Government and University TechTransfer

The private sector may help entrepreneurs launch businesses in myriad ways, but today the academic sector is where things are getting really interesting for startups, spinouts and spin-offs.

Sandia National Laboratories is building a portfolio of intellectual property that can be licensed by businesses in as little as an hour.

"Their IPO is a tremendous accomplishment, and we’re looking forward to seeing the drugs reach the market for the benefit of cancer patients worldwide."

“In previous years, the survival rates of these UW start-ups was roughly 50-50,” Holt said. “Now it’s closer to 80 percent surviving. Not only are we getting more start-ups going now, but we’re launching ones that will last, and have a greater chance of success.”

There are stories of famous entrepreneurs who never finished college – Bill Gates and Michael Dell come to mind – but the University of Michigan is banking that today students starting companies will want to stay in school if given the right resources.

Money donated to a new Gateway Crimson Innovation Fund http://www.techventures.utah.edu/tco/sponsorships.php will help push university inventions, such as medical devices and treatments, drugs, energy technologies and software, into the marketplace.

Unusual in that it straddles the line between academia and private enterprise, ASU SkySong made a major directional shift in 2010 from a university department intended to spark student interest in entrepreneurship to one directly charged with creating jobs, bringing to market the fruits of ASU research and contributing to statewide economic development.

Universities should encourage students to explore entrepreneurship through spinoffs as a potential career option outside of academia.

"The research also showed that successful entrepreneurial output requires more than a proficient technology transfer office with effective policies and a strong incentive system."

Among the projects funded were initiatives — all of them involving a university or other research institutes working in tandem with private firms — to improve liquid crystal devices, aerospace materials, medical imaging, cellular therapies and orthopedic surgery.