AUTM Conference 2022 Recap

AUTM Conference Highlights Tech Transfer Best Practices and Innovations

It was exciting to see so many KISSPlatform friends and colleagues at the February 2022 AUTM annual conference in New Orleans. The AUTM (Association of University Technology Managers) conference helps the participants see the big picture in technology transfer.

I heard about many innovations from global technology transfer professionals who were inspiring with their vision for the future. Everyone I spoke to felt that the many educational workshops and discussions helped to reinvigorate their professional development at a time when technology transfer plays an increasingly important role in countries’ tech development.

As the leading association of over 3100 technology transfer professionals, AUTM highlighted some of the most critical tech transfer innovations in recent years at the conference. With high-profile plenary speakers and colleagues from all different types of organizations, we at KISSPlatform were proud to be a sponsor of the meeting.

KISSPlatform

I was pleased to speak with you about KISSPlatform, which uses IP metadata to help you find more opportunities to partner with companies that need and want your research.

KISSPlatform helps you find those companies in three ways, all personalized for each project:

• Simple, easy-to-use dashboard for industry trends and data
• Analytics platform to suggest additional applications
• Finding companies who are most likely to want a license

Everyone I spoke with was clear about the lack of data available to them and the struggle to organize data in a meaningful way.  For companies developing a cutting-edge product, these hindrances create a significant constraint on time and resources, slowing down the momentum towards invention.

That’s why KISSPlatform offers a simple dashboard for industry trends and data tailored to your specific project.

I also often heard that professors and researchers assume that there are only one or two applications for technologies.  You need to discover more applications for each new project. More applications lead to more potential partnerships, which, in turn, equals more opportunities for licensure and branding.  That is why the second part of our offer is so helpful. An analytics platform analyzes your project and then suggests additional potential applications for that research.

Finally, the combination of analyzing industry trends and suggesting additional applications is our secret sauce that enables our platform to find companies who are most likely to want a license.

Valuable Sessions

Here is a quick overview of other sessions at the AUTM Conference that I thought were particularly relevant to our work with tech transfer offices:

Industry/Academia Connect and Collaborate – It was encouraging to hear companies say what they wanted from universities and academic research. These sessions were in-person versions of what our AI platform does through data analytics.

Marketing Tech in the “New Normal” – The “new normal” for work includes remote work, making video conferencing and other virtual tools more popular.  Experts at this session said this trend should be leveraged to access new audiences and cost-effective marketing opportunities for TTOs.

This session expanded on insights from tech transfer professionals and industry representatives. It shared evolving strategic approaches for more

effective technology marketing. It also covered social media and outreach on LinkedIn to connect with companies with similar goals.

How to Measure and Communicate Your Impact and Value –

Participants wanted to update their communications programs after this session. It provided examples from around the globe of effectively measuring and communicating the impact and value of your knowledge/technology transfer.  The session also gave the audience examples of getting their message out to different audiences.

Platform Partnerships: Enhancing Your TTO’s Industry Connections –

This session taught tech transfer office marketers best practices about working together to maximize impact. Among the questions you need to ask yourself: Are you looking to reach the right people in the industry?  Are you considering a technology marketing platform or other approaches to expand your TTO presence?

In Their Own Words: How TTOs Can Best Engage with Women Inventors –

This session covered the fact that more tech transfer offices are digging into whether they are getting as many disclosures from female faculty as from males and finding that women are underrepresented. Why are offices missing these potential disclosures, and how can we tweak our processes to engage these innovators? The AUTM Women Investors SIG set out to answer this question through a survey answered by more than 160 women inventors. This session was a great example of using data to drive connections and build community.

These workshops, and others such as “Technology Valuation,” “Getting up to Speed on European IP Law,” “Biomanufacturing,” and “Blockchain, NFTs and Universities,” showed that the AUTM Annual Meeting covered the hot topics and issues the industry is facing.

It was rewarding to meet with so many tech transfer professionals who want to analyze trends for their projects and hear suggestions for additional applications.  In these ways, KISSPlatform can help find companies that most likely want a license.

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