WSU
Technology
Commercialization
and TechTown
WSU PAD SEMINAR
March 6, 2009
WSU
Technology
Commercialization
Who, why, what,
when and where
WSU Technology
Commercialization
 Technology Transfer Office
 Anne Di Sante and team
 Venture Development Office
 Eric Stief and team
 TechTown and Economic Development
 Randal Charlton-Executive Director
 Judy Johncox- Director of Business Services
 TechTown team
Technology Commercialization
goals and how you benefit
 Advancing discoveries to benefit society,
WSU and researchers.
 The basic process of invention
management
 The “win-win-win” of technology transfer
 Structure of Technology Commercialization
 Technology Transfer Office
 Venture Development Office
Technology
Commercialization
 Invention development grants
 Michigan Initiative for Innovation &
Entrepreneurship (MIIE)
 New Economy Initiative (NEI)
 Internal grants for further development of
selected inventions
Recent WSU TC statistics
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50 Invention disclosures/year
15 License or option agreements/year
$2 million/year in licensing revenue
$600K/year in patent expenses (40%
reimbursed)
 1-3 start-up companies/year
 7 professional staff; 5 support staff
Royalty distribution
 Inventors receive 35-75% of revenue
 Inventor’s department receives 15%
 WSU and Technology Commercialization
receive the remainder of funds
 Funds used to support research and
Technology Commercialization operations
 $3.0 million provided to support research in
past five years
Technology Transfer
Office
 Invention examples: compounds, new
materials, devices, software, processes
 Most commercially viable technologies
are medical, engineering, chemistry,
pharmaceuticals
 Inventions made by PIs, Post-docs, RAs,
and graduate students
 Forms of intellectual property protection
Patent Protection
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What is a patent?
How does an invention qualify?
Who writes the patent application?
How long does it take to get a patent?
How much does it cost to get a patent?
How many patents does WSU own?
Invention Management
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Marketing of inventions
Negotiating license agreements
Scientist to scientist relationship is key
Licensee relationship
Probability of success and vast riches
Role of the inventor
Technology Transfer
Office
 Other services
 Material Transfer Agreements
 Non-disclosure/Confidentiality
agreements
 Advice on working with companies
 Sunshine Act requests to Board of
Governors
 Orphan agreements
Venture Development
Office
 Technology development and the startup option
 How we assist entrepreneurs in the early
stages
 Challenges with high technology spin-out
companies coming from universities
 Technology, management and $$$$$
Venture Development
Office
 Technology is always transferred by a
license, even to a start-up
 WSU may receive license and milestone
fees, royalties, and equity
 Managing conflicts of interest for the
faculty entrepreneur and institution
 Angel and venture capital investors
 Gap and seed funding opportunities
 E2 Challenge and student entrepreneurs
”Platform Technologies”
 Game changing for an industry
 Not a one trick pony
 Target market is high growth and/or high
profit
 Clear business model apparent
 Sub point – the “lifestyle” company
Past WSU Start-ups
Ash Stevens – pharmaceuticals
Lumigen – chemiluminescent markers
TherOx* – super-oxygenated fluids
SciClone – Zadaxin for hepatitis
DNA Software* – DNA/RNA research
tools
Neomatrix* – breast cancer diagnostics
Sensound* – “Sound as we see it”
EXT Life Sciences* – dermatology drugs
nSEC* – clay-based nano-composites
* denotes WSU equity position
MICROBIOTIX
A product-focused, small molecule,
anti-infective company
EXT Life Sciences
DNA Software
Lumigen
Lumigen APS-5
Lumi-Phos Plus
Lumigen PS-3
TherOx
Blood Platelets
WSU supports economic
development
 Many state-wide programs
 MI Initiative for Innovation and
Entrepreneurship
 MI Economic Development Corp
 Great Lakes Entrepreneur Quest
 MichBio
 Smart Zones
 WSU and TechTown
TechTown
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E2 Detroit program
Entrepreneurial education at WSU
SmartStart program at TechTown
Industry interactions generated by
TechTown
 TechTown resources and operations
 Incubation of high-to-low tech start-ups
 Diverse tenant roster
TechTown
 Advantages of a community of start-ups
 WSU-TechTown efforts to create a seed
fund for start-ups
 Other TechTown-related funding sources
such as the Pre-seed fund
 Unique TechTown programs
 Childrens’ BioTrust
 Chinese Business Club
Questions?