With the support of the FCT, three technology managers from Portuguese universities are participating in professional internships at university technology offices in Texas during January and February 2010.

Carla Mascarenhas of the University de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro began her internship at the University of Texas System’s South Texas Technology Management (STTM) on January 11, 2010.   During her two-month internship she will mainly work to increase her knowledge in international technology transfer licensing and negotiation.  It was decided together with STTM that her internship should focus on all TT procedures at STTM other than patenting because patenting is an area in which Carla has over six years experience.  Carla’s coordinators at STTM are John Fritz and Sean Thompson.  Sean was also the main mentor for Rita Remigio, University of Aveiro, during her Internship at STTM in Fall 2009.  Carla is initially working on the evaluation and validation of Invention Disclosure Forms as well as research on the state of the art of patent applications and technology marketing.  During her first weeks as an Intern at STTM, Carla has also worked on sending Non Confidential Descriptions to U.S.-based enterprises and has attended meetings with investigators and conference calls between researchers and companies.

Beyond her daily work at STTM, Carla also attended the Technology and Entrepreneurship Boot Camp held at the Center for Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship (CITE) at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Boot Camp speakers included business, legal, governmental and academic representatives.  Carla is also conducting RapidScreen and MarketLook assessments with the assistance of Cliff Zintgraff (UTEN Manager Technology Development, UTEN Austin) on Portuguese technologies she brought with her from Alto Douro. She has scheduled three market-based interviews scheduled and has started to consider Texas-based companies that could be interested in these technologies.

On February 1, Alexandra Marques of the University of Algarve joined Carla as the secondnd UTEN Intern at STTM.  Alexandra is being mentored by Dr. Christine Burke.

Also on February 1, Filipe Castro of the University of Porto began his two-month internship at the UT Austin Office of Technology Commercialization.  Filipe’s internship will focus on learning more of UT OTC’s methodologies and procedures that were introduced to him by Rick Friedman and Max Green during the Technology Licensing Workshop they gave at UPIN in December.

These internships follow up on previous intensive workshops and internships conducted by UTEN throughout 2009.

iSurgical3D, the research team and future company from University of Minho, has just been awarded with the START 2009 Entrepreneurship Award. This is the third time in a row that a project from University of Minho wins this award: Stemmatters was awarded in 2007 and WeAdapt was the winner of the 2008 edition.

The winning technology created by iSurgical 3D consists of developing surgical prostheses that will be used to correct the “pectus excavatum” condition, a congenital anomaly characterized by a depression of the sternum and lower costal cartilages, in the front of the thorax. These new prostheses will make it possible to shorten the hospital confinement and surgical procedure periods, other than reducing the cost of corrective surgeries (currently, the surgery costs 5000 Euros and in the future, with this technology, it will cost around 1850 Euros).

This technology, which has a pending international patent application submitted with the support of TecMinho, had already been awarded in March this year with 1st place at the SpinUM – Business Idea Competition (promoted by TecMinho and Spinpark), which made it possible for the project to be included directly in the semi-finalists group of the START 2009 Entrepreneurship Award.

This award constitutes a great achievement for the entrepreneurial team, not only for the recognition and motivation it encompasses, but mostly as an enabling tool to boost the project. TecMinho will continue to actively support the team in the future challenges and opportunities that it will face.

Lessons by David Gill, Managing Director of the St. John’s innovation Centre of the University of Cambridge (in Diário Económico, 3 November)

“We can´t waste the opportunities created by a crisis”. This is the lead message supported by David Gill, Head of St John’s Innovation Centre, who was present, as an invited speaker, at UTEN | Portugal’s Workshop #5 (18-20 October, Aveiro). “The western world has lost a lot of economic perspective over the last five years. Difficult times force consumers and governments to go back to the most basic notions”. (…) David Gill strongly believes that “Universities train the next generation in understanding both technology and management.” (…) Regarding the Portuguese case, David Gill stresses the importance of organizations such as UTEN | Portugal in the creation of a technology transfer network. According to the Head of St John’s Innovation Centre, “this will allow Portugal to accelerate its development and avoid many of the errors we made in the UK in the early days when enthusiasm triumphed over our limited experience”.

UTEN Portugal Workshop#5

David Gill believes that Portugal can avoid the mistakes made in the United Kingdom (in Ciência Hoje, 2nd November | PDF)

David Gill, Head of St John’s Innovation Centre (the largest and most important incubator in the United Kingdom), advocates that technology transfer is a difficult process and that the quality of academics and researchers should not be underestimated. The expert believes that the United Kingdom has taken the lead part in this process and that in Portugal organizations like UTEN Portugal (University Technology Enterprise Network) will allow Portugal to accelerate its development and avoid many of the errors that the British made in the early days when enthusiasm triumphed over limited experience.

UTEN Portugal Workshop#5

Experiencing Technology Transfer in Cambridge October 18-20, at University of Aveiro

David Gill, Head of St John’s In­novation Centre – the largest and most important incubator in the UK, Richard Jennings, Director of Tech Transfer/mem­ber of Cambridge Enterprise, and Peter Hiscocks, Previous Director of Cambridge En­terprise, are the speakers of the next workshop organized by UTEN Portugal. Under the theme “Experiencing Technol­ogy Transfer in Cambridge”, this fifth workshop will be held at the Sala de Senado (Senate Room) of the Dean’s Office of the University of Aveiro, from October 18-20.   At the workshop, the speakers will present the model and experience of the University of Cambridge on Tech­nology Transfer and Clusters. 

The first session of the workshop will discuss “Universities, Cluster strategies and regional development”. Here, the status of Technology Transfer in Portugal – UTEN Portugal network will be discussed, as well as the History of the de­velopment of the Cambridge Cluster and the University of Cambridge’s role on this mat­ter. Another theme up for dis­cussion during this first session is the basis of successful clusters & Technology Transfer. Session two will focus on the com­ponent parts of “Technology Transfer and Clustering Spin-offs”: University research, Pat­ents and IP Management, etc. The final session of the work­shop will be focused on inter­national comparisons, namely what can be learned from them and how can such learning be applied.  Following the tradition of the previous workshops or­ganized by UTEN Portugal, the workshop targets TTOs (technology transfer officers), incubator managers and entrepreneurs.

Under the UTEN Program, from July through September, 2009, 10 competitively selected FCT supported Interns from Portuguese universities and research institutes are engaged in 1-to-2 month internships in Texas. They are engaged in learning valuable on-the-job skills, network building, and technology transfer and commercialization know-how at a range of key technology transfer organizations. Based on their professional background and expressed learning needs, each Intern was matched with one or more mentors that is providing the important value-added know-how and network connections and building long-term partnerships for sustainability. The list of Interns and the host organizations and mentors follows:

Dina Chaves, Senior Officer, INPI is conducting her internship at IC² Institute from July to early September with a focus on technology valorization and US market development for several technologies from NOVA University. Her current focus in on Paper-e. To date several companies such as ASK-RFID, RFSAW, 3M and TI have been contacted and/or expressed early stage interest in the technology. Perhaps most promising, a joint planning grant for research exchange between UT-Dallas under the auspices of their VP of research, Dr. Bruce Gnabe, a world leader in thin film research, and NOVA university is currently being developed. This joint partnership has the potential to leverage UT Dallas’ unique research capabilities and industry contacts to make Paper-E a success for the UTEN project.

Maria José Francisco and Mark Lenox at Texas A&M

Maria José Francisco, Entrepreneurship Program Executive Director, Instituto Superior Técnico is conducting her internship at IC² Institute, The University of Texas at Austin during August with a focus on technology valorization and business development. Her “learning-by-doing” on the transfer of Portuguese medical technologies to US markets has included visits with experts at the Texas Institute for Preclinical Studies at Texas A&M University concerning PET modalities, hardware, software, physics, system design, and regulatory support. She also visited with experts at INCELL in San Antonio and at BioHouston and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston. Currently she is working on UL and FDA approval for PETSys and was directly aided in sourcing program and regulatory guidelines from those critical groups by the UTEN@Austin team.

Miguel Moura, Patent Examiner, INPI is conducting his internship at South Texas Technology Management (STTM) from July to early September and is working with John Fritz and Sean Thompson, both Technology Licensing Associates. Miguel is focusing his internship on the early stage patenting decisions an office has to undertake with a future license in mind, and all the IP portfolio management required along the way, from initial idea disclosure by an inventor, until the end of the license.

Miguel Moura and Ana Rita Remígio at STTM in San Antonio

Ana Rita Remígio, Technology Transfer and Licensing Officer at UATEC, Technology Transfer Unit at the University of Aveiro, is currently conducting her internship at the office of Hulsey IP – Intellectual Property Attorneys in downtown Austin dealing with technology protection and managing IP Asset Reports. From September through October she will intern at South Texas Technology Management (STTM) to focus on technology transfer processes and frameworks, covering different stages, from idea submission to licensing. Her internship has also a focus on the valorization of several technologies from the University of Aveiro, thought assessment and market validation studies.

David Resende, Researcher in the GOVCOPP Research Unit, University of Aveiro is conducting his internship at IC² Institute, from July to early September. He is working with Cliff Zintgraff on technology valorization and US market assessments for several technologies from his university. He is also studying UTEN Texas partner TT Offices to develop methodologies for evaluating and assisting Portuguese TT Offices.

Marlos Silva, Technology Transfer Officer and Entrepreneurship Coordinator, UATEC, University of Aveiro is currently conducting his internship from July through October at the Office of Technology Commercialization at The University of Texas at Austin working with Max Green, Licensing Specialist. His internship is focused on developing entrepreneurial teams and partnerships while actively working with technologies from the University of Aveiro, and leveraging the contacts of the UTEN team to pursue new opportunities for technologies from his portfolio.

Pedro Silva, Technology Transfer and Industry Liaison Officer, TecMinho, University of Minho is conducting his internship from July to early-September at the Office of Technology Commercialization at The University of Texas at Austin, working primarily with Ray Atilano, Licensing Specialist. The internship has been specially focused on the systematization and documentation of processes and procedures to enhance efficiency of knowledge valorization and commercialization activities at TecMinho, while also developing synergies for long-term cooperation including technology bundling, joint marketing activities and new technology transfer strategies and tactics. Furthermore, he is assessing and marketing a couple of technologies in the U.S. market, and is at the moment discussing some agreements with representatives to further penetrate in this market.

Isabel Alte da Veiga and Bret Cornwell at the Borlaug Institute

Isabel Alte da Veiga, Technology Transfer and IP Manager, INOVISA is conducting her internship, from July to early September, at the world famous Borlaug Institute at Texas A&M University and working with Brett Cornwell, Director of Commercialization Services at Texas A&M’s Office of Technology Commercialization and University Corporate Partnering.

Portuguese TTOs and staff from UTEN@Austin and the UT Austin Office of Technology Commercialization

From August 9 to 21, 2009 UTEN@Austin, IC² Institute, UT Austin, offered the second phase of the FCT supported Technology Transfer Training (T3) Program for competitively selected Portuguese TT Managers and staff. As noted elsewhere in this newsletter several of these workshop participants are also engaged in one-to-two month internships with UTEN’s Texas partner institutions. The following eleven Portuguese TT professionals participated in the workshop:

UATEC, University of Aveiro: José Paulo Rainho, Technology Transfer Director; Ana Rita Remígio, Technology Transfer and Licensing Officer; David Resende, Researcher in GOVCOPP Research Unit; and Marlos Silva, Technology Transfer Officer and Entrepreneurship Coordinator

TecMinho, University of Minho: Marta Catarino, Technology Transfer Director and Pedro Silva, Technology Transfer and Industry Liaison Officer

INPI: Dina Chaves, Senior Officer and Miguel Moura, Patent Examiner

Instituto Superior Técnico: Maria José Francisco, Entrepreneurship Program Executive Director

INOVISA: Isabel Alte da Veiga, Technology Transfer and IP Manager,

Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro: Carla Mascarenhas, Technology Entrepreneurship Management and IP Consultant

The intensive two-week training program focused on “thinking and doing” concerning business development in US markets, technology valorization, licensing and negotiations, developing university spin-offs, managing a TT office, fostering entrepreneurship, technology marketing, project management, and systems of innovation (download the full program, 135KB PDF). The participating Texas-based experts and partner institutions included offices of technology commercialization from UT Austin, UT-Dallas, Texas A&M University, and South Texas Technology Management (STTM) as well as additional content experts as follows:

Kate Mackie, Senior Lecturer, Graduate School of Business, UT Austin, lead exercises on developing internal and external marketing strategies for Portuguese TT Offices that are associated with different university technology sectors and regional environments.

Brett Cornwell, Director of Commercialization Services at the Texas A&M Texas A&M Office of Technology Commercialization, focused his comments on the creation and management of university-based start-ups and spin-offs.

John Fritz and Sean Thompson, both Technology Licensing Associates from South Texas Technology Management (STTM), spoke on technology transfer processes and how to approach and work with inventors and researchers for best results, choosing a path to market, and “closing the deal.”

Robert Robb, Associate VP for Technology Commercialization at the UT Dallas Office of Technology Commercialization, and Joseph Picken, Executive Director of the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) also at UT Dallas, discussed how The University of Texas at Dallas launched and built its technology transfer operations, cross-disciplinary and community-based entrepreneurship initiatives, and new venture creation programs.

Rick Friedman, Associate Director of Licensing at the UT Austin Office of Technology Commercialization, focused his comments on techniques and processes for licensing and negotiations. His presentation was followed by an afternoon of Portuguese teams competing on how best to negotiate a license while being mentored and critiqued by senior UT Austin OTC staff.

Laura Kilcrease, Founding Director, Triton Ventures hosted the interns for a discussion on lessons learned from “The Austin Model” of technology-based growth as well as how to develop a robust home grown VC community to accelerate the development of a globally competitive technology commercialization regional infrastructure.

Jamie Rhodes, Founder of the Central Texas Angel Network spoke on the important role of angel investment in economic and community development and how he and his colleagues successfully organized and launched angel networks in Austin and throughout Texas.

During the two-week workshop Portuguese participants took part in a range of hands-on exercises that included “cold-calling” and interviewing US technology and business experts to obtain first-hand information on their Portuguese technologies as well as workshops on conducting licensing negotiations, crafting a marketing plan for their TT Offices, and managing TT offices and processes. On the last day of the workshop each Portuguese workshop participant and team presented, to a panel of experts, their emerging strategies and tasks for their TT Offices in the near and longer term as well as identifying key take-aways from their two weeks of training.

Here are the presentations from the UTEN Researcher Workshop on Thursday, June 18 at Innovation Days in Lisbon, Portugal.

1. Introduction – Tech Transfer and Commercialization with UTEN

2. Pitch Camp Innovation Days

Here are the presentations from the UTEN Entrepreneur Workshop on Saturday, June 20 at Innovation Days in Lisbon, Portugal.

1. Introduction — Tech Transfer and Commercialization with UTEN

2. Going Global

3. MarketLook Training — UTEN Researcher Sweep

UTEN@Austin will be holding Workshops at the Innovation Days conference in Lisbon.

A Researcher Workshop will take place on Thursday June 18 from 10.30 to 13.30. This workshop will explore best practices in technology transfer, including how to present a technology to business people. An Entrepreneur Workshops will take place on Saturday June 20 from 10.30 to 13.30. The UTEN team will show how to build a globally competitive strategy for your venture and how to listen to the needs of the market.

For more information about the workshops and opportunities to meet UTEN@Austin staff at Innovation Days, see the UTEN Innovation Days program.