Best Practices for Marketing University and Federal Lab Technologies
Originally presented September, 2009

If your TTO is like most, here’s a little inventory that might seem familiar:

• Fabulous, exciting technologies: CHECK
• World-class researchers: CHECK
• Strong IP protection: CHECK
• Excellent legal representation: CHECK
• Powerful marketing strategies: MISSING

Too many tech transfer organizations focus their attention on tasks surrounding technology development and patent protection, but then ironically lack the marketing prowess they need to move their innovations into the marketplace.

Again ironically, many tech transfer professionals market their institution’s IP every day without even knowing it! Calls and meetings with inventors and investors, website updates, technology assessments and summaries, patent searches … nearly everything you do has a marketing element. But the missing link — and the key to successfully marketing your innovations — is pulling it all together into a concise yet comprehensive, formal marketing plan with a consistent message — and consistent results.

That’s why we’ve invited a pair of technology commercialization and marketing hot-shots to share their expert guidance and know-how, so you can integrate critical marketing tasks into every workday and dramatically increase the number of technologies successfully licensed and ultimately brought to the public. Join Laura Schoppe and Jack Spain of Fuentek, LLC, for a hands-on distance learning event:

Best Practices for Marketing University
and Federal Lab Technologies

This 90-minute audioconference will bring you important perspective on your TTO’s marketing challenges, as well as a host of detailed strategies and takeaways you can put into practice immediately. Here’s a quick look at what we’ll cover:

• Technology Screening Methodology
  - Using a proactive filtering process
  - Identifying IP with the highest marketing potential
• Marketing Best Practices and Guidelines for:
  - Performing background research
  - Creating and executing your marketing plan
• Process Improvement for Marketing Technologies
  - Passive vs. active vs. reactive marketing
• Case Study Examples of:
  - successful social media campaigns
  - blogging strategies, with do’s and don’ts
  - effective website layouts and SEO strategies
• Effective Communication Techniques with Internal and External Stakeholders
  - Defining your target groups
  - How “Mar” works with “Com”
• Metrics
  - Realistic goal setting
  - Tips for effective data gathering and analysis
  - Where to find free and easy-to-use tools and resources

Plus! Get your most challenging IP marketing questions answered during the interactive Q&A portion of the program!

Your Expert Presenters:

Laura A. Schoppe is president of Fuentek, LLC. Fuentek works with an eclectic client base to assist them in identifying promising technologies and the converting these ideas and inventions into marketable products. In her role as president, Laura is responsible for managing client relationships as well as establishing strategic plans, budgets and conducting training workshops for clients. Fuentek is a leading technology commercialization firm, and is now the largest NASA contractor in North Carolina.

Laura has more than 12 years of successful experience in spearheading research for several defense contractors, as well as an extensive background in all aspects of intellectual property management, including valuing the deals, negotiating the business terms, and leading license negotiation activities. She has led major technology transfer projects at universities and government agencies, and Fortune 500 companies have sought her advice on strategic planning related to their IP assets. Prior to forming Fuentek in 2001, Laura was a program manager for advanced engineering at GE-Aerospace/Lockheed Martin. She was responsible for national and international new business development, as well as research and development projects for advanced submarine and surface ship programs. She then provided technology transfer services at RTI International in the Center for Technology Applications, where she worked as a client lead for government and corporate clients, successfully doubling the client base.

Jack Spain is a senior consultant with Fuentek, and serves as client lead for the NASA Ames Research Center, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, NASA Kennedy Space Center, and the University of Illinois. He also provides strategic leadership for client intellectual property marketing initiatives. Prior to joining Fuentek as a technology transfer consultant in 2006, he held several key information technology and executive positions, including CEO and executive vice president of research for Experture, chief technologist for Progress Energy, vice president of professional services for SciQuest, and a series of IT leadership positions with GE Transportation. In addition to his current role with Fuentek, Spain is the president of Spain Technovative Solutions, a professional services firm providing consultation to entrepreneurial technology firms and information technology executives.

Who Should Listen
Technology transfer managers and professionals, government lab directors, marketing directors and staff, administrators and deans, research commercialization directors, licensing specialists, start-up managers, university research VPs, VC and angel executives, IP marketing consultants, and others with an interest in improving the marketing of innovations and bringing more technologies from the lab to the marketplace.