What’s the difference between patents, trademarks and copyrights? What should a business plan say? Where do you get the money to develop, build and sell a product? These were a few questions answered by industry insiders during a two-part commercialisation seminar offered by the Technology Transfer and Business Enterprise (TTBE) service through its private sector sponsors, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP and Deloitte & Touche.
The two-hour sessions, held October 21 and November 26, 2004, were part of the “Start-Ups from the Ground Up” series. On the 26th alone, more than 50 students, researchers and staff received insight on starting their own business. “Students and teaching assistants often have great business ideas, but they are not sure how to go about commercializing them,” says Sean Flanigan, interim director of the TTBE. “Most of the time they can’t get that kind of expertise until they’re in the thick of it.”
Starting a business isn’t only a confusing experience, but it can also be a costly one, especially without proper guidance. Thanks to seminars like this one, creative minds are able to get valuable knowledge at no cost. “Combine the expertise of our speakers, representing a national law firm and an international accounting firm, and you’re getting $2,500 per hour’s worth of free advice and real-world experience,” says Flanigan.
One of the objectives of the service is to cultivate an entrepreneurial climate on campus. The TTBE is working on more seminars of this type that will provide context applicable to real-life situations in various fields. In short, “turning ingenuity into opportunity.”
