| Monday, September 11 |
|
| 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. |
Registration |
| 8:46 a.m. |
AUTM Programming will begin at 9 AM. There will be no presentations or remarks during the September 11th National Moment of Silence. |
| 9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. |
AUTM Welcome Address |
| 9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. |
Materially Transform Your Approach to Licensing Tangible Materials: Recognizing Value in Non-Traditional Ways
Universities are fertile grounds that give birth to research tools and enabling technologies known as tangible materials. These validated tools foster global research and development that can lead to multiple therapies and products. This panel will shed light on several aspects of tangible material licensing, including best practices and lessons learned. Please join the university experts to learn how to develop your commercial pipeline of research tools. |
| 10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. |
Transition Break |
| 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. |
Concurrent Sessions
A1: The IP and Funding Conundrum: Navigating Therapeutic Commercialization
This session will provide attendees with a better understanding of the therapeutic commercialization landscape, the importance of early IP protection and alternative commercialization solutions. The discussion will investigate the classical role of early IP protection as a prerequisite to commercialization, as well as alternative funding mechanisms for commercialization that are not predicated on established IP but, instead, in pursuit of a patented commercial outcome. These increasingly popular alternative funding mechanisms include accelerators, open innovation, collaboration and co-development.
A2: University-Affiliated Venture Capital Funds
While venture capital continues to grow in terms of both deal count and investment amount, early-stage investment remains relatively stagnant. Venture capital funds dedicated to university startups are a mechanism to address gaps in early-stage capital, generate increased startup activity and grow ecosystems that may not have established venture capital presence. This session will examine several different university venture funds. Attendees will learn about different venture fund structures, approaches to gain support and momentum within your university for a venture fund, dangers and pitfalls, and how to match your university's tech transfer strategy with venture fund strategy. |
| 11:35 a.m. - 12:35 p.m. |
Reverse Pitch Industry Session
This session provides a unique venue for members of industry and academia to socialize, connect and discuss areas of interest. Industry partners are each given a few minutes to present developing technologies, share tips on collaborating with their companies and discuss their partnering interests.
Presentations by:
Alexandria LaunchLabs
Mission BioCapital
Orange Grove Bio
LevelSet Capital
Henkel Adhesives
Hyloris Pharmaceuticals
J&J
Sanofi
Silicon Valley Bank
Servier Pharmaceuticals
|
| 12:35 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. |
Lunch |
| 1:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. |
Concurrent Sessions
B1: Is It Safe to Use SAFES? Perspective from the Trifecta of Universities, Industry and VCs
Created by Y Combinator, a SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) grants an investor the right to purchase equity at a future date. For a university, the SAFE can be a viable alternative to negotiating equity in a license agreement, which can be long and arduous.
The trifecta of universities, industry and investor have different perspectives on the use of SAFES. Some may like them, and some may not. The ones who do not like them may prefer convertible notes. This panel will discuss the reasons for these different preferences.
B: Supporting translation: NIH programs to enhance entrepreneurial activities and tech transfer efforts.
The success of tech transfer offices and their talent is contingent on accessing resources and capital for building, commercializing, and growing their innovative concept. This panel will discuss how NIH's various small business programs and intramural tech transfer efforts synergize with academic tech transfer offices to fund and support biomedical innovators. |
| 3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. |
Networking Break |
| 3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. |
AUTM Board Address & The AI-enabled TTO
In under a year, AI and machine learning (AI/ML) has gone from a subject in the far corners of university research labs to the lead story of every news organization in the world. AI/ML has the ability to be a transformative tool for technology transfer offices, automating back office tasks, generating content for marketing, sorting through market research, and yes—potentially even crafting license agreements. This session will provide an overview of how NYU has embraced AI/ML through the use of a private instance of ChatGPT, including a discussion of prompt engineering to create agreement summaries, agreement comparisons, and breach and termination letters. The panelists will walk you through the process from initial prompt, evaluation, QC, and adjusting prompts to improve performance. |
| 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. |
Welcome Reception
Connecting with colleagues and industry pros has never been easier. Bring business cards! |
Tuesday, September 12 |
|
| 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. |
Registration |
| 8:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. |
Concurrent Sessions
C1: Court Reporter: University Patent Litigation Currently Pending in U.S. Courts
The session will provide an overview and discussion of litigation involving university-owned patents currently pending in United States District Courts and the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. The session will provide insight into the legal actions that have been taken to effectively enforce and protect university-owned patents.
C2: The Bridge Between Researchers, Students, Community & Tech Transfer
University of Vermont's ARC (Academic Research Commercialization) Program and the Alvernia University O'Pake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship are great examples of optimizing your student population. Both programs have taken major strides for their communities by furthering the commercialization of technical innovations while training the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders. Learn how student teams can operate as startups while they develop business models, conduct customer discovery, and develop commercialization strategies for various technologies. These programs strive to bridge the gap between university research and the broader professional community by immersing students in the local entrepreneurial ecosystem and facilitating mentorship by local advisors, entrepreneurs, and investors. The ultimate goal of the student teams in the ARC Program is to spin off technical innovations into high-impact startups, while the O'Pake Fellows program has helped revitalize their local economy. Join us as we explore the partnership between students, entrepreneurs and tech transfer to optimize success. |
| 9:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. |
Break |
| 10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. |
Concurrent Sessions
D1: Driving Sustainable Innovation: Challenges and Opportunities in Climate Technology Commercialization
This panel discussion will explore the challenges and opportunities involved in bringing new climate technologies to market, including questions related to intellectual property, license terms, business models and funding. We will also examine the role of partnerships among academic institutions, private companies and investors, and government agencies in fostering innovation and advancing sustainable technologies. Through the sharing of insights and experiences, we aim to identify key strategies and explore new ideas for accelerating the commercialization of technologies that can address our urgent climate challenges.
D2: From Hangups to Breakthroughs: A New Era for IP Policies
A panel of experts will share their experiences and lessons learned from updating or creating IP policies at their respective universities. The emphasis of the presentation will be on the common challenges that technology transfer offices face when developing IP policies, as well as the best practices to overcome these challenges. |
| 11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. |
Lunch |
| 1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. |
Concurrent Sessions
E1: Licensing Non-Patentable Subject Matter
Most Tech Transfer offices are adept at licensing patentable subject matter. However, licensing non-patentable subject matter such as trade secrets/know how, copyright works including software, and trademarks is often a challenging task. The challenge increases when a combination of non-patentable and patentable subject matter are the subject of licenses.
This workshop will also show to prepare a license directed to any one or more intellectual properties quickly by focusing on the grants clause first then building out the license by adding modular agreement components as needed. This “inside-out” approach can produce agreements that allow for the more efficient management of the licensed properties.
E2: Modifying University License and Other Collaborative Agreements in Light of the New European Patent System
After years of delay, a new European patent system became a reality on June 1, 2023. One extremely important aspect of the new system that has received insufficient attention is the effect that this will have on the dynamics between licensors and licensees as well as parties to inter-institutional agreements. The session will take a practical look at specific aspects of agreements that should be amended in order to protect the rights of university patent holders under the new system. Speakers will review specific template language in various types of agreements and explain how such agreements can be modified effectively and efficiently to take the new European patent system into account. |
| 2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. |
Growing Regional Innovation Ecosystems
Investment and venture activity is expanding beyond the traditional innovation/tech hubs of Boston/Cambridge and the Bay Area. This panel will include representatives from growth areas such as NYC/NJ/CT, Maryland/Baltimore, Research Triangle, etc. discussing the recent evolution in their areas and opportunities (or challenges/limitations) for continued growth. |
| 3:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. |
Farewell Networking Break |