Technology Transfer Fellowships

Boston University’s Office of Technology Transfer will accept as Fellows senior individuals with the appropriate combination of business, scientific and legal skills whose objective is to establish and lead a successful technology transfer program at a major research institution in their own country.

Each Fellowship will last from one to three months.

The Fellow will be expected to:

1.  Observe all aspects of OTT operations, including:

  • Back office operations, including database management and financial procedures;
  • Invention disclosure management;
  • Technology assessment and triage;
  • Patent filing and management;
  • Technology marketing;
  • License negotiation and completion;
  • License management;
  • New company formation.

2.  Observe other aspects of Boston University’s Technology Development program, including:

  • Entrepreneurial support to faculty;
  • Seed fund activities;
  • Venture fund activities;
  • Incubator facilities;
  • Venture mentoring activities.

3.  Attend meetings of Boston University’s:

  • Patent Committees;
  • Conflict of Interest Committees;
  • Institutional Review Boards;
  • Translational research program management committees.

4.  Manage initial stages of a small portfolio of new inventions, including:

  • Discussions with faculty inventors;
  • Assessing the invention;
  • Filing initial provisional patent applications, if warranted;
  • Writing a non-confidential disclosure;
  • Identifying potential licensees;
  • Marketing the technology to the identified licensees.

5.  If their Fellowship overlaps BU’s Fall or Spring semesters, take the Technology Commercialization Course taught by Dr. Stevens through Boston University’s School of Management.

6.  Develop a set of template documents for use in their own office, starting from Boston University’s form agreements.

7.  Become aware of the role of intellectual property in global health and affordable medicines, and develop a policy appropriate for their own institution.

8.  If necessary, select a vendor of a database for managing technology transfer offices after reviewing options, including Boston University’s FileMaker based system.

9.  Visit a much smaller (Boston College) and a much larger (MIT) office of technology transfer in the Boston area;

10.  Attend several of the various networking groups that are an important component of the Massachusetts innovation economy.

11.  Join the Association of University Technology Managers; attend one of their meetings, if the timing works out, and purchase a set of the AUTM Licensing Manuals.

12.  Establish connections with the Science Attaché of their Embassy in Washington, and with their Boston Consulate, if any.

13.  Identify fellow countrymen working in the innovation economy in Massachusetts to form the basis for an on-going connection after they return to their own country.

14.  Collaborate on a research project on an aspect of technology transfer that will be publishable either by itself or as part of a larger publishable project

The Fellowship will equip the Fellow to launch and sustain a technology transfer program in their own country to begin the process of translating academic research to the private sector to start to create a sustainable technology-based sector in their local economy.

Resources Provided

The Technology Development Office will provide the Fellows with:

  • Office space;
  • A Boston University guest email account and Internet access;
  • Supervision and mentoring;

The Fellow will be expected to provide their own:

  • Accommodations and living expenses;
  • Travel expenses;
  • Laptop computer;
  • AUTM membership dues.

Selection Process

The Fellow should apply in writing to Dr. Stevens. Boston University is offering this opportunity as part of building a network of collaborating institutions around the world, involving collaborations in education and research, and the application should explain how the Fellowship can contribute to building that relationship. Priority will be given to Fellows from countries and institutions with which Boston University already has a long term partnership.