which are two of the big reaso...
Apr 27, 2022•27 min
Tatiana Litvin-Vechnyak grew up in a family that was heavily involved in STEM, and she always had plans to become a doctor. However, while studying, she came across the field of technology transfer which combined her interests in science, business, law, and strategy, and meant that she could be at the cutting edge of research. To date, Tatiana has over 18 years of experience in IP management, and for over 13 years has been overseeing patenting and licensing related activities at Rutgers Universi...
Apr 20, 2022•40 min
Throughout William Vaughan’s career, he has been spearheading change; from his time in the Governor’s office of Science and Technology where he was involved in developing Ohio’s third frontier (tech-based economic development), to his role as the Director of Technology Transfer at the Colorado School of Mines where he has helped transform the culture into one which is highly entrepreneurial. In today’s episode, William shares what the last 13 years have looked like at Mines, with himself as the ...
Apr 13, 2022•34 min
Although they may appear to be worlds apart, Allison’s previous career in marketing provided her with skills which have been indispensable in her role as the Associate Director of Technology Transfer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). WHOI is at the forefront of ocean research and education, receiving $1 out of every $3 of NSF funding for ocean research. In today’s episode, Allison shares how she and her “small but mighty” team of 2 (going on 3), are paving the way for inventors...
Apr 06, 2022•31 min
Although their careers have followed different paths within the Technology Transfer realm, Jane Muir, Jennifer Shockro, and Jennifer Gottwald all share a common goal of increasing greater diversity and inclusion at all stages of the innovation lifecycle. Motivated by this goal, they founded the AUTM Women Investors Special Interest Group in 2013 and subsequently developed a survey which was used to determine which factors encourage or discourage academic women's participation in technology comme...
Mar 30, 2022•54 min
Social innovation can be defined and executed in many different ways. For today’s guest, Associate Director for Social Innovation at the University of Kentucky, the concept refers to innovations with a focus on sustained social impact, and her unit’s approach to creating ecosystems which enable these innovations to flourish is the focus of today’s episode. Serenity Wright’s deep drive to enhance equity and access to opportunities for underrepresented innovators drew her into the realm of technol...
Mar 23, 2022•43 min
Rather than focusing on traditional technology transfer metrics, RK Narayanan and his team at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory measure their success in terms of their ability to create value in the long term. In today’s episode, RK, who is the Senior Director of Business Development and Technology Transfer at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, explains their approach to long term value creation, which is built on a foundation of sustainable relationships. RK also shares the life-changing technology tha...
Mar 16, 2022•26 min
The University of South Florida (USF) is ranked top 10 in the US and top 20 worldwide for patents, and today’s guest, Michele Tyrpak, is a patent attorney who is currently the interim Associate Director of Technology Transfer at this prolific research university! The overall aim of the Technology Transfer office is to shepherd ideas from USFs lab, to the marketplace, and Michele’s prior experience on the industry side has given her an invaluable perspective on how to bridge the gap that exists b...
Mar 09, 2022•31 min
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Feb 21, 2022•8 min
As a technology transfer professional who also has many years of experience as a researcher (in both the chemical biology and physical sciences realms) and an entrepreneur, today’s guest offers a uniquely diverse perspective on the innovation sector. Greg Tucker, or Dr. T as he is affectionately known by his colleagues, is a co-inventor on 5 U.S. patents, the cofounder of a number of different startups (including a chemical company and an electric bike company), and currently the Commercializati...
Feb 18, 2022•52 min
After two years without a face-to-face gathering, we are just a few days away from the AUTM 2022 Annual Meeting! Today’s episode is a special one, where Laura Savatski, the Chair of AUTM, gives us a rundown of what you can expect as an attendee at the event this year. The AUTM Annual Meeting is incredibly important for the organization, and serves as a fantastic way to gain exposure to what’s going on in the world of technology transfer. If you aren’t one of the 1100 people who have already regi...
Feb 16, 2022•15 min
When Rick Huebsch joined the Technology Commercialization office at the University of Minnesota almost 14 years ago, it was in need of a major reboot. Through financial investments and staffing the office with industry-experienced people (including Rick, who had 20 years of experience in the software industry), the office has been transformed, and Rick, who is currently the Executive Director, has played a very valuable role in this transformation! Rick’s office is now a standard fixture in the ...
Feb 09, 2022•44 min
Today’s guest, Sean Fielding, was formally educated in languages, which may seem incongruous for someone who is the Director of Innovation, Impact and Business at the University of Exeter. However, Sean’s educational background has in fact been a huge asset in the technology transfer space; his 25 years of enormous success in the sector being more than enough proof! When Sean was brought to Exeter to establish the University’s Technology Transfer office, there were no commercial relationships wo...
Feb 02, 2022•53 min
ETH is one of Switzerland’s main public universities. It has 16 departments, 23 000 students, and 250 faculty members. Today’s guest, Silvio Bonaccio, who attended the university as a student himself, has been the head of its technology transfer office since 2005. Silvio’s 31-person strong team is divided into 3 focal areas; contracts, technology licensing, and support of start-ups. They do approximately 200 invention disclosures per year, acquire around 100 patents, and get between 25 and 30 st...
Jan 26, 2022•50 min
Today’s guests, James Hutchinson and May Low, are the CEO and COO (respectively) of the Kiwi Innovation Network (more commonly known as KiwiNet). Their complementary skill sets (James with his science-focused education and May with her financial background) make this duo, along with the rest of their team, a force to be reckoned with! Their goal is to drive prosperity, subsequently changing the world for the better, and so far they’re doing an incredible job; over the lifetime of the KiwiNet fun...
Jan 19, 2022•1 hr 7 min
When Abram Goldfinger arrived in New York, there was little significant entrepreneurial activity taking place. In part through his efforts, it is now a thriving entrepreneurial hub. An example which illustrates this point is the fact that NYU’s Technology Opportunity and Ventures (TOV) office, of which Abram is the Executive Director, has gone from launching 2 or 3 startups a year in the early 2000’s to almost 20 over the past few years! In today’s episode, Abram talks us through his educational...
Jan 12, 2022•42 min
If you aren’t aware of the extent of the depth and breadth of technology transfer, this episode with Alice Li will leave you with a whole new understanding and appreciation of the field. As the Director of the Centre for Technology Licensing (CTL) at Cornell University, and with 18 years of university technology transfer under her belt, Alice is well positioned to discuss the way the field has evolved over time, and to offer advice on how to approach this continuously changing environment. Alice...
Jan 05, 2022•51 min
