Technology Commercialization Specialist

Job Summary

The Technology Commercialization Specialist focuses on identifying, nurturing, and managing partnerships across community, corporate, investor, government, academic, and nonprofit sectors. The ideal candidate is responsible for advancing a portfolio of university technologies into the commercial marketplace through the facilitation of licensing agreements or assisting in the formation of start-up companies to advance the technology to market. Collaborate closely with university faculty to drive intellectual property (IP) development and technology commercialization. Acting as a liaison between university research and external stakeholders, harness University innovations to generate impact, secure funding, and create commercialization opportunities. Possess expertise in technology sales, marketing and business development. This position will support a wide range of activities to contribute to the overall success of The University of Texas at Arlington’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology Development.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, science, engineering, or a related field.
• Seven (7) years of experience in sales and marketing, research partnerships, or business development, with a focus on innovation, commercialization, and partnership cultivation or an equivalent mix of education and relevant experience in similar role.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree.
• Work experience in an industrial field specific to the assigned area (Pharma, Biomedical/Biotechnology, or Diagnostics).
• Experience in a medical, technology, academic or research-intensive environment.
  
  

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Maintain an active portfolio of industry contacts and establishes a business development strategy.
• Actively seeks out and identifies potential partners, including corporations, start-ups, investors, academic institutions, nonprofits, and community stakeholders, that align with the University’s research strengths.
• Build and nurture relationships with government funding agencies, private foundations, and venture capitalists to expand the University’s funding sources for research and development.
• Successfully negotiates and executes licenses with industry partners, or through the creation of spin-off companies.
• Prepare regular sales funnel reports on partnership activities, funding secured, and IP licensing revenue.
• Monitor program metrics, tracking partnership activities, engagement outcomes, and revenue from IP and technology commercialization.
• Independently manages a portfolio of existing disclosures to determine the opportunity as it relates to those disclosures.
• Provide guidance to faculty on commercialization strategies.
• Works with PIs and uses online data bases to identify prior art and competing patents.
• Additionally this role works with existing licensed IP to monitor stages from ideation to revenue.
• Ensures compliance of licensee with terms and conditions of established agreements.
• Negotiates amendments as necessary. Manage contract documentation in CETD’s database(s); track, analyze, and utilize data and metrics to ensure stakeholder satisfaction and continual process improvement.
• Proactively identifies potential problems with inventors, sponsors, licensees and or potential licensees. Works to proactively develop solutions.
• Identifies scenarios with licensees that require legal action and works to develop solutions including termination, arbitration or litigation.
• When possible negotiates settlement, or participates when necessary in arbitration or litigation.
• Maintain and manage relationships campus wide with Principal Investigators.
• Collaborates with Principal Investigators (PI’s) to gain a deep understanding of their research interests and identify opportunities for external collaborations, funding, and determines commercial opportunities.
• Develops relationships with PIs pre-disclosure leading to the most efficient commercial pathway.
• Serves as the primary liaison for external stakeholders, and PIs alike.
• Coordinates and leads meetings with PI’s and other stakeholders relating to their IP portfolio.
• Works with PIs to describe the process of innovation management along the commercialization pathway.
• Articulates UTA policies and practices, procurement, and vendor contracts as they pertain to agreements and operations to PIs and external stakeholders alike.
• Develop tools, resources, and support systems to help PI’s navigate industry and external partnerships effectively.
• Facilitate research and development initiatives with PI’s that align with the University’s strategic goals and meet the interests of external partners.
• Supports strategic priorities including grants, sponsored research agreements and corporate engagement.
• Maintains relationships on campus with the Development Office, the Office of Sponsored Projects, and department specific corporate engagement efforts.
• Determines IP strategies to support commercial applications determining pathways for start-ups or licensing opportunities based on the strategic priorities established by on campus partners.