University Office Helps Translate Intellectual Discovery into Promising Business Opportunities

During a time when the global economy is increasingly reliant upon innovation, there is a concerted effort to capitalize on the creativity, resourcefulness and intellectual capital resident within America’s universities.  At OSU, the Technology, Licensing and Commercialization office (TLC) is responsible for helping inventors and researchers from across the university translate their scientific research and discoveries into marketable products and  commercially viable businesses. 

“We’re seeing a definite growth in entrepreneurial-minded faculty at OSU,” says Jane New, associate director with TLC. 
 
This surge in entrepreneurial activity is due in large part thanks to state legislation put into effect in 2000 which allows faculty at Ohio universities to participate in the fruits of their research and discovery.  The law allows faculty to hold an ownership position in startup companies that are based on the results of their innovative research and platform technologies. 

“We’re seeing a lot more emphasis on the ‘D’ in ‘R&D’ these days,” says New. 

TLC offers a full spectrum of services to support the commercialization of innovations resulting from research and development efforts across the entire university.  This includes assessing concepts for commercial application, seeking patent and other intellectual property protection, finding community and industry partners to participate in commercializing the technology and licensing it for commercial application.  The TLC team consists of a number of professionals with expertise in patent protection, trade and intellectual property law and commercialization.  The office supports commercialization in the areas of engineering, mathematics, physical science, life sciences, agriculture, software, copyrighted materials and any other area of research and technology development that could represent an opportunity for transitioning the research being done within the university into a promising startup company.

The office regularly reaches out to industry and entities beyond the university to find appropriate applications for emerging technologies. TLC and TechColumbus often collaborate to identify opportunities for commercialization especially within the engineering and physical sciences, life sciences and IT arenas.  The two organizations foster connections between the university, industry and other public and private entities in order to find the best ways of successfully commercializing early-stage technologies coming forth from the university. 

These efforts can result in the formation of a startup company which TechColumbus then helps shepherd through key phases of business formation addressing issues such as capital access planning, market strategy, regulatory compliance, and management recruitment.

“It’s through the venture development services of TechColumbus that these early-stage startups have a shot at being successful,” says New. 

For its part, TechColumbus says working with TLC has not only been very easy, it has also produced many promising technology startups -- Traycer Diagnostics, EXCMR, NanoMedical and Healthcare Data Works to name just a few.  

 “We’ve been very impressed with the flexibility and responsiveness of TLC,” says Burton Page, senior director of technology commercialization for TechColumbus.  “By developing a close working relationship with the TLC staff, we have significantly increased the deal flow coming from the university that, in turn, has increased the number of startups being spun out by OSU.”

For a list of emerging technologies available for licensing through TLC, visit their site,