Laura Eggertson
| |
 |
| |
Meet Joe Irvine, the "Partnership Guy"
|
Joe Irvine wants researchers at the University of Ottawa to think of him as the “Partnership Guy” rather than the “Chief of the Patent Police.”
As director of the University’s Office of Technology Transfer and Business Enterprise (TTBE), Irvine understands that some people perceive his job as helping researchers apply for patents for their inventions or technology, or ensuring that no one violates patents that they (and the University) already hold.
“Technology transfer is sometimes seen as bureaucratic, intellectual property policing,” says Irvine. But the office — whose slogan is “Turning ingenuity into opportunity” — does much more. “I think our number one job is to facilitate research.”
In the 2005-2006 fiscal year, TTBE negotiated more than 400 research contracts, up from 300 the previous year. Those contracts brought in about $27 million in revenue, up from $18 million in 2004-2005. The office also helped to set up seven spin-off companies, compared to 14 over the previous 10 years. About $10 million was invested in the new companies.
Not bad for Irvine’s first year on the job, at an institution that historically “has not been terribly proactive” in seeking research and technology partnerships, he says. But Irvine sees these kinds of joint ventures as critical.
Research partnerships, whether they pair law professors with governments needing advice about copyright, or engineering faculty with company-directed research, allow researchers to pool expertise and facilities that might otherwise be unavailable to them. They also bring in money.
“Contracts account for one out of five research awards at the University,” Irvine says.
On the research partnership side, the office promotes interaction and agreements among government, researchers and industry, and negotiates contract terms, particularly as it concerns publication, intellectual property rights and budgets.
On the technology partnership side, Irvine and his staff assess potential intellectual property and commercial opportunities, create a technology development strategy, and, where possible, commercialize intellectual property through licenses or new ventures.
Although much of the TTBE’s work is confidential, last year’s annual report reveals a hint of what it accomplishes.
For example, the office helped Professor David Moher in the Faculty of Medicine negotiate a contract with the US government to review research and technology reports relating to the effects of diet, supplements and sunlight on vitamin D levels and risk of disease.
The office also assessed the commercial potential of inventions like the Novel Knee Joint, a device that would allow people with knee-ankle-foot arthrosis to have freer motion when walking, and the ability to lock their knees when standing.
Twenty-years ago, universities had what amounted to a “social obligation,” says Irvine, to account for the benefits that result from research. Today, granting councils document the economic benefits to Canada or whatever province is funding research. “The more applied the project, the more accountable it has to be for economic benefits.”
Many awards depend on researchers obtaining additional funds from partners in industry as well as government. Some researchers feel that commercialization should not be a major priority, but Irvine believes that this attitude will have to change. “As government policy changes to make researchers more accountable for economic returns from their research, then there will be more awareness (of the need to commercialize).”
“Research and technology partnerships allow for better relations between industry and the University. Hopefully, these will be long-lasting and strategic, and benefit both partners.”
Related Links:
Technology Transfert and Business Enterprise Web SiteTTBE Annual Report (PDF format)
