The defense, technology, entrepreneurial and economic development communities of Northeast Indiana are invited to a forum about building successful companies by commercializing intellectual property.

The Fort Wayne Technology Commercialization Forum will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 4 at the Mirro Center for Research and Innovation, 10622 Parkview Plaza Drive, Fort Wayne. Lunch is included. There is no cost to attend, but attendees are asked to register online. Indiana University and the Northeast Indiana Defense Industry Association are the forum’s sponsors.

The event will present findings from a recent report funded by the Indiana Office of Defense Development. The report identifies opportunities to leverage the collective intellectual property at Indiana University, NSWC Crane, Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame for collaboration and economic development. The event will also feature a panel discussion with anecdotes of successful commercialization initiatives and commentary about how Indiana industry and institutes of higher education might work more closely together to drive innovation.

Scheduled panelists include:

• Tony Armstrong, president and CEO of the Indiana University Research and Technology Corp., which is tasked with leading IU’s efforts to build and support startups. Tony is also the former executive director of the Indiana 21st Century Research and Technology Fund.
• Brian Emerick, founder, president and CEO of Micropulse Inc., a precision manufacturer for the orthopedic device industry.
• Steve Gerrish, founder of Qmira, airBridge and Broadband Antenna Tracking Systems. Steve is the founder of the agBOT Challenge and is a former Purdue University and University of Wisconsin intellectual property and startup advisor.
• Matt LaFontaine, director of rugged commercial products at Ultra Electronics USSI, an industry leader in the design, development, and production of advanced electronics, acoustics, fuel cells, and integrated sensor systems.
• Daniel Surwit, solutions architect at CPA Global, a leading intellectual property analytics company with experience working with large companies, universities and defense labs around the world. Daniel is also a former intellectual property advisor at the University of Texas at Austin Office of Technology Commercialization.