Purdue commercialization assistant vice president to testify before congressional committee on technology transfer
July 23, 2013
WASHINGTON - The director of the Purdue Office of Technology and Commercialization (OTC) on Wednesday (July 24) will testify before a congressional panel examining ways to improve technology transfer at universities, research institutes and national laboratories.
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Elizabeth Hart-Wells |
Elizabeth "Libby" Hart-Wells, assistant vice president for research and associate director of the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship at Purdue, will highlight innovative practices that Purdue has instituted for leveraging its federally funded research projects.
The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology's Subcommittee on Research & Technology will take testimony from 2-4 p.m. Scheduled to testify are Brian R. Wamhoff, vice president of research & development and co-founder of HemoShear LLC; Erik Lium, assistant vice chancellor of the Office of Innovation, Technology & Alliances at the University of California, San Francisco; and Hart-Wells.
Members of the subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives are considering amendments to the existing Transfer of Federally Funded Research and Technology Act of 2013. The public hearing is in the 2318 Rayburn House Office Building.
"Universities engage in fundamental research to grow our knowledge base, to advance understanding, and to encourage free thinking in our next generations," Hart-Wells said. "Inherent to exploration of uncharted areas of inquiry is discovery. Discovery can and should lead to delivery. Gaps in the path that connects discovery to delivery exist, however.
"In my reading of its current draft, it is the filling of this gap that is, provincially defined, the subject of the proposed legislation."
Recent steps by Purdue to advance its technology transfer process have included:
* Incentives for student inventors: Purdue's new intellectual property policy will grant students full property rights to inventions developed through a course with resources broadly available for the course.
* Fast track for new inventors: The Purdue Research Foundation and the OTC offer first-time Purdue inventors a fast track to commercialization including an express startup license that provides a quicker and more transparent licensing for Purdue's inventive entrepreneurs.
* New hub offers services to enhance commercialization: The Purdue Foundry plans to double Purdue's successful technology-based startups over the next two years by offering service ranging from help with grant writing to connecting with alumni.
In her role at Purdue, Hart-Wells manages the commercialization of Purdue's intellectual property assets, which includes evaluating innovations, developing commercialization strategies and drafting commercialization agreements.
In 2012, the Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization reported 356 invention disclosures, 77 commercialization licenses and deals, acquired 54 issued U.S. patents and reported the creation of five startups from Purdue discoveries. For information about the Purdue innovations, contact Cynthia Sequin, 765-588-3340, casequin@prf.org.
The Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship, through its sponsored initiatives and partnerships - including the Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Technology Realization Program, Entrepreneurial Leadership Academy and business plan competitions - aims to stimulate entrepreneurship at Purdue and serves as a state, regional and national resource.
Writers: Cynthia Sequin, 765-588-3340, casequin@prf.org
Phillip Fiorini, 765-496-3133, pfiorini@purdue.edu
Source: Elizabeth "Libby" Hart-Wells, 765-588-3473, Eahart-wells@prf.org
Related website:
Subcommittee on Research and Technology - Improving Technology Transfer at Universities, Research Institutes and National Laboratories
