office of technology management @ the university of illinois u of illinois the office of technology...
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Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois
U of Illinois The Office of Technology Management (OTM)
Intern Program – 12 years later
Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois
Fast Facts Urbana OTM
Operational Aspects
•U of Illinois Research Revenues $600M
•OTM Staff- 20 FTE
• 7 licensing managers
• 6 support staff
• 7 other professional staff
• 14 interns
•45,000 Students, 2,978 Faculty
•OTM budget 2012-13
• Operations $2.3M,
• Patent costs $3M
Common Metrics (2012)
•223 Inventions
•76 patents issued
•46 licenses/options
•5 startups
•$6.1M royalties
•Equity Holdings in 32 Startups
Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois
Fast Facts Current Intern Program
Operational Aspects- $150,000 annual cost
•4 undergraduate marketing and communications interns ($14.50 p/hr)
•1 undergraduate mobile apps intern ($14.50 p/hr)
•5 OTM funded graduate commercialization analysts ($18.50 p/hr)
•2 OTM funded PhD Fellows ($18.50 p/hr)
•1 OTM Funded Patent Fellow ($18.50 p/hr)
•3 Department funded grad commercialization analysts ($18.50 p/hr)
OTM Intern Team 2012
Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois
Operational Details
Commercialization Analyst Program
•35 hours per week May- August (summer)
•10 hours per week End Aug- May (semester)
Marketing and Comms Program
•20 hours per week (summer)
•10 hours per week (semester)
Ph.D Fellows Program
•12 hours per week (summer)
•10 hours per week (semester)
Patent Fellows Program
•10 hours per week (semester)
Mobile Apps Intern
•Ad hoc
Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois
Intern Responsibilities Commercialization Analysts/ Ph.D. Fellows •Screening/evaluation of new invention disclosures•Market and industry analysis for marketing •Prior Art analysis •Initial draft for marketing materials •Special projects – marketing, patent analysis, claim analysis,
Patent Fellow •Assisting Patent Coordinator review Office Actions, do patent analysis, draft claims for in house provisionals
Communications Interns•All Social Media management and strategy
• Twitter,facebook,pinterest, linkedin, etc•Website content management (otm.illinois.edu)•Blogging and writing for newsletters or for any campus publication
Marketing Interns •One on one assistance with marketing plans and programs for Technology Managers
Mobile App Intern •One on one assistance with coding mobile apps from disclosures to the OTM
Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois
Recruitment process (1)
• Highly competitive internships, over 100 applications for 14 positions• Recruitment Starts January each year• First Offers Made March, final offers made April• Start day always first day after graduation date (May 14 ish)• Process
Graduate Commercialization Analysts/ Ph.D. Fellows • Information sessions in law school, MBA program, life sciences, engineering
Undergraduate Communications/marketing Interns• Info sessions at College of Media
Mobile App Intern • Word of mouth in CS and Engineering.
Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois
Recruitment process (2)
Graduate Commercialization Analysts/ Ph.D. Fellows • Previous years interns manage recruitment process• Review of initial applications and Invite ~ 1/3 to interview/case study• Two full days of interviews each year
Undergraduate Communications/marketing Interns• Info sessions at College of Media • Review resumes and invite for interview/writing sample
Mobile App Intern • Word of mouth in CS and Engineering. • Review resume and interview
Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois
Management of Programs
Graduate Commercialization Analysts/ Ph.D. Fellows • Work flow and day to day items Supervised by Senior Commercialization Analyst
(usually a second year intern)• Management oversight by one Technology Manager• Each intern works with different tech managers throughout the year depending on
their disclosure projects.
Undergraduate Communications/marketing Interns• Managed directly by Senior Marketing Manager
-Mobile App Intern • Managed directly by Technology Manager responsible for software/copyright
Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois
Value Add for Interns
All Interns • Over the course of the internship
introductions to /seminars with:– Entrepreneurs– VC’s– Law firms– Local companies
• Opportunity to be selected for an AUTM Student membership
• Leadership opportunities within the program
– Senior Analyst position– Participate in next years recruitment
• Possible career opportunities (associate tech manager)
Fellows • Adapted hours to fit with a Ph.D
candidate other responsibilities • Hands on experience for ‘alternative
career to teaching/research’• Other as indicated for ‘all interns’
Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois
New Aspects of Program• Mobile App Intern
– Driven by increase in mobile apps from non traditional sources
• PhD Fellows– Driven by increased demand, needed to adjust hours
• Communications– Increased focus on social media presence
• All Interns – New module for training in conjunction with NSF Funded National Center for Professional
and Research Ethics.
Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois
Measures of Success• Keeping up with disclosures
– Review and make recommendation on each disclosure within 6- 8 weeks
• Keeping faculty happy – Responsiveness and professionalism of
students assists maintaining the great reputation of our office
• Communications– Increased focus on social media presence,
3000 tweets, 1,357 followers.– Increased number of events on campus
• Keeping all FTE staff motivated and not overwhelmed
Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois
Challenges and Risks• Ongoing successful recruitment of interns
– A lapse in recruitment can have detrimental impact on entire tech transfer operation if intern program is relied upon to provide fundamental services
– Maintain a high profile for the program, use word of mouth, showcase on campus
• Being aware of regulatory issues when employing foreign national students– Need to be cognizant of regulations and whether a technology is export-controlled
– There may be restrictions on who can review confidential information
– Keep top of mind and do get a working knowledge of issues,
• Attrition and getting commitment from students to work regular hours– Make students feel part of the tech transfer team, recognize their efforts, communicate
regularly with them about their work and the other activities of the office
Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois
What’s Next?
• Undergraduate Finance Intern – For assistance with license compliance and
finance
• Further refining – Ph.D. Fellow Program– Mobile App Intern program
Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois
Where are they now?
• Other tech transfer offices• Patent or Corporate Counsel• Startup Companies• Market Research and Consulting Co’s• Business development/product
management• Insurance/Finance Companies
Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois
Final Checklist• Defining needs – where is need for additional resources?
• Management and training – who/when/how/cost?
• Space/location – on location or satellite, confidentiality issues
• Costs/budget – how much, who pays, how to measure value?
• Screening Process – for consistency of experience for analysts
• Other projects – part of core work or not?
• Continuity between programs – helps to have mentor?
• Getting buy in – faculty, other licensing staff, administration
Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois
Thanks!
@ILinnovations
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www.otm.illinois.edu