UD professionals shed light on commercializing UD-developed innovations

These achievements are part of what the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) say is a nearly $600 billion contribution to the U.S. gross domestic product by American academic institutions over a recent 20-year period. Some 4.3 million jobs were created or supported during that time by those inventions.

In the fall of 2018, UD recognized over 225 innovators on campus, including the inventor of the vehicle-to-grid technology (V2G) that lets electric cars store energy and then feed it back to the power grid, further enabling an economic model by which the electric vehicle might thrive and provide energy balancing services as more wind and solar energy comes online.

Managing and maintaining UD’s intellectual property (IP) portfolio, while simultaneously steering, mentoring and guiding entrepreneurial faculty with promising ideas in starting businesses and commercializing technology, is a complex job. But it is worth the effort, according to David Weir, director of UD’s Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships (OEIP), where UD’s Technology Transfer unit is housed.

“OEIP’s Technology Transfer unit, with its success in supporting faculty start-ups, licensing UD inventions and developing sustainable business partnerships within the private sector, has developed into a signature asset,” Weir said. “It is a resource that is critical to a stimulating and productive UD culture of innovation, entrepreneurship and market impact.”

In the following Q&A, UD technology transfer experts Brad Yops, director of technology transfer, and Joy Goswami, assistant director of technology transfer, break down what this activity means at UD. In September Yops will join UD’s Office of General Counsel where he will, among other things, continue to provide legal support to OEIP and its technology transfer function.