UTEN Portugal Workshop: Knowledge Management Impels Economic Development
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The University Technology Enterprise Network (UTEN) Workshop, organized by UTEN Portugal and the Carnegie Mellon|Portugal Program, was held at Instituto Pedro Nunes in Coimbra, Portugal, on November 8th -10th, 2009. The main topic of discussion was “Experiencing Technology Transfer with Carnegie Mellon.” |
During two days, speakers from Carnegie Mellon University and workshop participants discussed what tech-nology transfer is. They brainstormed on the different ways to accomplish it, how to set up good practices, and how to establish a procedure that can protect the University and the researcher giving confidence and increasing value to both.
“Technology Transfer is the transfer of intellectual assets generated from research activities from inside the university to outside the university,” explained Tara Branstad, associate director, Center for Technology Transfer and Enterprise Creation (CTTEC). Branstad emphasized that this process should be simple, transparent, equal for everyone, and well known by the aca-demic community. Under this theme, Tim McNulty, associate vice-president for Government Relations at Carnegie Mellon University, accentuated “the role of the Carnegie Mellon | Portugal Program because it brings together research, education, and commercialization,” which are the main goals to establish an economic development mission. In his presentation, McNulty gave an overview of the University and its Economic Development Strategy, which addresses the University‟s overall approach to regional economic development. McNulty stated that the “future value is on regions working together.”
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| To present the point of view from the Portuguese company Portugal Telecom Inovação, Marcelino Pousa, director of Planning Control and Resources, and Isilda Braga da Costa, legal adviser at Portugal Telecom Inovação, elaborated on the importance of technology transfer to their company. They emphasized that “tech transfer is fundamental for the activity of the company,” because it impels the development of new products and services. “With the universities we make technology transfer mainly through and by people,” said Marcelino Pousa. To Braga da Costa “technology transfer is achieved if we can bring the researchers to the company.” |  |
Branstad and Mary Beth Shaw, assistant general counsel, Carnegie Mellon Office of General Counsel, discussed the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) and the University‟s Legal Department. During their presentations, they provided a general overview of the structure, competencies, philosophy, performance, and the interface between the two offices and other departments within the University.
Branstad explained the innovative ecosystem of Carnegie Mellon, saying that “the role is to facilitate and accelerate the transfer of intellectual assets, negotiate and execute commercial agreements, encourage faculty entrepreneurship and the creation of star-up companies, and manage the intellectual assets of the university.” Shaw spoke about intellectual property (IP), and the basic principles of IP policy, which includes “academic freedom, traditional rights retained by faculty, student ownership of intellectual property, and faculty and student as creators of IP.
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In attendance at the UTEN Workshop “Experiencing Technology: Collaborating with Carnegie Mellon” were more than 40 profissionals who work in the Technology Transfer Area at Portuguese universities and companies.
December 2009
