License Negotiation Workshop for Tech Transfer Professionals: Real-World Tactics for Maximizing Licensing Revenues
Originally presented May, 2009

As a tech transfer professional, typically your first priority is finding the most compatible licensee that will nurture your IP to its maximum potential while recouping a fair return to the university. But your counterpart on the other side of the table often has other ideas. In the corporate world, “fair” is not a frequently used negotiating principle, and societal benefit is not the primary goal. Like it or not, and no matter how good your intentions, industry negotiators gauge a deal based on their bottom line, they’ll use every trick in the book to come out on top, and they’re very good at what they do. If they sense weakness, they’ll exploit it. In short, they play hardball, and you must be prepared to match them pitch for pitch.

You Must Level The Playing Field

That’s why Technology Transfer Tactics’ Distance Learning Division has recruited John Geikler from Virginia Tech Intellectual Property, Inc. and Michael Villalobos, PhD, from Cleveland Clinic Innovations to provide you with expert license negotiation strategies guaranteed to help you stand your ground against tough and crafty negotiators, craft a win-win agreement, and maximize your licensing revenue. During this 90-minute program, you’ll learn:

Your Expert Presenters

John Geikler is a Senior Licensing Associate at Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties. John joined VTIP in 2008 and is responsible for over 200 technologies, including 64 new disclosures in his first year. He focuses primarily on software but also manages other engineering and physical science areas including portfolios in power electronics and medical imaging. John has 30 years of technology management experience and has negotiated licenses that have generated over $50 million. His experience includes including serving as a Licensing Manager for Westinghouse Electric and as a consultant for NASA, intelligence community, Fortune 500, research consortium, and university clients in areas including assessment and valuation of new technologies, marketing and negotiating licenses, scouting for disruptive technologies, and developing best practices for technology transfer.

Michael Villalobos, Ph.D., Senior Commercialization Officer. At Innovations, Mike’s primary focus is the commercialization of medical technologies from the Bariatric, Urological, Gynecological, and Gastrointestinal disciplines. Prior to joining the Cleveland Clinic, Michael was a Technology Manager at Purdue Research Foundation, where he managed the evaluation and licensing of Life Science technologies to startup, small, and large companies. Additionally, he aided in founding multiple successful startup companies. Prior to his career in licensing, Dr. Villalobos was a Senior Process Scientist at Abbott Laboratories where he oversaw the manufacturing of diagnostic assays for human blood borne pathogens. Michael brings an extensive background in the Life Sciences to his position, which includes a bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from the University of Illinois - Urbana and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Loyola University Chicago. His work is published in multiple peer-reviewed journals.

Who Should Listen
Technology transfer managers and professionals, university counsel, administrators and deans, research commercialization directors, licensing specialists, start-up managers, researchers and entrepreneurs, university research VPs, IP consultants and attorneys, and others seeking to improve their negotiating skills and optimize the terms of license agreements.