In a response to complaints about the length of time it was taking to license out its unpatented research materials, the National Institutes of Health has created a new website that cuts the response time from six months to a few days. Called the electronic Research Materials catalogue (eRMa), the new site is designed to streamline the licensing process by:

• Providing a website for companies to find and license unpatented materials using a ready-to-go contract.
• Allowing a company to pay online through Pay.gov and receive the materials from the lab quickly.
• Providing faster turnaround time and simplifying the process for companies to find research materials available from NIH labs.

“We were hearing that it was taking too long for us to license out our unpatented research material to companies, and our workload is so heavy here that it made sense for our seasoned professionals to focus on patented commercial licenses rather than those for unpatented materials for internal research,” explains Bonnie Harbinger, PhD, deputy director of the NIH Office of Technology Transfer. “We thought if we created an e-licensing experience, then the materials would flow out automatically without a licensing manager or company having to spend the time and effort negotiating back and forth, while at the same time providing a platform to display the materials, because we did not have them displayed anywhere else.”

Harbinger asserts that eRMa is the first of its kind. “Nobody else has a system like this,” she claims. “This is an online ordering process from beginning to end.” Some universities, she notes, have sites potential licensees can visit to review unpatented material, “but then they have to go to the licensing person,” she points out. “This is all in the system — they don’t have to go to a person, negotiate, or wait for the call back.”

As opposed to click-through licenses, she continues, “what’s unique is the entire ordering process goes through on the site — not just the license you agree too, but ordering, payment and the validation process.”

A detailed article on this automated approach appears in the January 2012 issue of Intellectual Property Marketing Advisor. For subscription information, CLICK HERE.

Posted January 23rd, 2012 under Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

The Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Fusion Center of Innovation is being launched at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The center will fund, mentor and promote new commercial enterprises emerging from the university’s IP and research expertise.

To promote the center’s debut, the university is offering a course aimed at “kindling the spirit of entrepreneurship” by bringing a mix of expert speakers to cover the specifics of AMD heterogeneous computing technology, while also providing how-to background on entrepreneurship, commercialization and start-up creation. At the completion of the course, students will submit projects which will be evaluated for potential funding opportunities through the AMD Fusion Fund and IllinoisVENTURES.

Rob Schultz, senior director of IllinoisVENTURES and a partner of the Illinois Emerging Technologies Fund, says, “we are encouraging the university community to think big about what’s possible through software and web services by focusing on the creative aspects. The AMD Fusion Center of Innovation will provide a spark for new software and web ideas as students receive hands-on access to AMD APU technology and learn how to enable richer user experiences using heterogeneous computing.”

Source: MarketWatch

Posted January 23rd, 2012 under Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

A new blog created by the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab’s Department of Communications and Media Relations is being used as a vehicle to feature promising new inventions and relate stories of successful lab-to-marketplace transitions. Called TechStream (techblog.lbl.gov), it was launched on November 30, 2011.

“In looking at our mission to transfer technology we realized that some of our gaps are really information gaps,” says Cheryl A. Fragiadakis, department head, technology transfer and intellectual property management. “Unless the investors, small business start-ups and major companies know about what we have to offer, there will not be that much progress we can make in putting together partnerships.”

As much as her department thinks that scientific publications and posting technologies on the lab’s website are getting the message out, she adds, “there are other modes people use to consolidate and translate that message in ways they consider to be most useful.”

The blog format, which was initiated by Jon R. Weiner, manager of communications and media relations, “will help to translate some of our scientific breakthroughs into accessible language to start conversations with companies and investors,” Fragiadakis asserts.

Weiner adds: “We have a very successful TTO, but on the communications side we look for a more conversational way of highlighting some of those technology opportunities. We’re story tellers, and there’s a lot of interesting technology available that people do not always know about; for us it is part of telling our story — that’s a lot of what we do as a national lab.” A detailed article on the new marketing effort appears in the January 2012 issue of Intellectual Property Marketing Advisor. For subscription information, CLICK HERE.

Posted January 17th, 2012 under Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

Every day, journalists receive thousands of e-mails from people who are pitching their ideas, or those of their clients; sometimes hundreds of mass pitches are sent to unsuspecting journalists from just one person in a given day, notes Rachel Sprung, an events coordinator in the marketing department at HubSpot. “With such a high quantity of pitches, it is really easy to make a mistake, but it’s a shame when those mistakes could’ve easily been avoided with just a little awareness,” she says. Sprung cites these as the seven biggest mistakes which, if avoided, can increase your chances of getting your PR message through the clutter:

1. Forgetting to follow up: “There is a fine line between calling and e-mailing a reporter non-stop until they answer you, and leaving a friendly voicemail reminding them about your pitch or sending over a short e-mail following up,” notes Sprung. “Give them a day or two to think about the e-mail, and then make your contact. But most importantly, keep track of who you follow up with so you do not contact those who have already said ‘no.’”
2. Pitching at the wrong time: On a Friday afternoon your e-mail will not only get lost in the other mass e-mails from the week, but journalists will also not want to talk to you, says Sprung; it is almost the weekend, and many people will already be out of the office. “It is also important to figure out what times the reporters are on deadline because they will not be interested in hearing new pitches; they’ll be busy finishing up some of their other stories,” she adds.
3. Depending solely on press releases: Press releases used to be the best way to get out messages about new developments, but in a world dominated by social media and short messages, press releases are not always the most successful way to announce something new, Sprung cautions. “Combining press releases with e-mail pitches that have bullet points of the main information in the press release can be the perfect combination to get the press you are looking for,” she says.
4. Not conducting research about a reporter: “When you are pitching a reporter, make sure you are knowledgeable about his or her past articles,” Sprung advises. “Research what topics he or she likes to write about and whether or not the reporter has written about competitors.”
5. Not doing background research on your industry: “It is important to know a lot of information about your own industry, competitors, and other press in these areas,” says Sprung. “Before you get on the phone with a reporter, know all of this information like the back of your hand so your answers aren’t generic, but rather speak to the meaty topics in your industry.”
6. Making careless mistakes: Careless mistakes usually guarantee your e-mail goes right in the trash or your voicemail is deleted, Sprung warns. “In addition to proofing for grammatical errors, make sure you’re not misspelling a reporter’s name in a pitch, using the wrong news source, or point blank including incorrect information,” she says.
7. Not personalizing your pitch: No one wants to be on the receiving end of mass communication, Sprung notes. “Every pitch should make the reporter feel like he or she is special and that you put a lot of thought into a pitch that was appropriate for just one reporter,” she says. “Whether that means referencing past articles that the reporter has written or connecting with them via Twitter or other social media networks, it is a necessary step to get their attention.”

Source: Innovation America

Posted January 17th, 2012 under Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

With a variety of risk-reward structures that can limit out-of-pocket costs, offshoring and other outsourcing options are gaining favor. As TTOs struggle with staff and budget crunches — and with piles of invention disclosures that seem to grow larger by the day — it’s virtually impossible using existing resources to handle the backlog of promising innovations and the constant pressure for action from faculty inventors.

That’s where an effective outsourcing strategy can help, as a growing number of TTOs are discovering. When structured and managed effectively, outsourcing can assist in getting more IP assessed, developed, and licensed while freeing up staff time and helping solidify faculty relations. And it can save money too — lots of money — by replacing high-cost vendors with less expensive offshoring options that maintain quality while stretching your budget dollars. On February 28th you can learn the ins and outs of outsourcing success from a team of experts in this practical distance learning program: How to Outsource and Offshore TTO Activities for Huge Savings and Efficiency Gains. Our program faculty will share their outsourcing success stories and provide you with usable takeaways you can implement immediately to start chipping away at your backlog and bring more technologies to the marketplace. For complete program and faculty details or to register, CLICK HERE.

AND DON’T MISS THESE UPCOMING WEBINARS:

• Thursday, January 26th: Life Under AIA: Anticipating and Surviving Post Grant Challenges
• Wednesday, February 15th: Licensee Red Flags: 12 Critical Signs that Should Trigger an Audit

Posted January 17th, 2012 under Audioconferences, Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

Creating a good blog post goes beyond finding the right topic, says Meg Hoppe, a regular contributor to Business 2 Community. “That’s first, of course, and is critical if you want to lure and keep your prospects’ interest,” she says, but “once you decide what topics they value . . . you need to write it well or you’ll lose credibility and respect.”

She cites these tips, taken from 1979’s The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E. B. White, as “most useful” for creating energetic and interesting posts:

• Write in a way that comes naturally. Even if you’re in a highly technical field, write using a conversational tone and language, Hoppe suggests. Stiff, formal writing — the kind of writing you may have done for college papers — is difficult and uncomfortable to read and distances you from your audience.
• Do not overwrite. Get your point across, then stop.
• Put statements in positive form. Instead of saying, “You’re not going to lure many prospects with poorly written content,” change it to “You’ll lure more prospects with well-written content.”
• Make every paragraph a unit of composition. Strunk and White say you should begin each paragraph with either a sentence that tells the reader what the paragraph’s topic is, or with a sentence that helps the transition from the last paragraph. Every subsequent sentence, they add, should move the paragraph’s topic along toward a conclusion.
• Use an active voice. Instead of, “My first trip to Europe will always be remembered by me as fascinating,” write, “I’ll always remember my first trip to Europe as fascinating.”
• Use definite, specific, concrete language. Strunk & White use this example: Rather than “A period of unfavorable weather set in,” write “It rained every day for a week.” The second is clearer and more powerful, notes Hoppe.
• Omit needless words. Words that don’t add to your meaning detract from what you’re writing. Instead of “We will try to determine whether or not continuing the program in question is beneficial in the long-term,” write “We will determine if we need to continue the program.”
• Edit, edit, edit. Once you think your post is done, put it aside for half an hour, say Strunk and White. Then, go back and read it again.
• Write your headline first. By writing your headline before the content, they note, you clarify to yourself what you’re going to deliver to the reader, and keep yourself on track as you write.

Source: Business 2 Community

Posted January 17th, 2012 under Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

Mobile marketing is not just for big brands anymore, says Geoff Simon, the founder of Simon Search Marketing, a search marketing company based in Woodland Hills, CA. “If you’re new to local mobile marketing, take steps now to make your business more discoverable,” he advises.

And if you’re not ready to invest in getting your own app yet, Simon says you should consider implementing these easy mobile marketing ideas:

• Make your website mobile-compatible: As an easy entry point, get your website optimized for mobile phones, Simon suggests. “It’s now easy to make your website small screen-friendly,” he says. “If you’re using WordPress, there are several free and premium plugins available.”
• Join mobile directories: Getting listed in a few mobile directories easily puts your business “on the mobile map,” Simon says. “The new Google Places offers one such opportunity,” he notes.
• Create a mobile website: “Someday soon, every business will need two versions of their website — one for computer users, the other for the mobile/wireless crowd,” Simon predicts. “Services such as Mofuse and Mofuse Premium and mobiSiteGalore offer mobile site design services.”
• Build traffic with location-based app marketing: Many local retailers, restaurants, charities and nightclubs tie-in with apps like FourSquare and Yelp to attract mobile customers, notes Simon.
• Start mobile advertising: Local mobile advertising on Google is a low-cost way to reach more customers, says Simon. “Bid only on what you’re willing to pay, either paying per click (PPC) or per phone call from a prospect,” he suggests. “You can even target multiple mobile devices, ranging from high-end smart phones to standard cell phones.”
• Connect via text message short codes or QR codes: “Most exciting are Quick Response (QR) codes — i.e., the new bar codes,” says Simon. “QR codes can be read by mobile phones. We increasingly see QR Codes in magazine ads; on web pages, billboards, and lawn signs; and even on T-shirts.” Once a mobile user scans your QR code, he explains, it’s easy to connect in real-time, sending the users coupons, announcements of events, RSS feed updates, and more.

To better meet the mobile crowd’s needs, Simon adds, pay keen attention to your mobile web analytics. “Google Analytics and similar programs can track mobile web traffic on a basic level,” he notes. “For finer metrics plus actionable detail for site optimization, use a more advanced SEO platform like Ginzametrics, which complements and integrates nicely with GA, Omniture or CoreMetrics. With Ginzametrics, you’ll discover the exact search terms that ‘hidden’ mobile visitors are using to land on your site. This analytics program also shows details of referred traffic from the top three search engines in 35 global markets. The Ginza dashboard even recommends an array of improvements you should make, to better optimize your web and mobile pages for more traffic.”

Source: Technorati

Posted January 17th, 2012 under Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

2Market Information Inc., publisher of IP Marketing eNews, also offers a wealth of benchmarking resources filled with real-world royalty rates, license fees, milestone payments and other deal terms. Click on the titles below for detailed information, including tables of contents, and to order:

• Royalty Rates for Technology, 4th Edition
• Royalty Rates for Technology: Medical Devices and Diagnostics Edition
• Royalty Rates for Technology: Computers and Communications Edition
• Royalty Rates for Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology, 7th Edition
• Royalty Rates for Trademarks & Copyrights, 4th Edition
• Royalty Rates in Copyright Agreements: Guide to Full-Text Copyright Agreements
• Royalty Rates in Biotech: Guide to Full-Text Licensing Agreements
• Licensing Trade Secrets: Overview and Sample Agreements

Posted January 17th, 2012 under Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

The JM Internet Group, which provides SEO and Social Media classes online, has released a YouTube training video entitled “Google+ Marketing for Small Businesses.” The video is based on a free webinar that the company conducted with over 400 attendees.

“Google+ is the new kid on the social media block,” explains Jason McDonald, senior SEO and social media director. “We see opportunities in Google+ for small businesses to establish themselves as ‘gurus’ on particular topics and to integrate social search into their SEO opportunities.” Among the topics covered in the webinar/video are:

• What is Google+? The session explains how to set up an effective Google+ page for an individual and how to integrate that individual page with a business page.
• What does it mean to be a guru on Google+? The session explains how individuals can position themselves as leaders in a field of knowledge and leverage Google+ to reach out to their followings.
• How do you leverage Google+ for social search? The session explains how Google is integrating search with social media, and how Google+ enables a business to leverage its customers and fans to spread virally through social media and SEO techniques.

Source: PR Web

Posted January 17th, 2012 under Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

Amie Baumwell, a regular contributor to Everspark Interactive’s blog, notes that “the most important thing to remember going into 2012 is that the game has changed.” It’s not about just link-building anymore, she says; it’s about branding, content, social media, and more.

She offers these six tips for improving your SEO in the New Year:

On-page Factors: Make sure title tags and meta descriptions read well. “Gone are the days of the mechanical title tags and meta-descriptions: conversational, catchy and well-written title tags and meta-description are incredibly important for SEO success now,” says Baumwell. “For those who were reluctant to spend a little extra time on these on-page factors, carving out creative time to do so might be a good (albeit, slightly late) resolution.”

Improve the relevancy of off-page factors: Link-building. Link-building is as important as ever, but with the Panda update, higher quality links are paramount, notes Baumwell. Further, she says, these links should be relevant to your site, and spammy links should be avoided at all costs. “Rather than simply building links for your highest priority keywords, be sure to focus on branding as well,” she advises. “And make sure to go after quality over quantity when it comes to link-building.”

Create high-quality content… and keep creating. “As Panda continues to be run, content will continue to rein over the land of SEO, and if you aren’t consistently creating fresh and unique content, you will be expelled from the kingdom,” cautions Baumwell. “Create content that users will want to read and engage with, comment on and share with their friends and colleagues; spend some time getting to know your audience before beginning to write, and you might notice improvement.”

Implement the Rel=Author markup. How do you prove the authority of your content? “Well, you use the rel=author markup (if Google approves you, that is),” says Baumwell. “This necessitates having a Google+ profile, and linking it to an author page on your blog. With a clear headshot, someone who has the rel=author tag correctly set up will likely see his or her information show up in the SERPs when his or her blog posts come up in the results.”

Get social, especially on Google+. “Think about it — Google wants to create a good experience for the user,” says Baumwell. “Isn’t it evident that users want to hear from a company, if that company is engaging and interactive with its customers and therefore popular on social media? If, last year, you knew this but didn’t act on it, maybe it’s time to take the proverbial leap of faith and get to work on social media monitoring and marketing.” This is especially true when it comes to Google+, she notes, “which we know impacts the rankings on the SERPs signed in Google users see. Plus, posts made on Google (like, say, from a business page) tend to show up pretty high in the search results.”

 Focus on local and mobile. “With an ever-increasing number of people using cell phones and tablets to access the Internet, SEO has had to adapt to a correspondingly growing local audience,” notes Baumwell. “Focusing on local keywords and mobile optimization will be one key to success in the coming year.”

Source: EverSpark Interactive

Posted January 10th, 2012 under Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

According to license compliance experts, there are a host of “red flags” that clearly indicate when a licensee audit is in order. However, many of these signals are either unknown or get swept under the rug by too-busy staff, allowing a non-compliant licensee to fly under the radar. This is where your university is at its highest risk for losing thousands — potentially millions — in royalty payments.

By readily identifying licensee red flags, you can avoid that risk and recoup lost royalties, as well as optimize the efficiency of your audit process by focusing your attention on those licensees with the greatest chance of finding errors, omissions, and underpayments. That’s why Technology Transfer Tactics’ Distance Learning Division has teamed up with a nationally respected expert to host a 60-minute webinar, coming February 15th, that will be jam-packed with proven tactics and strategies: Licensee Red Flags: 12 Critical Signs that Should Trigger an Audit. Attendees will hear royalty audit expert Daniel Burns, president of DBA, share his top 12 signs that should trigger the audit process — as well as the rationale behind them and the critical audit procedures needed to ferret out mistakes and missing dollars. For complete details and to register, CLICK HERE.

ALSO COMING SOON:

• Tuesday, January 17: Transform Your TTO Into an Economic Development Engine
• Thursday, January 26: Life Under AIA: Anticipating and Surviving Post Grant Challenges

Posted January 10th, 2012 under Audioconferences, Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

A recent commercialization workshop, “From Bench to Market: Commercializing Your Research Innovations,” used a slide show starring the fictitious “Joe the Researcher” to teach NC State faculty members and grad students the ins and outs of commercializing their ideas. The workshop, co-sponsored by the university system’s Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC) and the NC State Office of Technology Transfer, was a pilot for the new approach of using this character and his fictitious journey to commercialization as an educational vehicle.

“We’re trying to get the faculty engaged and the audience to realize that this is not a daunting process at all, but one they can go through step by step,” explains Kimberly Mayer, PhD, MBA,

technology commercialization counselor for the SBTDC (which is administered statewide by NC State on behalf of The University of North Carolina System). “We’ve presented workshops on these sorts of topics a number of times, and they’ve always seemed a little dry. Usually the format has included an IP attorney, someone for the TTO, and someone from our group, each of whom has talked for 15 minutes to half an hour. We tried to think of a way to make it a little more real.”

In the slide presentation, she notes, Joe the Researcher — a cartoon character — has a new ‘whiz-bang’ idea he’s come up with that he thinks could be commercialized, but he wonders, where do I go from here? “We send him to the TTO, we initiate market research, some of which he informally does himself; we have him consider engaging students in the process; and working with TTO staff in market research,” Mayer explains. “We also send him on his way networking, and through the entire commercialization process.” A detailed article on this creative faculty education strategy appears in the January 2012 issue of Intellectual Property Marketing Advisor. For subscription information, CLICK HERE.

Posted January 10th, 2012 under Intellectual Property Marketing. [ Comments: none ]

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