Industry-specific forums provide opportunities for investors and potential corporate collaborators from different industry sectors to learn about a broad range of new technologies available for licensing. These technologies have commercial promise but require additional development through industry/research institution collaborations, licensing to established companies, or the creation of start-up companies.
External expert advisors will review selected inventions in the technology portfolios of Massachusetts research institutions and identify those with the greatest commercial potential. The Center also supervises MBA students undertaking commercialization studies on available technologies. These studies consider what competing technologies are available, what similar technologies have already been patented, where initial markets may be, and which companies or investors are interested in a particular technology.
To help faculty, researchers, clinicians, and post-docs understand technology transfer and commercialization, the Center offers seminars and workshops on commercialization and company formation. Participants acquire the basic tools needed to evaluate their technologies and to understand the commercialization process.
The Center provides advice, coaching, and connections to new companies using technology transferred from Massachusetts research institutions. This includes one-on-one coaching for faculty/researchers with technology to spin off into new ventures. The Center helps first-time entrepreneurs identify initial management and service providers, assists them in developing business plans and investor pitches, matches them with business school students who will perform market analysis on new technologies, introduces them to appropriate investors, and identifies potential incubator space. Inventors have an opportunity to present at The Platform, a roundtable of industry experts, to discuss possible commercialization and funding paths.
The Center offers mini-grants to support "proof of concept" research or consulting assistance to move technologies closer to market readiness. These grants will initially be in the $5,000 to $25,000 range and will increase as Center funding grows.
The Massachusetts Association of Technology Transfer Offices (MATTO) studies and addresses issues affecting the practice of technology transfer, offers professional development training, and participates in events showcasing early-stage technologies developed at academic and other nonprofit institutions. MATTO membership is available to all technology transfer offices at nonprofit research institutions in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In addition to offering administrative support, the Center works closely with MATTO on new program development.