AUTM Special Interest Groups focus on specific areas of interest within the technology transfer field. The groups meet in person during the AUTM Annual Meeting, and facilitators may choose to hold additional meetings according to SIG members' needs. Contact facilitators to learn more about specific SIGs.


Attorneys
Legal professionals discuss current legal issues relevant to university technology transfer.

Facilitator: To Be Announced

AUTM/BIO

The AUTM/BIO SIG discussions focus on public policy issues in the areas of effective public-private partnerships, strong intellectual property protection, and fostering innovation and research. Participants also discuss how AUTM and BIO can work together on mutually beneficial programs.

Facilitators: Adrian R. Cyhan
J.D., Foley & Lardner LLP
acyhan@foley.com

Lila Feisee
Biotechnology Industry Organization
lfeisee@bio.org

Steve Maebius
J.D., Foley & Larder LLP
smaebius@foley.com

Michael Moore
University of Minnesota
moore045@umn.edu

Patricia Weeks
Fox Chase Cancer Center
patricia.weeks@fccc.edu

Biotech Patenting
This SIG reviews important biotechnology patenting court cases, analyzes trends in the patent office that affect biotechnology patenting and discusses issues that inventors and universities face when applying for patents on biotechnological inventions.

Facilitator: Benjamin A. Adler, Ph.D., J.D.
Adler & Associates
badler1@houstron.rr.com

Building University-Industry Collaborations Around Existing Technologies
This SIG focuses on innovative approaches for pairing university skills and talents to industry for the purpose of advancing corporate early-stage technologies and profit from their results. The group also considers alternative approaches such as linking university technologies to investment firms that are able to supply a consistent flow of evaluation and seed money to promising inventions.

Facilitators: Janis M. Peck
Research Foundation of SUNY
janis.peck@rfsuny.org

M. Guven Yalcintas, Ph.D.
Research Foundation of SUNY
Guven.yalcintas@rfsuny.org

Career Development in Technology Transfer
Topics of discussion include: skills necessary to get a job in technology transfer, relevant education, necessary experience, technology transfer as preparation for a position in industry, and moving from industry to academic technology transfer.

Facilitators: Marc Sedam
Qualyst Inc.
marcsedam@qualyst.com

Christopher A. Willson, Ph.D.
University of Louisville
cawillson@louisville.edu

Chile: Using Biotechnology as the Central Pillar of its Technological Development
This SIG focuses on the programs and processes being implemented by a country using biotechnology as the cornerstone of its economical development.

Facilitator: Allan Jarry
NEOS Servicios de Gestion Tecnologica Ltd.
allanjarry@neos.cl

Industry/Affiliate Members
This SIG is an informal means to capture the interests, suggestions, comments, advice and expertise of affiliate members. The goal is to encourage a lively, thought-provoking discussion and convey information gathered to the AUTM membership and board.

Facilitator: Nikki Borman
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
nikki.j.borman@us.pwc.com

International Members
Non-North American members review the achievements and services AUTM provides members around the world.

Facilitator: Paul van Grevenstein
STI Management
pvg@stim.biz

International Technology Transfer Surveys
This SIG is intended to form the basis for an ongoing worldwide group of cooperating organizations that are conducting or planning to conduct surveys that collect data about technology transfer activity.

Facilitator: Ashley Stevens, Ph.D.
Boston University
astevens@bu.edu

Material Transfer Agreements
Discusses challenges and solutions relating to agreements covering the exchange of research materials between academic institutions or companies and academic institutions. Members of the MTA SIG are a resource to help members of the research community develop solutions to facilitate the exchange of proprietary materials in a manner that addresses the needs of providers and recipients and advances the global research enterprise.

The MTA SIG currently has two working groups
-the eMTA Commmons group which is working to create a universal, web-based MTA management system
-the Negotiations Issues group which is actively engaging in finding solutions to common negotiation issues between institutions and industry.

MTA SIG Facilitator: Kristin Rencher
Oregon Health & Science University
rencherk@ohsu.edu

eMTA Commons Group: Larry Couture
Center for Applied Technology Development Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope
lcouture@coh.org

MTA Negotiations Issues Lead: Mary Donnelly
Stritch School of Medicine Loyola University
mdonnelly@lumc.edu

Facilitator: Kristin Rencher
Oregon Health & Science University
rencherk@ohsu.edu

Meeting of Energized Volunteers of AUTM SIG Technology Managers for Global Health and BioVentures for Global Health
The past several years have seen the creation of unprecedented coalitions of institutions devoted to global health. The TMGH-MIHR partnership, which has received financial support from the Rockefeller Foundation, aims to mobilize intellectual property management and business development professionals in a variety of sectors to enhance deal flows in global health-related technology transfer and ensure accessibility of health-product innovations for the poorer populations in developing countries.

Facilitator: Usha Balakrishnan
MIHR-USA
usha@mihr.org

Microfluidics Licensing
Focuses on issues associated with licensing microfluidic technologies and addresses questions related to marketing, education and networking and best strategies for patenting.

Facilitator: Nadia Sifri, M.S.
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
nadia@warf.org

OTL Foundations
This SIG serves as a forum for the discussion of issues relating to foundations set up for technology licensing from parent academic institutions.

Facilitator: Andrew Cohn
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
cohn@warf.org

Pharmaceutical Patenting
This group addresses concerns relating to patenting and licensing new drugs, diagnostics, screening methods and methods of medical treatment, including patent office strategy in view of recent case law and new U.S. Patent and Trademark Office policies and rules.

Facilitator: Warren D. Woessner, Ph.D.
Schwegman Lundberg Woessner & Kluth PA
wwoessner@slwk.com

Plant and Plant Variety Protection Act Issues
This SIG is for people interested in licensing and managing intellectual property dealing with all aspects of plants, PVP and UPOV protection, and the relevant and varied angles that are contemplated when licensing this kind of intellectual property.

Facilitator: William T. Tucker, Ph.D.
University of California
william.tucker@ucop.edu

Proposed PTO Rule Changes
On January 3, 2006, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published two new pending rule change proposals for public comments. This SIG discusses the change rules, their potential impact and possible actions in response to the proposals.

Facilitator: Ronald E. Eisenstein, J.D.
Nixon Peabody LLP
REISENSTEIN@nixonpeabody.com

Regional Economic Development
Communities worldwide are looking to universities as potential engines of economic growth. The Regional Economic Development SIG provides AUTM members with an opportunity to share information, insights and best practices for this increasingly important facet of technology transfer.

Facilitator: Don Gerhart, Ph.D.
University of Oregon
gerhart@techtran.uoregon.edu

Small Offices
SIG participants have the opportunity to discuss issues unique to small technology transfer offices and network with fellow AUTM members who face the same challenges.

Facilitator: Elizabeth P. Spencer
University of Notre Dame
espencer@nd.edu

Software/Multimedia
An information source for those who are either engaged in or wish to learn more about the marketing and licensing of computer software and multimedia works.

Facilitator: Paul R. Betten, Ph.D.
Argonne National Laboratory
betten@anl.gov

Technology Managers for Global Health
The TMGH SIG serves as a resource and support network for professionals to more effectively manage inventions and technologies that address treatments for neglected diseases and other afflictions widely prevalent among the poorer populations in low- and middle-income countries and compile, discuss and develop standard language in license agreements between universities and companies in higher-income countries that may ensure more widespread development of, or access to, inventions that have both a developing world and first-world market.

Facilitator: Usha Balakrishnan
MIHR-USA
usha@mihr.org

Technology Transfer Capacity at Limited Resource Institutions
This SIG concentrates on critical issues that limited resource institutions face while building technology transfer capacity. We will discuss alternatives to traditional approaches to establishing technology transfer offices, effective electronic management systems and special initiatives designed to support technology transfer efforts at limited resource institutions.

Facilitator: Rose Glee, Ph.D.
Florida A&M University
rose.glee@famu.edu

Translational Research
Translational research is a rapidly growing research area, and the role for Universities is steadily increasing. Translational research demands a lot of resources from technology transfer offices. This forum will discuss the issues arising from this field and how to best structure and advice translational research programs and centers on intellectual property.

Facilitator: Mikael C. Herlevsen, Ph.D.
University of Virginia Patent Foundation
mikael@uvapf.org

University/Federal Laboratories
Seeks to improve understanding of critical technology transfer issues and communication between federal laboratories and academic institutions, with emphasis on “deferred compensation” (i.e., equity) in licenses to startup companies.

Facilitator: Chris Jansen, Ph.D.
Chris Jansen Associates
christina.jansen@nrl.navy.mil

Venture Capital and Technology Transfer
SIG participants discuss the intersection and interaction between early-stage investors and technology transfer individuals. The goal is to learn from one another’s successes and mistakes as they relate to specific transactions and deal terms.

Facilitators: Rick Holdren
Appraisal and Mentor Group LLC
rholdren@houston.rr.com

Christopher Rand
Vanderbilt University