The articles below appeared in the October 2009 issue of Technology Transfer Tactics. Click here to subscribe.

Faculty members with novel ideas for inventions or companies are busy people with packed schedules. So as technology transfer professionals plan faculty outreach efforts, talking a decidedly informal approach — rather than attempting to cajole researchers into scheduled meetings — may improve your results.

Several universities have reported successful outcomes with Entrepreneur Office Hours, designed to allow faculty to drop by the TTO for advice, to brainstorm business strategies, check out funding opportunities, and learn about commercialization resources available.

“Some tech transfer people may think they can sit in their offices, disclosures will roll in and the checks will roll in. But it’s not that easy. It’s much more of a contact sport,” says Brian Darmody, associate vice president of research and economic development at the University of Maryland (UM), and special assistant vice chancellor for technology development for the UM system. “Faculty are very independent, and for a successful TTO to be really integrated, you need a multi-pronged strategy. This is one tool to reach faculty.”

UM’s office hours program has been evolving and growing for five years, and now has specific results to prove the program’s value. Gayatri Varma, PhD, executive director of UM’s Office of Technology Commercialization, tells TTT that she traces the launch of three companies directly to the Entrepreneur Office Hours program.

“Life sciences here wasn’t very entrepreneurial,” Varma says. “But after the office hours program got started, we had three companies come out of life sciences — and that hadn’t happened before.” Those companies include Zymetis, a biotech firm focused on sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel; SD Nanosciences, a nanomaterials firm; and LeukoSight, a biotech company developing a line of therapeutics to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

Columbia University is running a similar program that started just six months ago.

“We formalized Entrepreneur Office Hours as part of our efforts to continue to cultivate a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem at Columbia University,” says David B. Lerner, director of CTV Venture Lab, the venture arm of Columbia Technology Ventures that assists faculty and students in start-up formation. “The program is open to all members of the Columbia community who are considering start-up ideas, whether they be undergraduates, alumni, graduate students, faculty, etc. People schedule an appointment to meet with CTV’s Venture Lab team, which is staffed by two serial entrepreneurs and technology investors, Andres Soto, assistant director of the Venture Lab, and myself.”

How it works

The UM program is held once a month at different colleges. It’s advertised as a convenient means to help faculty and students:

• Build and finance a start-up company.
• Develop and protect intellectual property.
• Navigate the technology transfer process.
• Refine a business strategy for rapid growth.
• Tap into other entrepreneurial resources.

UM’s office hours are staffed by a variety of representatives (not all at the same time), including staff from the Mtech Venture Accelerator Program, Mtech Technology Advancement Program, Office of Technology Commercialization, Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship, Maryland Intellectual Property Legal Resource Center, and experienced entrepreneurs and representatives from various investment and grant organizations.

Like any new program, it took some time to catch on. “You don’t get a flood the first time, but be persistent,” Darmody advises. “Do it at the same time each month and build a tradition so that faculty can come in with a very low barrier. Eventually it gets into the culture that ‘the first Tuesday, those folks will be here and let’s talk to them.’”

UM launched the office hours concept in its College of Chemical & Life Sciences, followed two years later by the School of Engineering, and most recently in the College of Computer, Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

“When getting started, the key is to get buy-in from the dean of the college,” Darmody says. “The deans will then make sure everyone knows about it, although it doesn’t guarantee the faculty will show up.”

“Faculty love the fact that they can walk in and out; it’s not like you’re twisting their arms and having them come in and commit to half-day seminars,” Varma adds. “This way it’s an hour, and they can stay as long as they like.”

Get the word out

Getting the word out about the office hours program through consistent messaging is a key to making it work at both Columbia and UM. “We have let the community know about the program through various means including Columbia e-mail lists, our website, and through word of mouth,” Lerner says. The program is also featured on Lerner’s blog (www.davidblerner.com) focusing on university entrepreneurship, start-ups, and angel and venture investing.

Like Lerner, Darmody relies heavily on e-mail to promote the program, and also runs announcements in a slew of publications put out by each department. “It comes out as an official communication to the faculty,” he says. “That’s why getting the college to adopt it is important. Once somebody has a good experience, it builds equity among the faculty.”

So what do researchers typically come in to discuss? Darmody says some may engage in simple conversations about research papers or questions about patent disclosures. “Then there are faculty members who may be further along and thinking about starting a company with questions about whether or not the college offers entrepreneurial leave and whether or not they’ll have a job waiting upon return,” he explains.

Feedback from both office hours programs has been glowing. “The program has had an overwhelmingly positive response, and we’ve been able to help many folks shape and focus their entrepreneurial vision. Where appropriate we’ve also been able to introduce promising companies to investors, entrepreneurs and mentors in the early stage community,” Lerner says.

Varma advises other tech transfer professionals who are interested in starting a similar program to “start small, with one college and then eventually expand.” She adds that UM has abundant resources in place that allow it to offer office hours twice a month at various colleges.

The only problem so far has been some pressure from researchers to keep students from visiting. “Students tell us that faculty don’t want them to come to office hours because it might take away from their time working on research,” Varma reports. “Now we’re reaching out to students separately.”

Contact Lerner at 212-851-4148 or david.lerner@columbia.edu; Varma at 301-504-2960 or gayatri@umd.edu; and Darmody at 301-405-1990.