Support University Start-Ups with Government Funding

Support University Start-Ups with Government Funding
Originally presented January 27, 2011

Our expert panel of presenters will teach you how to be proactive and create R&D, grant and partnership opportunities on a local, state and federal level. Each presenter will offer immediately implementable strategies and success stories that illustrate the benefits of forging government partnerships. During this 90 minute program we will:

Review best practices for fostering collaborative R&D partnerships with federal agencies such as:
- Department Of Education
- Department Of Defense
- NASA
- And others…
Help you understand the various methods of obtaining Phase I grant monies
Prove how partnerships with Economic Development Agencies can bolster your spin-out success
Give you a solid overview of Maryland’s state-supported programs focused on technology transfer such as:
- University Technology Development Fund
- TechStart Program
- Maryland Technology Transfer & Commercialization Fund
- Maryland Industrial Partnerships program
Offer details into how TEDCO’s successful ACTiVATE and INNoVATE programs were developed in collaboration with the university technology transfer offices in Maryland
Provide practical strategies on how university technology transfer professionals can initiate these types of programs in their state
Reveal 5 stellar success stories from the University of Central Florida:
- UCF collaborates with local government (cities and counties) on economic development through an 8-site network of business incubation facilities and services, managed by UCF’s Office of Research & Commercialization.
- UCF Venture Lab opened in 2004 through a joint initiative between UCF’s Office of Research & Commercialization and Orange County Florida government.
- Grass roots consortium created a successful statewide information sharing network that was funded by local, federal and state resources.
- With the goal of integrating and improving services to its customers, UCF researchers created the Service Architecture for Government Efficiency (SAGE) software and implemented it within local government offices.
- NASA Kennedy Space Center SBIR/STTR Phase III Workshop that resulted in additional SBIR/STTR funding from NASA

Your Panel of Presenters:

Laura A. Schoppe is president of Fuentek, LLC. Fuentek works with an eclectic client base to assist them in identifying promising technologies and the converting these ideas and inventions into marketable products. In her role as president, Laura is responsible for managing client relationships as well as establishing strategic plans, budgets and conducting training workshops for clients. Fuentek is a leading technology commercialization firm, and is now the largest NASA contractor in North Carolina. Laura has more than 12 years of successful experience in spearheading research for several defense contractors, as well as an extensive background in all aspects of intellectual property management, including valuing the deals, negotiating the business terms, and leading license negotiation activities. She has led major technology transfer projects at universities and government agencies, and Fortune 500 companies have sought her advice on strategic planning related to their IP assets. Prior to forming Fuentek in 2001, Laura was a program manager for advanced engineering at GE-Aerospace/Lockheed Martin. She was responsible for national and international new business development, as well as research and development projects for advanced submarine and surface ship programs. She then provided technology transfer services at RTI International in the Center for Technology Applications, where she worked as a client lead for government and corporate clients, successfully doubling the client base.

Andrea Adkins is a Senior Licensing Associate in the Technology Transfer Office at the University of Central Florida, working with researchers and students on intellectual property matters originating from university research and educational activities in physical sciences. Her responsibilities include technology evaluation, protection, licensing and commercialization activities. Ms. Adkins is a UCF graduate and joined UCF in June of 1999 in the Office of Research & Commercialization. Prior to joining UCF, she worked in the engineering and construction industry and also co-founded a small business that provides manufacturers’ representative services.

Stephen Auvil is the vice president for technology transfer and commercialization at the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO). In this role, he is responsible for a number of funding and other programs that foster the transfer of technologies from universities and federal laboratories into the commercial sector. From 2008 - 2010, Mr. Auvil served as the assistant vice president for research at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) where he assisted UMBC’s vice president for research in his effort to build and support UMBC’s research enterprise. He was also responsible for supporting UMBC’s economic development mission as it relates to research, technology transfer, and new venture creation. Mr. Auvil, who was one of the architects of UMBC’s ACTiVATE^® and INNoVATE^TM programs, served as a co-principal investigator on the National Science Foundation grants that supported these programs. From 2000 - 2008, Mr. Auvil served as the director of UMBC’s Office of Technology Development (OTD). Before arriving at UMBC, he worked as an assistant director in the Office of Technology Licensing at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where he evaluated inventions and negotiated license agreements for a variety of technologies.