Technology Transfer Practice Manual

The AUTM Technology Transfer Practice Manual™, Second Edition, is an invaluable resource for intellectual property professionals of all levels. It's filled with the practical information and continuous education that is essential in the management of the ever-evolving academic technology transfer office. With 65 chapters covering more than 40 subject areas - as well as more than 70 sample policies, agreements and forms - the updated manual reflects the changes in the technology transfer culture and is the most comprehensive document available for the technology transfer professional.

If you're involved at all in managing today's ever-evolving academic technology transfer office, the four-volume AUTM Technology Transfer Practice Manual, Second Edition, is an essential resource for you.

Chapters are grouped into 15 broad categories:

• Pertinent Laws and Regulations
• Managing a Technology Transfer Office
• Pertinent Policies
• Intellectual Property: Intangible and Tangible
• The Inventor
• Soliciting and Evaluating Invention Disclosures
• Marketing
• Licenses
• Licensing and Negotiation Strategies
• Valuation
• Pertinent Agreements
• Startups and Related Topics
• Complex Issues
• Special Issues

A few examples of hot topics covered in the manual:

• Plant intellectual property transfer and management have traditionally been handled through agriculture experiment stations. In "Plant Intellectual Property Transfer Mechanisms at Universities" by Steven Price, Bryan Renk and Leanna Sweha, you will learn the history, culture and the way in which to administer plant patenting and licensing.
• Once the license agreement has been executed, among the major due-diligence requirements of the technology transfer office is to establish a system for monitoring royalty income. "License Agreement Royalty Auditing" by James Tretheway describes methods to identify license agreements for auditing and proven methods for performing these audits.
• Transgenic mice are research tools that benefit both industry and academic researchers. "Licensing Transgenic Mice: A Short Tutorial," by Irene Abrams and Martine Kaiser, describes the unique issues which arise in licensing transgenic mice.

The cost of the manual is $450 for members and $700 for nonmembers.

Licensing Survey

The AUTM Licensing Survey™ is among the most referenced publications in technology transfer. Survey statistics clearly show the rapid growth of academic technology transfer and the positive impact of technology transfer throughout North America. The report includes data from more organizations than ever before, covering topics such as:

• Number of new commercial products
• Number of new companies established
• Royalty revenue
• Licenses and options executed

Key findings of the FY 2002 Licensing Survey are:

• Federal funding for research continued to climb, but industrial funding grew at only one-third that rate, and research funding linked to licenses and options - a major incentive for academic scientists to participate in the technology transfer process - declined.
• The share of transactions with start-up companies and large companies also declined since fiscal year 2001. However, small companies increased activity to offset the shortfall.
• The absence of an IPO window and the low level of stock prices resulted in a significant decrease in license income from stock liquidation.
• Reflecting the difficult conditions in the venture capital industry, the number of new start-ups fell, and the number of start-ups going out of business increased particularly sharply.
• Despite these challenges, benefits deriving from the transactions completed and partnerships forged since the passage of the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 encouraged institutions to increase investment in technology transfer for the long term. In general, human resources in reporting institutions' technology transfer offices increased, and there was a growth in the number of invention disclosures and patents filed.
• Though equity liquidation declined, total royalty income rose. The proportion of royalty income from running royalties on product sales climbed, reflecting the economic and social importance of products developed and introduced to the market since 1980.

AUTM members can download a PDF file of the Survey Summary from the AUTM Web site. (link to Members Only log-in page; include a prompt telling people they're entering an area restricted to AUTM members) To obtain paper copies of the 2002 or previous Surveys, order online or contact AUTM headquarters at info@autm.net or 847/559-0846.

Educational Series
The AUTM Educational Series™ presents papers relating to intellectual property matters of interest to technology transfer practitioners, researchers, inventors, faculty members and the general public. The publications are designed for widespread distribution and are priced for high-volume orders at affordable prices.

The series comprises:

1. An Inventor's Guide to Patents and Patenting, by Lisa von Bargen Mueller with revisions by Jill T. Sorensen - Updated in 2002 to incorporate changes in the law under the American Inventors Protection Act, this publication covers essentials that inventors must know before engaging in the patent process.
   
   
2. Prior Art: Silent Time Bombs That Can Blow Away Your Licensing Deals, by Grace P. Malilay, Ann M. Mueting and Ann S. Viksnins - A compilation of the issues that can threaten the ability to obtain a patent, and helpful advice on how to recognize and avoid these difficulties.
   
   
3. Material Transfer Agreements, by Brian Leslie - A discussion of the most common issues and conflicts encountered with the exchange of materials used in research, with suggestions to overcome these complexities.
   
   
4. Copyright Protection of Software, Multimedia, and Other Works: An Author's Guide, by Charles C. Valauskas and Catherine Innes - A discussion about questions related to copyright that arise frequently in the academic environment and sharing of an understanding of basic copyright law.
   
   
5. Development and Deployment of Digital Works in Universities: A Guide for Authors and Licensing Officers, by Catherine Innes and Charles C. Valauskas - A tutorial about ownership and use issues that arise specifically regarding digital works created in an academic environment.
   
   
6. Academic Technology Transfer: Driving Public Use of University Research, by Howard Bremer, Catherine Innes and Christopher McKinney - AUTM's newest publication, unveiled in March 2004, is a tool that academic technology transfer professionals can use to educate state and federal legislators, university administrators and regional economic development councils about the economic and societal impacts of academic technology transfer.
   
   

Directors' Kit

The Directors' Kit, published on CD-ROM, is designed to help AUTM leaders educate university administrators, legislators and others about the importance and benefits of academic technology transfer. The first edition of the kit, released in December 2002, includes a sample PowerPoint presentation and background reading materials that focus on 14 key areas:

1. Bayh-Dole
2. TLO Objectives
3. TLO Structure & Function
4. Managing IP
5. Case Study: Stanford OTL
6. Conflict of Interest
7. Innovation Process
8. Economic Development
9. Prototype Development
10. Success Stories
11. External Challenges
12. Royalty Realities
13. Litigation
14. Title and Ownership

Contact AUTM headquarters at info@autm.net for more information about the original Directors' Kit edition. AUTM plans to produce an updated edition of the Directors' Kit in 2004.


Compensation and Benefits Survey

Based on input from AUTM members, the association has launched an effort to create a compensation and benefits survey to provide members with a better understanding of practices and standards in the academic technology transfer field. The final report will be complete in the spring.


Note: Details should be available by the time the site launches.

Publications Editors

Technology Transfer Practice Manual
Marjorie Forster
Univ of Maryland Baltimore
(410) 706-6631
mforster@ordmail.umaryland.edu

Educational Series
Kirsten Leute
Stanford University
(650) 723-4274
kleute@stanford.edu

Journal
Kirsten Leute
Stanford University
(650) 723-4274
kleute@stanford.edu