It is a common problem in technology transfer offices, where there’s always more technology to manage than managers to shepherd those technologies along. Some innovations get more scrutiny than others, and even those with obvious promise tend to amble down the field in an unpredictable fashion. Deals can get done in this kind of environment, but it’s hardly a blueprint for optimal productivity. That, at least, was the conclusion of administrators in the Office for Technology Commercialization (OTC) at the University of Minnesota (UM), who decided to look for a way to bring more standardization to the way they review technologies and move them through the commercialization pipeline.
The OTC has adopted the stage-gate process, reports Leza Besemann, MS, a technology strategy manager at UM. The approach that is widely used in industry to funnel new ideas
through a series of established stages or gates before they get to the point where a product is ready for launch. A detailed article on the model, including a flow chart depicting each of the stages, appears in the March issue of Technology Transfer Tactics. To subscribe and access the full article, along with three years of archived back issues filled with best practices and expert guidance for tech transfer professionals, CLICK HERE.