Strategies for small tech transfer offices: Doing more with less
Originally presented July, 2008

Small tech transfer offices can produce big-time results. But with often meager budgets and few staff — yet high expectations from administrators — it takes a special breed of professional and a different set of strategies and skills to pull it off.

That’s why we’ve designed an audioconference just for small TTOs. And we’ve lined up two of the most accomplished small TTO executives — who’ve produced results that many larger schools envy. Now you can learn from their successes and take your tech transfer office to new heights, despite the many challenges you face.

Staff and managers in small, underfunded TTOs are the “ants” of the tech transfer world. They may never be as big and strong as larger species, but they’ll carry twenty times their own weight and, pound for pound, outwork and outperform their more celebrated colleagues.

Two great cases in point: the University of Akron and Clemson University. Their remarkable tech transfer results in the form of start-ups, licenses, and huge ratios of revenues to research dollars have brought national recognition for these “small” offices that think and act big. When you listen to this 90-minute how-to session, you’ll hear UA’s Wayne Watkins and Clemson’s Vincie Albritton describe the key strategies and tactics behind their success, so you can adapt and implement their best practices in your own office.

Cut costs, save time, and build revenues with proven tips and strategies from two best-in-class tech transfer offices

Not being one of the “big boys” may have some drawbacks in terms of staffing and financial resources, but the most successful small TTOs have learned to turn their size into an advantage. They’re more nimble, quicker, more efficient, more creative, and less bureaucratic. In short, they get more done with less. When you attend this idea-filled nuts-and-bolts session, you’ll come away with dozens of proven strategies for stretching your budget and your staff, and dramatically boosting your TTO’s deal flow.

Here’s what you’ll learn as you listen:

• boosting staff productivity
• integrating tech transfer with related university efforts
• building stakeholder relationships
• managing expectations
• reaping the benefits of a foundation model
• building an angel network
• using relative metrics to gauge performance
• leveraging university resources
• bootstrapping start-ups
• time and resource management tricks
• begging and bartering for funds and resources
• outsourcing strategies
• policy development
• tapping into local industry
• stretching patent prosecution dollars
• best and worst places to cut corners
• bundling resources — tactics and strategies
• assessing and managing IP portfolios
• and much more!

MEET YOUR FACULTY

Wayne H. Watkins joined The University of Akron in 2000 and serves as Associate Vice President for Research and Adjunct Professor of Law. From 1987 to 2000 he was the Director of Technology Commercialization and the Director of the Research and Technology Park at Utah State University. He currently directs UA’s intellectual property management, emerging enterprise support, and research foundation programs. He is a fellow of the University of Akron entrepreneurial studies program and of the intellectual property center in the law school. Mr. Watkins participated on the U.S. Council on Competitiveness subcommittees for the National Innovation Initiative. In addition, he teaches intellectual property management courses and has represented the World Intellectual Property Organization at international conferences. A practicing attorney and business advisor, Mr. Watkins is also a principal of Frontier Scientific Inc. and Echelon Biosciences Inc., specialty chemical and biotechnology developers and manufacturers for the research community. Mr. Watkins is president-elect of the University Economic Development Association (UEDA).

Vincie Albritton is Associate Director of the Clemson University Research Foundation and Director of Clemson’s Technology Transfer Office. She served as facilitator for the Small Offices Special Interest Group at the 2008 AUTM annual conference and is a frequent speaker on the practical challenges of running a small TTO. Ms. Albritton joined the Clemson TTO in 1999, where she facilitated the successful transfer of the technology transfer function from a university department to an affiliated 501(c)3 Foundation. Prior to joining Clemson University, Vincie worked in the biomedical device industry in marketing and sales.

WHO SHOULD LISTEN
Technology transfer managers and professionals in small TTOs, licensing specialists, IP attorneys and consultants, research VPs, university administrators, and others with an interest in strategies for boosting small TTO performance. Staff and managers in larger TTOs should listen only if they are open to learning performance-boosting tactics from their colleagues in smaller offices.