University of Montana & Montana State University Tech Transfer

It is also important to recognise that the flow of knowledge is not a one way process. Maex warned that talk of technology transfer itself can be misleading. In her view, it is important to think of the two-way flow of knowledge between universities and businesses.

Establishing a multi-university network allows state universities to share resources, identify talent, and learn from one another’s commercialization strategies.

"Typically the University pays the cost of finding commercial partners, but in my case they wished us luck and sent us off to pay for the license," DeGrandpre said.

He signed a contract that outlined how he could market his patent, but he needed to pay the licensing cost and forfeit his right to royalties. The contract also directs all profits to DeGrandpre’s business, not to him.

A Montana State University http://www.montana.edu/wwwvr/index.html science discovery 18 years in the making could soon save farmers worldwide billions of dollars through disease prevention.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced the Tech Transfer Talent Network — a new $2.6 million initiative to increase the supply of seasoned entrepreneurs and innovators who can lend their expertise to member universities’ tech transfer offices.

Mahurin said that Montana Microbial Products is an excellent example of a Montana company picking up MSU’s research, while Certis is the best possible company to put BmJ into a global product line.

Researchers at Montana State University-Northern have developed a process to convert camelina oil to jet fuel and other high-value chemicals. MSU has applied for a U.S. patent and research is ongoing.

In 2010, 657 new commercial products were created through technology transfer.

Researchers at Montana State University have developed a system for the removal of radioactive material from porous surfaces, a remediation scenario that had previously required the destruction of the contaminated materials. This low-cost method is now patented and available for commercial licensing.

"We’re a team now: the city, the university, the state of Montana. We’re all working together on this project to push it forward," McKnight said.