KERBESHIAN: Technology transfer in the international age and AUTM annual meeting

Last week, several of my colleagues at Indiana University Research and Technology Corporation and I attended the annual meeting of the Association of University Technology Managers in San Diego. Comparing the landscape of technology transfer from years ago to today’s shows how campus-discovered innovations have come to have an international impact.

Thanks to the Bayh-Dole Act, sponsored in part by Indiana Senator Birch Bayh, technology transfer took off in the United States in the 1980s. Before it was enacted, inventors who received federal research funding grants were obligated to assign their inventions to the federal government. The act, which was passed in 1980, allows a university or non-profit institute the opportunity to pursue ownership of an invention.

The rest of the world took note of the tremendous impact that university technology transfer had in fostering innovation and economic development, especially in the nascent biotech industry. AUTM provided an excellent forum for others to visit the United States and learn how we do technology transfer.

Thirty years later, AUTM has members around the globe, and everyone is sharing tips on patenting and licensing across borders. In fact, at a session titled “How to Attract Chinese Investments in U.S. Startups,” personnel at IURTC gained valuable tips for positioning our faculty startup companies to seek investments and partnerships in China.

• For Chinese companies, the decision to invest is made at the highest level. If the Chairman of the Board approves, the deal will move quickly.
• Some Chinese companies invest in the form of services. This could mean conducting development work that a startup might not be able to afford. In exchange, the Chinese company receives the rights to sell the technology in China.

Technological innovations have made it easier than ever to make global connections. Now when IURTC looks to connect individuals and companies with inventions discovered by Indiana University researchers, we can find them in Canada and Mexico along with Marion and Monroe counties.  Our network is strong at campuses in Fort Wayne, Gary, Kokomo, New Albany, Richmond and South Bend, but it also extends through Africa, Asia, Australia, South America and Europe.