Preliminary Poll Results Tie in with Economic Development and Collaboration Panels at AUTM Eastern Region Meeting

Laura A. Schoppe

As Fuentek’s latest poll results come in, the topic of economic development (ED) as it pertains to university tech transfer programs continues to be top of my mind. The pressure at universities to engage in ED activities is certainly on the rise. This was the theme of the recent Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM^®) Eastern Region meeting a few weeks ago. That pressure is certainly reflected in our poll. As of now, more than half of respondents have formal economic development goals for their tech transfer organizations. (If you haven’t done so yet, visit the “Our Current Poll” box on our home page.)

We don’t have specific details behind the respondents’ ED goals, but one thing that became very clear during my time at AUTM is that most of the tech transfer personnel felt that their administrations equate ED with start-ups.

This is an unfortunate association, because the two are certainly not always linked.

Now, the pressure to engage in regional ED is understandable and warranted as it can certainly help spur regional job growth. But the start-up route is not the only way (at least not for many technologies). In most cases, ED goals merit a close look at a broad range of small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that can be well-suited targets. Some of these may not fit the definition of a start-up but may have a competency or need that is a good match for the technology, thus forming the basis for a successful R&D relationship that may lead to licensing later.

A good way to find these SMEs is through collaboration with a regional ED organization. From a university tech transfer office perspective, collaboration is not limited to the R&D partnerships that faculty engage in with government and industry. Collaborating with ED organizations can bridge the early “valley of death” in which unproven technologies are at risk of lying dormant because the university may not be set up with the right funds or resources to take it to the next level. So your ED collaborations help lead to the R&D collaborations that decrease the risk to potential licensees and thereby help improve the odds of bringing the technology to commercialization.

If you’re interested in reading more about these topics, you’re welcome to download the ED and collaboration presentations I participated in at the recent AUTM meeting. (Note: AUTM membership is required for download. The ED presentation is titled 2ASchoppe and the collaboration presentation is listed under 3ASchoppe.) Or you might want to download our paper: Enhancing Economic Development through Technology Transfer of Federal- and State-Funded R&D.

Again, if you haven’t taken our poll about your office’s ED goals and whether you collaborate with ED agencies yet, stop by the Fuentek home page today and contribute your organization’s perspective and check out the latest tally. Have more to say about this topic? Contact us to continue the conversation or leave a comment below.

--By Laura Schoppe