In his blog, IPWatchdog, patent attorney Gene Quinn reports on a presentation by Linda Katehi, PhD, chancellor of the University of California (UC) Davis, at the 2010 BIO International Convention. Describing the current “Continuum of Innovation” in tech transfer (see graphic below), Katehi said universities engage in basic research, move into translational research, then turn the innovation over to start-up companies or licensees. This process of handling research and innovation is not likely to lead to success, Katehi explained, because companies become involved too late in the process and universities don’t get market input before deciding which basic research to translate into innovations. Additionally, many universities do not properly invest in tech transfer, Katehi said. They see the TTO, rather, as a vehicle to return funds quickly instead of viewing the licensing of university innovations as a long-term endeavor.
“Universities find it difficult to succeed in tech transfer because they have adopted business models that have not been sustainable,” Katehi told Quinn. It’s costly for institutions to file for patents, and there are no clear feedback loops to bring that investment back to sustain TTO operations. Consequently, universities are under pressure to generate revenues quickly instead of investing in those activities for the long term. Katehi suggested a new model (below), which provides public/private collaboration around translational research and offers assistance to start-ups from incubators and innovation centers. She also suggested future efforts to develop a national framework for translational research, create design-build innovation centers, understand the innovation ecosystem and develop a sustainable business model, consider quasi-open innovation models, and expand public-private collaborations to fund translational research.
During an interview with Quinn, Katehi stressed the need for universities to see the tech transfer cycle as a relationship. When they’re involved in local relationships, universities are viewed as partners by industry, leading to the advancement of more university technologies from basic research to commercialization. In turn, these partnerships improve the ability of industry to succeed and return funds to the universities, continuing the cycle. The UC system decentralized its TTOs for this reason, according to Katehi. “Relationships are local,” she said. “The central office realized they needed to allow the campuses to develop their own relationships because that was the only meaningful way of doing it.”
Source: IPWatchdog.com