Arizona State University’s (ASU) technology transfer arm is partnering with Japan Technology Group (JTG) to collaborate on commercializing technologies from ASU and eight Japanese universities. Arizona Technology Enterprises (AzTE) will market Japanese IP in the United States, while JTG will do the same for ASU in Japan. The goal is to accelerate the transition of university innovations into the marketplace. The exposure of IP from ASU researchers to Japanese industry increases the chances these discoveries will be developed further and potentially commercialized, according to Augustine Cheng, managing director of AzTE. “This collaboration allows ASU and these Japanese universities to expand their international reach in the technology space,” he says.
While ASU has partnerships with many international and U.S. universities, this is JTG’s first formal collaboration with a U.S. university, says Taro Yaguchi, president of JTG, which is based in Philadelphia with offices in Tokyo. JTG represents technologies from Nagoya, Waseda, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Kumamoto, and Iwate Universities as well as Tokyo University of Science and Nara Institute of Science and Technology. “AzTE has a proven technology licensing record as well as an extensive network of domestic and international companies and universities on their roster,” Yaguchi says. “It is extremely beneficial to foster friendly ties with an established entity such as AzTE.” The two groups also will seek joint research opportunities, Yaguchi adds.
Source: Phoenix Business Journal