Tech Launch Arizona's Faculty Innovation Ambassador Program: The Power of Peer-to-Peer Innovation Advocacy

Paul Tumarkin
Assistant Director, Marketing & Communications
Tech Launch Arizona



In January 2024, Tech Launch Arizona (TLA), the University of Arizona’s tech transfer office, rolled out its Faculty Innovator Ambassador (FIA) program. The goal? Build a peer-to-peer network to boost TLA’s reputation, increase invention disclosures, and make resources for inventorship, innovation, and entrepreneurship easier to find.
Led by Douglas M. Hockstad, TLA Associate Vice President, and Paul K. Tumarkin, Assistant Director of TLA Marketing & Communications, the program now has 18 months of lessons learned—and some surprises to share.

Getting Started
Finding the right people was mission critical. TLA curated a list of mid- and senior-level faculty, who were already engaged with the TTO process, from the most IP-heavy departments. From there, they reached out personally to eight faculty members who embodied the entrepreneurial spirit, had a track record in commercialization, and understood the TLA process and its benefits.

To sweeten the deal, TLA made sure the FIA service could count toward faculty service requirements. Volunteers also received early access to information, priority networking and innovation event invitations, and some tangible perks—a jacket embroidered with the FIA logo and a plaque for their office door or desk. (Thinking strategically, TLA made sure to put a QR code on each plaque that linked to FIA program info on their website.)

Once the team was assembled, TLA hosted a half-day training session covering TTO resources, the TLA process, and expectations for FIAs. Ambassadors had their bios posted with a video profile on the TLA website, and a link to shareable resources. TLA then promoted them, leveraging the communications teams and channels in each college to get the word out. Their role: advocate for innovation among peers, co-present with TLA staff at two events each year, organize presentations for their colleges, and connect regularly with fellow Ambassadors.
 
18 Months Later
So, how’s it going?

Tumarkin, who now manages the FIA program, says the concept was warmly received. The Ambassadors value the recognition for their innovation expertise, and graduate students appreciate having a clear go-to person for answers.

One unexpected highlight: the “Meet Your Faculty Innovation Ambassador” lunches. These events, held in the fall, drew strong attendance—mostly from graduate students rather than the anticipated faculty peers. But that turned out to be a win.

“We all know that grad students are great sources of innovation, as well as effective conduits for reaching faculty,” said Tumarkin.

TLA’s next step is to survey Ambassadors to track how many inquiries and conversations they’re having, and the invention disclosure form now includes a checkbox asking whether inventors have spoken with an Ambassador.
 
Lessons Learned
The biggest surprise? How much ongoing care the program requires.

“It was developed to be supported internally with minimal costs—the Ambassador jackets, the plaques, food for lunches and events, etc.,” Tumarkin explained. “We set everything up really well. We engaged our Ambassadors, gave them a great training program and materials, and set them off to start ‘ambassador-ing’. But no matter how great and motivated the Ambassadors are, we learned that you need to keep connecting with them and bringing them new programs and new materials and new ways to engage. We brought them aboard as Ambassadors because they’re so great, but great people tend to have very full schedules, so if you don’t actively pursue and engage them, the program can quickly go dormant.”

His advice for anyone considering a similar program is clear. “It’s by no means a ‘set it and forget it’ proposition. Ambassadors have an important role to play, but they need to be engaged and re-engaged indefinitely. So while you might plan events that showcase your Ambassadors, you also need to have a clear plan for keeping the lines of communication wide open between them and the staff managing the program; we’ve learned that’s just a key non-negotiable.”
 
Image: Faculty Innovation Ambassador and Professor Gregory Thatcher leads a lunchtime commercialization conversation with colleagues and students at the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy.

Photo courtesy of  Paul Tumarkin/Tech Launch Arizona.

'To learn more details about setting up ambassador programs, watch this webinar presented by the University of Arizona, Vanderbilt University, and Columbia University.