Last
month, Ximbio attended the ASTP fall meeting in Leiden. As always, the event
was filled with thought-provoking discussions including a
plenary battle between the previous AUTM and ASTP chairs, Alison Campbell and Henric Rhedin,
and the current Praxis Auril chair, Sean Fielding, each painting very
contrasting views on the future of Knowledge Transfer (KT). There was also a discussion
on the difficulties in dealing with large companies, who want to take on
ownership of university technologies, sparking multiple conversations
throughout the conference. Some of the sessions we particularly enjoyed included:
Making money without IP protection :
This session focused on the contribution of KT from Research Hospitals, including
the realms of commercialising assets without IP protection. We were
particularly interested in this, as this is something Ximbio is experienced in –
commercialising research reagents that do not have any IP rights. For Technology
Transfer Offices (TTOs) there is a shift in performance measurement, changing
from numbers of patent applications and monetary income to economic impact and number
of collaborative opportunities. This allows space for technologies protected
only by know-how to be fostered and valued in TTOs.
Engaging with researchers earlier in their careers
Elizabeth Adams from the University of
Glasgow, spoke about the programmes they offer to engage students with business development and highlighted the importance of promoting internships and engagement
activities to Postdocs and PhD students. Most KT activities are focused towards
senior scientists, but about 80% early career Postdocs take-up roles in
industry/ entrepreneurships/ public and third sectors. It is, therefore, vital
for early career researchers to optimise their career options. If PhD
students are already engaged in Technology Transfer activities, the
universities’ outreach increases and so do
the benefits to society. It can be hard for life science postgraduate
students to obtain experience outside of academia, whilst continuing their full-time
roles. Our Ximbassador programme aims
to remedy this, by providing an internship that can be carried out alongside
their day-to-day research. Discover more about the Ximbassador Programme.
Management of post-deal relationships:
This session focused on how, too often, too much
attention is placed on setting up a deal, whilst neglecting the maintenance of
ongoing relationships. Various systems, processes and organisational tools can
be used to maintain ongoing relationships efficiently, such as Inteum,
Wellspring, and Trello. Being able to maintain a good relationship is important
for TTOs to deliver the objectives of their current deals, but also to open up
new opportunities.
If
you would like to discuss any of the topics mentioned or discover how Ximbio can
help you, please get in touch.