The Potential of Technology Transfer | David Allen | TEDxTucsonSalon

Summary

The speaker discusses technology transfer in universities, focusing on the journey of turning research into marketable products. They share two examples: one involving a genetically modified mouse leading to a treatment for acromegaly, and another related to medication management software. The speaker emphasizes the importance of licensing university inventions and the challenges in funding technology transfer offices. They argue that while research is essential, universities must also prioritize transferring research to the marketplace for broader societal benefits. They call for a shift in focus to enhance the impact of academic discoveries.

Takeaways

• 😀 Technology transfer involves taking research from the lab and bringing it to the marketplace to benefit society.
• 😀 A key success story in technology transfer is the development of a drug for acromegaly (human giantism) based on genetically modified mice and growth hormone research.
• 😀 The process of technology transfer includes patenting inventions, licensing them to companies, and creating products that reach the market.
• 😀 Medication management technology developed by Professor Kevin Bosun was commercialized and eventually bought by a public company, impacting 50 million people.
• 😀 The U.S. federal government invests $30 billion annually in university research, which produces not only knowledge but also intellectual property, graduates, and industry startups.
• 😀 Universities are required to patent inventions resulting from federally funded research, and those patents are often licensed to companies or startups.
• 😀 Most research innovations are initially underdeveloped, requiring careful analysis and licensing to ensure they can be turned into viable commercial products.
• 😀 A major challenge in technology transfer is the insufficient funding for university technology transfer offices, with many operating on less than 1% of research budgets.
• 😀 Universities are reluctant to dedicate more funds to technology transfer, fearing it could undermine the primary focus on research.
• 😀 The conversation around university research funding should shift from 'efficiency' to ensuring that more research translates into real-world applications with societal benefits.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the speaker's 25 years of work?

The speaker's work has primarily focused on technology transfer, which involves taking research from universities and transferring it into the marketplace to create social and economic benefits.

How does the growth hormone experiment with mice relate to technology transfer?

The experiment involved genetically modifying mice to produce more growth hormone, resulting in larger mice. This research led to the creation of a patented technology that was later commercialized and developed into a drug for treating acromegaly, a condition caused by excess growth hormone.

What is acromegaly, and how does it relate to the technology mentioned?

Acromegaly, also known as human giantism, is a condition caused by excessive production of growth hormone. The speaker's company developed a drug to treat this condition, based on the genetically modified mice research, which eventually received FDA approval.

How did the speaker contribute to the development of a medication management software?

The speaker describes how Professor Kevin Bosun at the University of Arizona developed a software program to manage medication interactions, which was eventually commercialized. This technology was licensed to a company, which was later acquired by a public company, managing medication interactions for millions of people.

What role does the federal government play in supporting university research?

The federal government supports university research through grants, with about $30 billion annually in funding provided by agencies like the NIH and NSF. This funding is crucial for advancing scientific discovery and technology development.

What does 'publish or perish' mean in the context of university research?

'Publish or perish' refers to the pressure on university researchers to continuously publish their findings in order to maintain their academic positions and advance their careers. It emphasizes the importance of research dissemination in the academic community.

What is the significance of intellectual property (IP) in university research?

Intellectual property (IP) generated from federally funded research is owned by the university, and it can lead to patents, which are licensed to companies for commercialization. In 2015, 25,000 invention reports were submitted by universities, highlighting the importance of IP in advancing innovation.

What is the process of licensing university technology to companies?

When a university develops a technology with commercial potential, it is licensed to companies for further development. These companies then have the rights to use the technology to create products, and in return, the university receives royalty payments based on the sales of these products.

What is the typical distribution of royalties from licensed technology at universities?

Typically, the largest share of royalties from licensed technology goes to the inventor(s), which may include graduate students. Other shares are distributed to the department, college, and technology transfer office. The technology transfer office usually retains 15-25% of the royalties.

What is the primary challenge in university technology transfer, according to the speaker?

The primary challenge is the insufficient funding for technology transfer offices. These offices typically operate on a small budget, less than 1% of the research expenditures, which limits their ability to effectively commercialize university-developed technologies.

Why does the speaker believe universities should allocate more resources to technology transfer?

The speaker argues that increasing the percentage of research funding allocated to technology transfer would have a far greater social impact than investing that same amount solely in research. More resources are needed to move innovations out of the laboratory and into the marketplace for broader societal benefits.