Problems and Solutions in the Transfer of Computational Technology Kevin Swingler INCITE

Summary Technology Transfer – Usual methods Barriers to technology transfer What is INCITE? INCITE’s solutions Invitation to join

Routes to Technology Transfer Education! Consultancy Contract research Teaching Company Scheme Sale of IPR or technology In order of difficulty:

Sale of IPR or Technology The result of many kinds of research – particularly in computing – should be a solution or improvement with commercial potential Why not sell this invention? Probably the hardest method of technology transfer Potentially the most profitable for both university and company

Barriers and Gaps Lack of understanding on both sides Different languages spoken Difficulty in making the right contacts Sometimes an issue of trust Difference of ideals There are obvious gaps between the academic world and the industrial one:

Barriers and Gaps Ironically, there seem to be more barriers created by the two parties than there are gaps between them: Lack of incentives to academic staff Overly high expectations on both sides Drawn out legal process and IPR wrangles Lack of project management

Universities are Not Companies Market research Product design Technology solutions Product development Marketing Sales and distribution Support This is what the Universities are good at

Options for the Inventor Start a company –A certain level of risk –Large capital requirement –Potential for great rewards –Many, however, fail Licence the invention to an existing company

What is INCITE? Set up by Universities of Stirling, Edinburgh and Paisley Has both research and commercial remit The commercial activity – that of promoting Computational Intelligence techniques – is carried out by Incite Technology Ltd. The Institute for Neuronal and Computational Intelligence and Technology

Incite Technology Ltd Acts as an agent for universities wishing to commercialise inventions in our field – Computational Intelligence Takes on projects at a proof of concept stage and markets them to commercial firms Doesn’t charge for its services directly, but takes a commission on anything that it sells Main goal is to licence existing IPR to companies who can exploit it

How Does this Solve the Problems? Providing an interface between the inventor and industry Providing an understanding of both commercial needs and academic constraints Building the right contacts in universities and in industry We bridge the gap by:

How Does this Solve the Problems? Freeing the inventor to continue with research and teaching while we sell the invention Managing the promotion and exploitation of an invention through the life of the project We overcome the barriers by:

Joining INCITE If you would like to use the services of INCITE, you can join by either Going to the web site at or Giving me a card here today Membership is free