As a technology transfer professional and contributing staff member, this position is responsible for identifying, evaluating, marketing, and commercializing inventions created by University of Wyoming researchers. Responsibilities include identifying technologies with commercial applications, evaluating commercial potential of inventions, identifying potential licensees, preparing non-confidential technical information for marketing purposes, developing and implementing market strategies for each technology, and drafting and negotiating license option, interinstitutional, and other agreements.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Develop relationships: Build relationships across the University to raise awareness of technology commercialization, understand the research being conducted in relationship to addressing potential industry needs, and encourage utilization and commercialization of the research and resulting intellectual property. Support research and entrepreneurial interests and goals of faculty, researchers, and students. Introduce internal and local resources to faculty, students, and staff if there is an interest in formation of a start-up company. Advise and educate faculty, staff, and students regarding protection of intellectual property and technology commercialization matters.
Evaluate Research/Invention Disclosures: Evaluate the potential for research to address industry needs; assess relevant markets to identify key industry problems that may be addressed by and provide feedback to faculty, researchers, students, and staff; encourage submission of invention disclosures and determine patentability and marketability and communicate results with inventors.
Manage Invention Portfolio: Track invention activities and agreements utilizing databases and document management systems. Work with IP Strategy team, patent attorneys and inventors to coordinate patent protection and filing of patent applications.
Technology Commercialization: Develop and implement communication and commercialization plans customized to each technology, weighing technology readiness, commercial potential, market size, and initial commercial interest. Assist with managing industry relationships by acting as resource for other University units such as Industry and Strategic Partnerships and IMPACT307, and faculty, staff, students. Identify and reach out to potential licensees and facilitate interactions between faculty, students, and staff and potential licensees, patent and contract attorneys, industrial scientists, senior business development executives, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists. Negotiate terms of licenses, options, and other agreements and draft subsequent agreements.
Negotiate Commercialization Agreements: Prepare and exchange term sheets with potential licensees, and work with agreement templates to convert term sheets into draft contracts. Negotiate license and contract terms, with the support of the Director and Vice President, to get to executable agreements.
Support University Research Offices: Coordinate with the University’s Research Services and Office of Sponsored Programs to draft appropriate contract language on various research and collaboration agreements to protect IP rights.
Reporting: Assist in preparation of written reports for Board of Trustees and University administration. Attend meetings as requested and participate in developing and maintaining infrastructure to enable successful technology transfer.
Outreach, Marketing and Education: Generate a non-confidential summary of the technology in collaboration with staff, to be used for marketing, ensure posting of summaries on various sites and outreach to relevant parties. Work with staff to develop creative marketing and licensing strategies. Represent the University at professional meetings and conferences, technology transfer trade conferences, investment and economic development meetings and events, e.g. AUTM and other national, state, and local meetings as appropriate.
