technology transfer & sustainability models and best practices · great projects and...

Technology Transfer & SustainabilityModels and Best Practices

Panelists:

Drew Bennett – University of Michigan

Eric Maslowski – MoxyTech

Bambang Parmanto – University of Pittsburgh

Rich Herold - AbleLink Technologies

SESSION GOALS

Provide an understanding of the Technology Transfer ecosystem, members, perspectives, needs and points of view.

Provide a “starter kit” of approaches, partners, ideas and mid and long term sustainability options.

Provide direct insights and learnings from key partners and resources beyond the research community. Understand the key priorities of these partners.

Drew Bennett

Associate Director Licensing – Tech Transfer

October 20, 2017

SUSTAINABILITY: CREATIVE SOLUTIONS TO PROJECT LONGEVITY

“For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.”

-Vincent Van Gogh

$1.39 Billion Research Spending (2016) #7 World’s Most Innovative Universities

(Reuters)

UM RESEARCH - BACKGROUND

2016 IN REVIEW

428INVENTIONREPORTS

135PATENTSISSUED

173LICENSE/OPT

IONAGREEMENT

S

12NEW BUSINE

SSSTARTUPS

$23MILLION

IN REVENUE

2,000+JOBS CREATED

SINCE 2000

What is Technology Transfer?

MissionCommercialization and dissemination of inventions based on U-M intellectual property

ServicesLicensing, Venture, Legal, Marketing and Business Operations Professionals

TECH TRANSFER

TECH TRANSFER

True Mission

Eliminate friction….

TECH TRANSFER ECOSYSTEM

PI & Team Public Customer Investors

PartnersLicensee Market

TECH TRANSFERLicensee (T)

Partnerships (P)

a. Cause Based

a. Professional Based

b. Community Based

Platform (P)

Open Source(P)

TRADTIONAL LICENSEPro’s Dedicated Market Driven

Con’s Cost Expectations/Milestones Misalignment of Goals Commercial Intent and Success Market

PARTNERSHIPSPro’s Dedicated Purpose Drive Community Longer Term

Con’s Temporary Volunteer Centric

PLATFORMS Mobile Algorithms Code

Pro’s Professional Strong Brands Highly StructuredCon’s Revenue Share Highly Structured

OPEN SOURCEWhat is it?

Freely available code, without <most> restrictions.

https://opensource.org/osd

Why is it important?Growth, flexibility, user driven and community.

How can it help our community?Scale and resources.

What’s inside matters!

OPEN SOURCEScale and Participation 5.8 M + Active Users 331 K + Active Organizations 19. 4 M + Active Repositories 10.7 M + Active Issues

#OpenAPS

OPEN SOURCE Communities

License Approach vs. Marketing

80/20 Customer Driven

Adjacencies

SUMMARYGreat Projects and Partnerships

Common Purpose

Clear, Consistent Communication

Trust

Aligned Expectations and Goals

Tech. Transfer: Flexibility, Creativity

& Tenacity

What is your unique currency?

Bambang Parmanto

So You Want to Commercialize?Perspective of an Academic

Why Commercialization is Important

Academicians need to have a real world experience and transfer the technology to outside world

The best way for your research to have an impact to the society

Learn from what’s going on out there

Bring the real world perspective to develop impactful research

“All Academicians need a conflict of interest”

NIDILRR and Tech Transfer Encourage Tech Transfer & Commercialization

Part of the selection criteria

Provides flexibility to the grantees to develop the technologies

Provides resources: KT4TT Knowledge Translation & Tech Transfer Center

Health Intervention mHealth To improve evidence-based health intervention:

Precision (time, place, and context), Persuasion, Personalization

Prediction and Intelligence, Participatory

Scalability

Goals of Research: Triple Aims Improve health outcome

Reduce cost

Better consumer satisfaction

Models of Intervention: Direct consumer/patient

Non-provider (coach): payer/insurance

Clinician-directed intervention

How to transfer this into clinical practice?

SMARTCAT

Going through the Process

Competition and Pitch: Pittsburgh Health Data Alliance

Phillips Innovation Challenge

Pitch to a Health Insurance

Pitch & funding Coaching, rehearsal, documents,

questions.

Long wait and purgatory

Starting a company Conflict of Interest

Legal and business issues

Things that we often did not consider

Who is your target market?

Have you done competing technology search: One comment that we received: “competitive analysis is naïve and ignorant.”

What is your path to market

What is your IP, what is the secret sauce Keep the focus on something the differentiate

Have you done customer discovery?

A Few Lessons It’s a lot of work

Tech Transfer Office helps, up to a point, or could be a hindrance

It’s different than research, it’s a jungle out there: the process is long and is often unpredictable

Proof the technology works helps, but only up to a point

Going through the process helps: Sharpen the focus of the technology and IP

Better perspective on impactful research agenda

Experience on how to do tech transfer: not wasting time in selecting path to commercialization

Eric MaslowskiChief Technology Officer

MoxyTech

Mine, Mine, MineProprietary Information and Protections

MoxyTech Overview

• Spin-off From University of Michigan IP

• Why Spin-Off

Great Expectations

$

Distractions

$

Reality Check

$

Reality Check

$

Where do Protections Fit In?

Mine, Mine, Mine…Myths

Need to Protect EVERYTHING

Litigation (or threat of) is your greatest defense

Protections define value

Secrecy Agreement

…Not Really Partnerships

Investors/Funding

Branding

Development

Answer your “Why” Question

Why do you want a protection?

Fear of theft?

Acknowledgement?

Just because…?

Thanks!

Rich HeroldCustomer Experience DirectorAbleLink Smart Living TechnologiesColorado Springs, CO

Cognitive Support TechnologyUsed directly by people at home, school, work, and in the community for Smart Living

Cognitive Technology Research & Development

Conducted over 75 research projects focused on technology for:

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Traumatic Brain Injury

Seniors Experiencing Cognitive Decline

Cognitive Technology Research & Development

35+ peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters on technology for persons with cognitive disabilities

25+ commercially available cognitive support technologies

Email and Internet Browsing

Personal Scheduling

Public Transportation

Survey Response

Video Modeling for Independent Task Support

Meeting needs across the spectrum of everyday life

• Access to the Web and the World with Smart Living Suite

• Visual & Audio Task and Personal Scheduling Support with Visual Impact and Endeavor

• Personal GPS for Enabling Independent Bus Travel with WayFinder

• Accessible Surveys for Promoting Self-Expression with ATLAS

“Having My Voice Heard”

“Accessing My

Community”

“Accessing My Everyday

Technologies”

“Knowing When and How to …”

Innovation Partnerships

Viable Partnerships

Initial revenue base

Sustainability

Lifelong benefit for customers

BUILDING BLOCKS

Successful Relationships

Long-range vision paired with short-term evaluation

Maximizing strengths in collaboration

Shared research and development

Shared marketing

KEYS

Successful Relationships

Long-range vision paired with short-term evaluation

Maximizing strengths in collaboration

Shared research and development

Shared marketing

Failing to build a foundation of trust

Poor communication

Lack of organizational commitment

Low expectations of hands-on staff

KEYS BARRIERS

AbleLink Smart Living Technologies6050 Stetson Hills Blvd., Suite 322Colorado Springs, CO 80923www.ablelinktech.cominfo@ablelinktech.com719.592.0347

Q & A