“A little known but valuable resource every start-up should investigate is a formal or informal connection to your local university,” writes Marty Zwilling, who authors a daily blog for entrepreneurs. He offers this list of the areas where entrepreneurs should be able to find help:

Finding an idea. “Universities are brimming with new ideas from their students, their professors, and their own research, but need entrepreneurs from the real world to decide which ones are viable in the marketplace,” says Zwilling. “Start by contacting a professor in your area of interest or expertise.”

Research and development. Take advantage of the labs, equipment, and skilled students available and looking for real world problems to research, Zwilling advises. “They are likely to be able to get grants to fund development for you in strategic focus areas, like alternative energy sources, that would otherwise cost you many thousands of dollars,” he notes.

Business plan creation. “Every university has educational courses and can provide assistance on creating your initial plan,” Zwilling points out. “Look for evening courses or special programs for entrepreneurs, like the ASU Technopolis program, which are available to non-students.”

Funding. “Don’t look here for venture capital levels of funding, but certainly early-stage government grants, incubators, and entrepreneurship incentives are available from endowments and state funds,” Zwilling shares.

Legal advice. “Most universities have some sort of an entrepreneurship legal clinic, to address concerns like protection of intellectual property,” says Zwilling. “Start by contacting the school entrepreneurship support organization.”

Finding a team. “If you need part-time engineers to build a prototype, you can always find high-caliber grad students with the latest theory ready to work,” Zwilling observes. “If you need experienced executives, the best professors and entrepreneurship staff will have the contacts you need into the local talent pool.”

Mentoring. “Similar to finding experienced executives, you can use university contacts who do consulting in the real world,” says Zwilling. “Most schools also foster relationships with local executives, whom they use to lecture in MBA courses, judge student business plans, and assign as mentors for spinoffs.”

Source: Cayenne Consulting

Posted August 31st, 2010 under Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

With tightening public research budgets, global economic turmoil, and a declining appetite for risk among early-stage investors, now more than ever it’s critical for TTOs to sharpen their strategies for securing research dollars, using creative tenacity and key best practices to establish both internal funding mechanism and tactics for attracting outside investments. That’s why we developed The 2010 IP Funding Bundle, featuring a library of 6 strategy-filled programs with 9 hours of top-notch advice, practical ideas, and how-to guidance from industry experts on securing the funding your IP needs to move toward commercialization. The library consists of six critically acclaimed programs that are now being offered for one heavily discounted price that saves more than $750 off the regular individual price.

Take a look at the individual titles included in the library:

• Escaping the Valley of Death: Overcome the Funding Gap for Early-Stage University IP
• Launch Your Own VC! Create Your Own Funding Vehicle For University Technologies
• VCs and Angels speak to TTOs: ‘Here’s what we want to see — and what we don’t’
• The Perfect Elevator Pitch: Sell Your IP in 3 Minutes or Less!
• Start-up Best Practices: Funding Options and Opportunities
• Start-up Best Practices: Pitching Techniques To Get The Funding You Need

For complete details and to order, CLICK HERE.

Posted August 31st, 2010 under Audioconferences, Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

It seems that even some of the world’s most recognized brands need outside marketing help from time to time. Food manufacturer Mars has been submitting marketing plans for its chocolate brands to a UK-based panel known as the Marketing Advisory Group (MAG), to consider whether the marketing efforts are socially responsible. This comes after the company established a global marketing code in 2007. The 13-point plan enshrined the chocolateer’s aims of promoting a healthy lifestyle, avoiding marketing that is aimed at under-12s, and discouraging excessive consumption. Angela Willmott, marketing director of Mars Chocolate (who pioneered the initiative), says the idea behind the MAG is to “make sure the marketing code is living and breathing, and not one of those documents that sits in your drawer gathering dust.”

For the past two years, the MAG panel has met quarterly with Mars’ marketers to review their proposed work. During these meetings, the MAG members have been shown campaign ideas, often at an early stage (such as a script or draft artwork), and asked how they measure up against Mars’ social responsibility code. If a campaign fails to pass muster with the panel, those recommendations are taken into account.

David Lourie, senior consultant at the responsible business consultancy Good Business, commends Mars for linking corporate affairs with its actual marketing practices. “There’s sometimes a disconnect between the corporate teams and the brand managers, but it is the brand teams that can potentially do the biggest damage to the reputation of the company,” he warns.

Lourie cites the example of Cadbury’s ‘Get active’ campaign — a widely criticized promotion that encouraged children to collect chocolate wrappers to exchange for comparatively small amounts of sports equipment for schools — as something that would not have gotten past MAG reviewers.

Source: Marketing Magazine

Posted August 31st, 2010 under Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

2Market Information Inc., publisher of IP Marketing E-News, has scheduled three practical distance learning seminars for September, each one filled with how-to guidance in a critical area for tech transfer and IP professionals. Here’s the September line-up – for more information, click on any of the individual titles:

• TTOs: Fast-Track Your Innovations — Wednesday, September 15, 2010
• Get Your Student Body on the Innovation Team — Thursday, September 23, 2010
• Best Practice Mentorships and Executive-In-Residence Programs — Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Posted August 31st, 2010 under Audioconferences, Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

The Indiana University Research & Technology Corp. (IURTC) used a series of focus groups with key stakeholders to help determine the look and feel of its new website, created to bring with it “a user-friendly, one-stop shop designed to empower and connect inventors, entrepreneurs and investors.” IURTC President Tony Armstrong, JD, MBA, says he collaborated with the university’s Creative Services Department when he determined about a year ago that the new site was needed. “We had a couple of different sites at the time — one for IURTC, and one for our incubator, the IU Emerging Technologies Center,” he recalls. “They were linked, but they had separate looks and feels, so we thought we would combine them.” At about the same time, the university went to a new single gateway, which allowed Armstrong and his team to align the look and feel of the site to the gateway as well.

Creative services staff helped Armstrong with the focus groups, which included staff, faculty members, and some outside organizations. “We held five or six of them,” he says. “They mainly involved faculty users and our staff; we wanted their thoughts on how they would use the site and what they would want us to do with it.” The focus groups yielded some revealing comments. “We learned we had to make it easier to get to the forms we have the faculty fill out for us,” says Armstrong. “We found it was more confusing than we thought in terms of where the faculty member needed to go. In the past you had to click through several levels, so we made it easier with pull-down menus.” The faculty members in the focus groups also said the disclosure forms were “a little more complicated than we thought,” Armstrong notes, so they were simplified as well.

The new site was also designed to meet a growing demand voiced by faculty and industry alike for a single clearinghouse of resources; it offers everything from primers on technology commercialization, policy statements on intellectual property, an individualized index of support staff, and a catalog and storehouse of forms covering topics from pre-disclosure to copyright and revenue sharing. A detailed article on this process appears in the August 2010 issue of Intellectual Property Marketing Advisor. For subscription information, CLICK HERE.

Posted August 31st, 2010 under Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

Jennifer Lonoff Schiff, who runs a blog for and about small businesses, writes that eCRM Guide asked Salesforce.com, NetSuite, and SugarCRM for their tips on what to look for when purchasing a customer relationship management (CRM) system, as well as advice on how to make sure employees actually use the system and get the most out of it. Here are their responses:

Keep in mind who will be using the CRM system and plan (and buy) accordingly. “Try to define your rationale for installing a system up front before you begin discussion with vendors,” suggests Scott Holden, director of product marketing at Salesforce.com. “Make sure that you put the user community at the center of defining your requirements.”

Make sure your CRM software integrates with other key systems. “If [your] CRM system is to be truly effective in converting prospects to revenue-generating customers and maximize renewals, [it] must integrate with other systems across [your] business,” states Paul Turner, director of product marketing at NetSuite.

How will the CRM system handle critical customer data? When evaluating a CRM system, make sure you understand how the system is going to manage customer information. To do this, Turner says decision-makers should ask the following four questions before purchasing:

• Will it arm your sales force with the business information they need beyond just sales information, such as past customer purchase history, current inventory levels and service issues?
• When the support team takes a call, will the CRM system enable them to be aware that the customer is close to a critical renewal, what their past purchases have been or whether that customer is about to purchase?
• Will your billing team have the ability to see customer service history so they can act accordingly when they have an aging account?
• Will it provide your sales and marketing team with a universal customer database so they can segment and target customers based not only on demographic characteristics, like employee size, but also based on transactional history such as previous products purchased, revenue generated and returns?

Define objectives and set baselines before rolling out your CRM system. “Clearly define the objectives of the project up front to determine what information should be stored in [your] CRM system and what information does not need to be managed,” says Holden, who adds: “sometimes less is better.”

Don’t skimp on training. “Your employees aren’t psychic — nor will the majority of them be familiar with your CRM system,” writes Schiff. “So to get the most of your CRM system, get a positive return on your investment and get your employees to actually use the software, make sure you set aside time to train each and every person you plan on having use …  the system — and periodically offer (or require) refresher courses or classes when there is an update.”

Choose which tools and features to implement with your sales force in mind. “Implement tools and dashboards that are easy to manage,” advises Holden. “When technologies are difficult to navigate, salespeople run out of patience.”

Think big, but start small. “To drive adoption and CRM success, don’t boil the ocean,” states Schneider, meaning you don’t have to — nor should you — implement every feature or tool in your new CRM system all at once.

Customize wisely. “Customization is key — but remember the ‘Five Levels of Why,’” advises Schneider. “Ask ‘why do we need this change?’ And actually ask ‘why?’ to the answer. If after four or five iterations of asking ‘why?’ the change still seems necessary, it probably is.”

Don’t forget about incorporating social media leads. “Make sure your CRM system allows you to input and track leads found on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter — and encourage your salespeople and other users to use these sites to find and follow-up on leads,”  writes Schiff.

10. Monitor progress — and setbacks. “Business processes typically don’t improve without monitoring and measuring performance day in and day out — from the operational level to the strategic, and across each department,” notes Turner. “Business processes that are failing must be quickly identified so mid-course corrections can be made in a timely manner.”

Source: eCRM Guide

Posted August 31st, 2010 under Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

Although measuring the return on investment of social media marketing isn’t as cut and dried as other types of marketing strategies, it is still possible to get a fairly accurate idea of how your efforts are paying off for you, according to the site “Drop Ship Access.” The site offers these three tips to help you measure your success in social media marketing:

First, identify your objectives. “This simply means that you should have a clear idea of exactly what you hope to accomplish with social media marketing,” they write. “Do you want to gain X amount of subscribers to your opt-in e-mail newsletter list? Are you looking to boost sales year over year or month over month? Unless you know what you are trying to do, you won’t know whether you have done it or not.”

Measure your results by your SERPs, or Search Engine Results Pages. “If you are actively engaged in social media marketing on Facebook, for instance, and you jump to the front page in Google search results for your niche: Congratulations! It’s working!” says the site. “If you supply a steady source of fresh, updated, relevant content to your Twitter, Facebook or other social media platform, you should see results in your search ranking.”

Make sure that you have tied your results to your goals. In other words, if your goal was to boost traffic, then keep up with the stats on how much your traffic is increasing. “If your goal was to improve brand recognition,” the site notes, “this is much harder to measure. So, for the results that you want to track, it is best to have goals that are less ambiguous and easier to measure.”

Source: Drop Ship News

Posted August 31st, 2010 under Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has a different approach to getting its technology to market than most universities - which also puts a greater responsibility on its inventors, says Rob Griesbach, PhD, deputy assistant administrator for technology transfer. “One the things we have that is unique is that our scientists’ mission is to conduct research to develop and transfer solutions of agriculture,” he explains. “Scientists not only have to develop technology but transfer it, and not a lot of university scientists have that responsibility.”

In licensing deals, the inventor’s expertise becomes a selling point. “When we enter into a license, part of that agreement is that the scientist is available for any research issues that might come up,” says Griesbach. “We have to make sure there is a research expert available.” So, for example, if there was an ornamental plant with a rooting problem, the research scientist would be required to fix the problem so the plant could get out to the market. “In a university,” Griesbach notes, “once you have the license you’re on your own.”

The ARS, says Griesbach, also takes extra steps to make sure the IP is ready to be marketed; the agency requires a business plan describing how the licensee would get the IP to the consumer or stakeholder. “The business plan is a critical part of the license; in fact, without it, you can’t get a license,” he asserts. “We make sure the licensees have an adequate business plan — they create it and we review it.” Because of this requirement, he adds, the IP does not always go to the highest bidder. “Our goal is not income, but the successful transfer of the technology,” he explains. That approach has apparently been successful. On its website the ARS claims to be “a leader in the Federal government in transferring new technologies developed from our scientific research to the marketplace,” and posts a number of ‘technology success stories’ to prove its point. “We probably have the highest number of products [among federal agencies] that we’ve licensed actually selling,” Griesbach asserts. A detailed article on the ARS marketing approach appears in the August 2010 issue of Intellectual Property Marketing Advisor. For subscription information, CLICK HERE.

Posted August 24th, 2010 under Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

This Thursday, August 26th, our Distance Learning Division has lined up a panel of experts to delve into the complex issues surrounding gene-based patents in the wake of the Myriad decision. The Future of Patenting in Biomedicine: An In-Depth Look at the Effect of the Myriad Case on Gene Patenting and Genetic Diagnostics will address host of issues including:

• How to analyze diagnostic claims
• The significance of the “detecting” step with regard to novelty
• The relevance of any “mental steps” involved in patent claims
• What to expect from the Federal Circuit
• The significance of genetic methods as a subset of medical diagnostic claims
• The relationship between information per se and methods of obtaining information.

For complete information and to enroll, please CLICK HERE >>>

Plus, don’t miss these upcoming distance learning programs:

• TTOs: Fast-Track Your Innovations — Wednesday, September 15, 2010
• Get Your Student Body on the Innovation Team — Thursday, September 23, 2010
• Best Practice Mentorships and Executive-In-Residence Programs — Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Posted August 24th, 2010 under Audioconferences, Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

It’s decidedly low tech, but the business card remains an effective way of reaching out to clients and prospects. How do you make yours stand out? Online marketing consultant Don Crowther thinks you should put your picture on your business card. Not only that, but he wants you to include a mini-résumé, your Twitter handle, and some sort of special offer that entices each recipient to get in touch. “To me, a business card is a small brochure,” he says.

Crowther carries nine different versions of his own card. “It’s as much a marketing piece as your website, your brochure, or anything else that you do,” he says. Several of his cards include a photograph of himself taken from above, and one has an offer on the back for 20 free tips on how to use social media to build a business if you get in touch with him. He says that 20% of the people who get that card send him an e-mail.

Why include a picture? “You go to a convention, and you come home with 55 cards in your pocket,” Crowther says. “If one or two cards have photos, you’ll remember those people.” That’s the point of most of Crowther’s tips; to make your card stand out in the crowd. For that reason, he likes unconventional sizes and formats. He also applauds the use of humor and cleverness. One of his favorites is the card of a freelance Santa Claus who makes appearances at parties and events. The card is a mock driver’s license for Santa with the notation “authorized to drive with up to 12 reindeer.”

Crowther also advises leaving un-embossed white space on your card, so that recipients will have a place to make notes. Especially if your card doesn’t have a photo, a person who gets it is likely to want to jot down a couple of reminders about you. In addition, he says, consider leaving off your street address and including only your e-mail address or cell phone number. Or, you might want to include only your Facebook page URL or your Twitter address.

Source: Forbes

Posted August 24th, 2010 under Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

2Market Information Inc., publisher of IP Marketing E-News, has just introduced The Technology Transfer Marketing and Outreach Audio Library, a collection of 11 programs with 16 hours of IP marketing success strategies. As a package it’s available for less than $65 per program — nearly $1,500 off the cost of these programs when purchased individually. It’s designed to allow TTOs and other IP marketing organizations to dramatically expand staff development efforts — and internal marketing expertise — with minimal budget impact and without the time and cost of travel. Here are the individual programs included in the library:

1. TTOs: Use Social Media Effectively to Market Your Innovations
2. The Perfect Elevator Pitch: Sell Your IP in 3 Minutes or Less!
3. Tech Transfer Marketing on a Shoestring: Guerilla Tactics in a Budget-cut World
4. Performing Market Research Studies: Testing the Waters to De-Risk Your IP Investments
5. Best Practices for Marketing University and Federal Lab Technologies
6. Shifting Your TTO from Market Push to Market Pull: Finding the White Space
7. Selling University IP in Cyberspace: Best Practices in Web-based Marketing
8. Great Ideas for Improving Faculty Outreach and Enhancing Researcher-TTO Relations
9. Marketing Your Innovations: Best Practices for Tech Transfer Professionals
10. Shrink Wrap Your University’s Technologies for Industry
11. Become Industry-Friendly: Transform Your TTO into a Licensee Magnet

For complete details on all programs and to order, CLICK HERE >>>

Posted August 24th, 2010 under Audioconferences, Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

Boise State University’s external funding increased by greater than 35% in fiscal year 2010, jumping from last year’s $37 million milestone to more than $50 million. In addition to marking the biggest year-to-year rise in school history, FY10 also broke records regarding support from key federal entities, patents issued, and impacts to local and state economies. “Boise State’s faculty has performed well above the national average over the past two years when it comes to the number of invention disclosures and patent applications,” says the university’s TTO director Mary Givens. “Exploration through research leads to lab discoveries that result in patents. And to maximize the economic and social benefits of each patent, the Office of Technology Transfer has organized Innovation Teams to recommend development paths to commercialization.”

Awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) rose dramatically in FY10. NSF contributions increased 40% to $6.8 million while NIH awards nearly tripled to $6.1 million. The funding supported a wide spectrum of projects and initiatives, but areas of particular strength included:

Instrument Acquisition for Campus and Community Use. Investigators secured significant funds from the NSF to acquire sophisticated instruments for research and education, including a $597,877 mass spectrometer and a $627,185 laser source and measurement system.

Cancer Research and Development of Treatment Methods. In the Department of Biological Sciences, chair/professor Denise Wingett and associate professor Cheryl Jorcyk both received NIH Academic Research Enhancement Awards to pursue their work and involve students. Wingett is engineering nanoparticles to preferentially kill cancer cells, which would improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Jorcyk is studying the mechanisms and potential blocking of a protein in the metastasis of breast cancer to bone.

Source: Boise State University Update

Posted August 24th, 2010 under Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

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