December 2, 2004
Tech transfer up in fiscal year 2004
Technology transfer activity at the UW increased significantly in fiscal year 2004, reports UW TechTransfer, the office that facilitates commercial development of innovations arising from UW research.
Increases occurred in the numbers of inventions disclosed, patents applied for, and commercial agreements completed. In this fiscal year, UW innovators disclosed 233 inventions, a 17 percent increase over 2003. UW TechTransfer applied for 133 patents, up 8 percent. The number of licensing agreements, which are grants of rights to use UW intellectual property, rose 22 percent —double the number reported in 2002.
UW TechTransfer’s Invention Licensing group executed 179 percent more confidentiality agreements, representing a surge in commercial interest in UW technologies. In addition, seven new companies formed around UW innovations.
James Severson, vice provost of intellectual property and technology transfer, attributes the progress to a renewed emphasis on the basics of effective tech transfer — good customer service, completion of licensing transactions, and local marketing of UW technologies. “We feel that our continued focus on these fundamental principles will result in further improvements in performance to benefit not only the UW, but also the community and the state,” said Severson.
UW TechTransfer works closely with UW investigators and research groups to protect intellectual property and transfer innovative technologies to industry for the ultimate benefit of the public. UW TechTransfer’s mission is to extend the impact of UW research through partnerships that encourage investment in innovation.
More information is available in UW TechTransfer’s annual report. To request a report, contact UW TechTransfer at techtran@u.washington.edu or 206-543-3970. An electronic version will be available on UW TechTransfer’s Web site (www.depts.washington.edu/techtran) in early December.
