Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois

U of Illinois The Office of Technology Management (OTM)

Intern Program – 12 years later

Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois

Fast Facts Urbana OTM

Operational Aspects

•U of Illinois Research Revenues $600M

•OTM Staff- 20 FTE

• 7 licensing managers

• 6 support staff

• 7 other professional staff

• 14 interns

•45,000 Students, 2,978 Faculty

•OTM budget 2012-13

• Operations $2.3M,

• Patent costs $3M

Common Metrics (2012)

•223 Inventions

•76 patents issued

•46 licenses/options

•5 startups

•$6.1M royalties

•Equity Holdings in 32 Startups

Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois

Fast Facts Current Intern Program

Operational Aspects- $150,000 annual cost

•4 undergraduate marketing and communications interns ($14.50 p/hr)

•1 undergraduate mobile apps intern ($14.50 p/hr)

•5 OTM funded graduate commercialization analysts ($18.50 p/hr)

•2 OTM funded PhD Fellows ($18.50 p/hr)

•1 OTM Funded Patent Fellow ($18.50 p/hr)

•3 Department funded grad commercialization analysts ($18.50 p/hr)

OTM Intern Team 2012

Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois

Operational Details

Commercialization Analyst Program

•35 hours per week May- August (summer)

•10 hours per week End Aug- May (semester)

Marketing and Comms Program

•20 hours per week (summer)

•10 hours per week (semester)

Ph.D Fellows Program

•12 hours per week (summer)

•10 hours per week (semester)

Patent Fellows Program

•10 hours per week (semester)

Mobile Apps Intern

•Ad hoc

Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois

Intern Responsibilities Commercialization Analysts/ Ph.D. Fellows •Screening/evaluation of new invention disclosures•Market and industry analysis for marketing •Prior Art analysis •Initial draft for marketing materials •Special projects – marketing, patent analysis, claim analysis,

Patent Fellow •Assisting Patent Coordinator review Office Actions, do patent analysis, draft claims for in house provisionals

Communications Interns•All Social Media management and strategy

• Twitter,facebook,pinterest, linkedin, etc•Website content management (otm.illinois.edu)•Blogging and writing for newsletters or for any campus publication

Marketing Interns •One on one assistance with marketing plans and programs for Technology Managers

Mobile App Intern •One on one assistance with coding mobile apps from disclosures to the OTM

Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois

Recruitment process (1)

• Highly competitive internships, over 100 applications for 14 positions• Recruitment Starts January each year• First Offers Made March, final offers made April• Start day always first day after graduation date (May 14 ish)• Process

Graduate Commercialization Analysts/ Ph.D. Fellows • Information sessions in law school, MBA program, life sciences, engineering

Undergraduate Communications/marketing Interns• Info sessions at College of Media

Mobile App Intern • Word of mouth in CS and Engineering.

Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois

Recruitment process (2)

Graduate Commercialization Analysts/ Ph.D. Fellows • Previous years interns manage recruitment process• Review of initial applications and Invite ~ 1/3 to interview/case study• Two full days of interviews each year

Undergraduate Communications/marketing Interns• Info sessions at College of Media • Review resumes and invite for interview/writing sample

Mobile App Intern • Word of mouth in CS and Engineering. • Review resume and interview

Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois

Management of Programs

Graduate Commercialization Analysts/ Ph.D. Fellows • Work flow and day to day items Supervised by Senior Commercialization Analyst

(usually a second year intern)• Management oversight by one Technology Manager• Each intern works with different tech managers throughout the year depending on

their disclosure projects.

Undergraduate Communications/marketing Interns• Managed directly by Senior Marketing Manager

-Mobile App Intern • Managed directly by Technology Manager responsible for software/copyright

Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois

Value Add for Interns

All Interns • Over the course of the internship

introductions to /seminars with:– Entrepreneurs– VC’s– Law firms– Local companies

• Opportunity to be selected for an AUTM Student membership

• Leadership opportunities within the program

– Senior Analyst position– Participate in next years recruitment

• Possible career opportunities (associate tech manager)

Fellows • Adapted hours to fit with a Ph.D

candidate other responsibilities • Hands on experience for ‘alternative

career to teaching/research’• Other as indicated for ‘all interns’

Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois

New Aspects of Program• Mobile App Intern

– Driven by increase in mobile apps from non traditional sources

• PhD Fellows– Driven by increased demand, needed to adjust hours

• Communications– Increased focus on social media presence

• All Interns – New module for training in conjunction with NSF Funded National Center for Professional

and Research Ethics.

Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois

Measures of Success• Keeping up with disclosures

– Review and make recommendation on each disclosure within 6- 8 weeks

• Keeping faculty happy – Responsiveness and professionalism of

students assists maintaining the great reputation of our office

• Communications– Increased focus on social media presence,

3000 tweets, 1,357 followers.– Increased number of events on campus

• Keeping all FTE staff motivated and not overwhelmed

Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois

Challenges and Risks• Ongoing successful recruitment of interns

– A lapse in recruitment can have detrimental impact on entire tech transfer operation if intern program is relied upon to provide fundamental services

– Maintain a high profile for the program, use word of mouth, showcase on campus

• Being aware of regulatory issues when employing foreign national students– Need to be cognizant of regulations and whether a technology is export-controlled

– There may be restrictions on who can review confidential information

– Keep top of mind and do get a working knowledge of issues,

• Attrition and getting commitment from students to work regular hours– Make students feel part of the tech transfer team, recognize their efforts, communicate

regularly with them about their work and the other activities of the office

Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois

What’s Next?

• Undergraduate Finance Intern – For assistance with license compliance and

finance

• Further refining – Ph.D. Fellow Program– Mobile App Intern program

Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois

Where are they now?

• Other tech transfer offices• Patent or Corporate Counsel• Startup Companies• Market Research and Consulting Co’s• Business development/product

management• Insurance/Finance Companies

Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois

Final Checklist• Defining needs – where is need for additional resources?

• Management and training – who/when/how/cost?

• Space/location – on location or satellite, confidentiality issues

• Costs/budget – how much, who pays, how to measure value?

• Screening Process – for consistency of experience for analysts

• Other projects – part of core work or not?

• Continuity between programs – helps to have mentor?

• Getting buy in – faculty, other licensing staff, administration

Office of Technology Management @ the University of Illinois

Thanks!

@ILinnovations

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www.otm.illinois.edu