And, after using these tools, our members can nominate a faculty member to attend the University Startups National Conference or apply to receive a simulcast Webcast of EmTech!

Want to learn more? Visit Membership Benefits. Not a member, but interested in learning how to become one? Contact us!

Similar to a standard list-serve, the system is equivalent to “word of mouth”; it connects university technology transfer professionals, consultants, technology investors, patent agents, industry professionals and SME support professionals connected with commercializing intellectual property.

The Knowledge Vine is a proven, effective tool that gives professionals in this sector easy access to the experience, knowledge or contacts of others in the community. Users have been surveyed twice on the effectiveness of the system. The overwhelming response was that the relevance, quality and speed of of the replies were extremely high. Users also get great value out of seeing the questions as it encourages connections when synergies are identified:

• “I have tested the network with my first question. It is wonderful! I got 7 answers in an hour! Thanks!”
• “On the occasions I have used the network, I have found that the leads I have been given have been very useful and have come through promptly”
• “The Knowledge Vine gives a simple and easy solution.”

How it works

To use the system, users write a request in the form of a single sentence question to a central email address for the members of the group. The request email is then immediately forwarded to group members. If someone on the network has the knowledge or information you seek, they will reply directly back to you by email. When posting a request to the group, users typically receive 5-15 replies, sometimes even more, either with the information that they need, or suggesting whom they might be able to contact for the answer.

Some typical questions:

• Does anyone have a good contact for technology licensing at Philips Semiconductor?
• Does anyone have any good licensing agents/broker contacts in Taiwan or Japan?
• Does anyone have any IP for protein manufacture, as we have some IP we are looking to strengthen or bundle with?
• Does anyone have any market data or market trend information on the blood glucose testing market?
• Does anyone know a good market research specialist in teh environmental sector?

The Rules:

1. Only one sentence allowed - this forces the requester to communicate very clearly
2. The sentence must be a question
3. Only reply to the person making the request (no one else cares!)
4. No offers, promotions, or advertising

The rules make the service distinctly different and much more effective than other email and web-based tools. Because of the simplicity of the postings, the only traffic users see is occasional single sentence emails in their in-box. Because they are written in a very clear communication style they are easy and very quick to read.

How to join

You can join directly at www.TheKnowledgeVine.net - just register on the site, activate your account, and then browse and join the group. The site hosts a number of other technology-related Knowledge Vine networks, all openly accessible to you and resulting in a large set of other free knowledge resources. You can access other groups (e.g., Australasia, UK and others) simply by posting an email to the appropriate email address; you DON’T need to join other groups to get value out of them!

The North American Group is being lead by the iBridge Network, and supported by UMIP (The university of Manchester Intellectual Property Ltd).

For further information contact:

Laura Paglione
laura@iBridgeNetwork.org

We’re writing to let you know that our privacy policy and terms of use have been updated. We do not expect to send you many emails of this nature, but sometimes it is necessary.

In addition to this news, we also have some other exciting updates and developments. The iBridge Network now has over 3,000 innovations and research objects posted from 38 campuses located across the United States. With visitors from over 5,200 cities, representing over 150 countries, the Network is moving forward boundlessly.

Innovations listed on the site are in a range of subject areas that vary from cell lines to software to nanotechnology to agricultural substances.

What are you interested in? Perhaps…

• Needle-Free Liquid Jet Injector for Drug and Vaccine Delivery - Most vaccines and protein therapeutics are currently delivered using needles and syringes. Despite their common use, needle-based methods have several limitations such as needle phobia, accidental needle sticks and re-use of needles and syringes in developing countries leading to a large number of HIV and HBV cases.
• Hydrogen Generation from Solar Energy - The idea of splitting water with sunlight is quite old, but the current efficiency of such systems is only 7%-12%. This invention incorporates photovoltaic cells (PV) and micro-chemical reactors to create an integrated device that utilizes light energy to convert water into hydrogen at a more efficient rate than current technologies. The device is compact, scalable, and can be manufactured using conventional integrated circuit manufacturing technology.
• Improved contrast agent for MRI using fluorinated nanoparticles - Washington University is actively seeking partners to further develop an innovative new contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging that could revolutionize diagnostic imaging. The agent, which uses fluorinated nanoparticles, enhances the use of MRI for diagnosing cardiovascular disease.
• Test Offers Early Detection of Melanomas and Other Cancers - A new blood and tissue test can detect metastatic cancer at an early and treatable stage. This noninvasive test detects over 95% of advanced melanomas and is up to 1,000-fold more sensitive than other testing methods, enabling it to detect very low levels of cancer.

Keep visiting the iBridge Web site or subscribe to find out about the new innovations posted to the site regularly.

Who knows what you’ll find?

Best,

The iBridge Network Team

P.S. Watch for the upcoming inaugural issue of the iBridge Network Newsletter. In this regular publication, you will enjoy learning more about what the Network is doing as well as the work of the Kauffman Foundation in the area of advancing innovation and entrepreneurism.

We hope the following information helps to clarify things, and we welcome your questions and observations.

Laura: Some people perceive that the Kauffman Foundation has
been negative about Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) at universities. Does the Kauffman Foundation view TTOs negatively?

Lesa: Not at all. In fact, representatives from TTOs helped shape the Foundation’s interest in university innovation when we were researching the area a few years ago and helped us identify ways in which the Kauffman Foundation could help universities, and their TTOs more specifically, do more with their research and innovations. We have worked closely with TTOs, including Kauffman Campuses, the iBridge Network, and the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), to identify opportunities for universities, TTOs, and the Foundation to forward the work of advancing university innovation to make it more efficient and have an even greater impact.

For instance, the Kauffman Foundation funded AUTM for three years to encourage projects like a strategic plan, the Better World Project, and New Metrics Project. AUTM has done a great job in all of these areas. These AUTM projects seek to shine light on and encourage broader views of the outcomes of university innovation beyond a narrow focus on licensing income. Our support of these AUTM initiatives reflects the Foundation’s interest in having university research and innovation – and TTOs for that matter – valued for more than just licensing revenue.

Laura: Doesn’t the Foundation’s interest in this expanded view of technology transfer undermine the work that TTOs are doing now?

Lesa: Actually, we hope that our efforts will enhance the work of TTOs. The vast majority of the patent-licensing offices are under-resourced and under-staffed. Most also are struggling to support faculty in more ways than the traditional patent-license model, which is the model that has been thrust upon them. In reality, there are numerous models and strategies that universities should consider to maximize the usefulness of research and innovations that also advance research, grow the U.S. economy, and advance human welfare.

If our efforts with university administrations are successful and help them think outside of traditional methods, TTOs may gain more resources and staffing. TTOs also may be able to truly focus on licensing income because distractions inherent in other strategies for advancing useful, but non-revenue potential research and innovations, will be handled in other ways. Both results might be ideal and generally better than the status quo.

Laura: In fact, didn’t the iBridge Network and Web site evolve because of feedback from TTOs who wanted alternative pathways to make their university’s research and innovations more readily accessible and available?

Lesa: Absolutely. Ultimately, we believe that the iBridge Network will enable universities to move higher volumes of innovation outside of university walls to those seeking innovation in an expedited manner. With additional resources, like the iBridge Network, TTOs can do more and be more effective.

Laura: Why does the Kauffman Foundation challenge TTOs?

Lesa: The Kauffman Foundation is not intending to criticize TTOs. As mentioned a moment ago, because TTOs are under-staffed and under-resourced, they face enormous challenges and they do well handling them. What we are critical of, however, are university policies, practices, and strategies that presume that a “one-size-fits-all” approach will work or that what worked at one institution will automatically work at another or that licensing revenue is all that matters.

The Foundation aims to raise the awareness of university boards and leaders who are responsible for decisions regarding organizational structure and practices that may or may not support the goals of broadly enabling university innovation and commercialization. Our intention is to stress the importance of having organizational structures and practices that support providing multiple resources to assist in expanding the reach of innovation and outcomes –some of which will be tied to formal IP, but most will not.

Those universities who engage in technology transfer most successfully have demonstrated these insights and taught us about them. The net result is that knowledge dissemination happens every day at these institutions, and the rest of us have to work harder from the ground up and top down to reach that degree of success.

Laura: Any last thoughts based on the Kauffman Foundation’s research?

Lesa: We have been studying the U.S. environment for advancing innovation compared to the environment abroad. In the U.S., universities have many advantages, including endowments, federal research dollars, and a high level of philanthropy that are relatively non-existent in the rest of the world. These are significant advantages that should produce a substantially higher level of innovation output. We must ensure that the U.S. uses its current innovation, commercialization and entrepreneurship advantages to maintain a high level of global competitiveness and grow our economy, which in the process also will advance human welfare.

It seems that models of open innovation are prevalent at leading universities outside of the U.S., and these institutions are aggressively pursuing university - industry collaborations. The leaders of our US universities need to understand this threat in the context of our global economy and educational environment so they can begin to focus on strategies around knowledge transfer that meet the various needs of research and industry. For instance, Michael Crow and his team at ASU are developing innovation strategies specifically with this in mind, as are the University of Washington engineering school and many others, including some of our Kauffman CampusSM universities. Of course, what I’ve just characterized as a “threat,” actually may really be an opportunity for additional outlets for innovation initiating from U.S. universities.

In the interests of disclosure, the Foundation is the primary funder
of the Kauffman Innovation Network, Inc. and its iBridge Network initiative.

The Venture Forum is the largest - and longest running - showcase of early stage innovation and entrepreneurship. We hear that it is the must-attend event for those seeking access to the best quality deals from around the world. As Larta Institute’s landmark annual investment and partnering event, it is expected to showcase the most promising seed & early stage life science opportunities.

As one of the iBridge Network’s members, we know how robust Larta’s pipeline is, ranging from research funded by the National Institutes of Health to some of the most promising university spinouts from across the US. At the Venture Forum, the companies are carefully selected by a panel of leading investors and subject matter experts to ensure that each presenting company offers a solid and profitable business opportunity.

Sound good? You can receive a 30% discount off the registration fee, until May 16, 2008. Register now at http://theventureforum.com/registration.asp and use coupon code IBVF08 to take advantage of this special offer.

We also had many questions for the iBridge Network, and many people who have heard about us through the grapevine. We were able to demonstrate the functionality of the Web site and show many of the exciting innovations that you all have posted.

We are excited to welcome both institutions to the Network! Thank you to Yatin S. Karpe and Erin E. DeStefano for your help in this process! As you can see the the iBridge Network is growing, and with more institutions in the pipeline, please stay tuned for further news…

As we look forward to 2008, there have been a few other announcements we’d like to finally make public. Katie Petersen recently joined the team and will be working to help institutions post their innovations in the network. She is an excellent addition to the iBridge family, and you may have met her over the phone already! I am our other addition. I recently joined the team and will be writing for the iBridge Conversation. As you can tell, we are thrilled to be filling out our incredible team!

It is a very exciting time for the iBridge Network so thank you to the institutions and researchers who have helped get us to this point! We are working hard to help spread your discoveries and innovations as far as possible!

Emile Petrone

The audience will include a range of people who all play a role in ensuring that university research and technology leads to further innovation such as research & development scientists, tech transfer executives from university and research labs, private equity investors, new business development executives, venture capitalists, and corporate investors. We are excited to introduce them to the iBridge Network and our members!

The conference covers a range of topics from How & Why Venture Capitalists are Funding University and Research Spin Outs to Investing in Academic Research to Tech Transfer in Medical Centers, Life Sciences, Clean Tech and Nanotech.

Come join Laura in Boston! IBF Conferences have offered iBridge Network members a discounted registration rate of $100 off of the emerging growth rate of $895. To receive this price, enter S-KINUN when you register. To register, and to learn more, click here or contact Cathy Fenn, IBF’s Registrar at 516-765-9005 x 210 or Cathy@IBFConferences.com