The University of Texas System has posted a job opening in the Chronicle of Higher Education for an executive director of technology commercialization and advisory services, the first of three new positions that will attempt to help UT institutions increase income from their IP. The posting comes seven weeks after the system announced a realignment plan to focus on IP commercialization, which eliminated the system’s TTO. Randa Safady, vice chancellor for external relations, said at the time that the UT System could “do better with intellectual property revenue,” and that the three new positions would help UT institutions with that goal.

According to reports from the Chronicle detailing university licensing revenue, UT-Austin generated $11.5 million in fiscal year 2008 — the most money the campus has generated since 1997, the first year for which the Chronicle reported data. UT-Austin also reported the largest amount generated by a UT institution in FY08. However, other large public research universities generated more than twice that amount in FY08. For example, the University of Michigan generated $25 million; the University of Utah generated $26 million; the University of Georgia generated $24 million; the University of Massachusetts generated $35 million; and the University of Florida generated $52 million.

The elimination of the UT System’s Office of Research and Technology Transfer accounts for six of the 19 positions cut in the university’s realignment, which will save $2.2 million in recurring budget costs. According to The Texas Tribune, the six salaries in the TTO amounted to some $586,600. The three executive director positions will advise the UT System and UT health and academic institutions on technology commercialization efforts. Two science directors will report either to the UT System’s Office of Academic Affairs or the Office of Health Affairs, and a third will report to the Office of Finance. Whoever fills the newly posted position will not have the authority to change tech transfer policy, according to UT spokesman Anthony de Bruyn. Instead, the new director will advise and assist the UT System and its institutions in technology commercialization, foster effective relationships between the system and its institutions to coordinate commercialization efforts, and work with VCs to fund the commercialization.

Source: The Daily Texan

Posted July 28th, 2010 under Tech Transfer

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