Research is just half of the process of getting cutting-edge technology into the hands of people who need it. The next step is turning that discovery into a viable product through licensing the technology or launching a company to commercialize it. That’s no easy task, even for outstanding faculty members.

The University of Utah was named in the Milken Institute’s Best Universities for Technology Transfer as the top university in the nation for commercializing technology innovations. After the conclusion of the 2018 ASEE Annual Conference in Salt Lake City, the university’s College of Engineering is hosting a day-long workshop on Thursday, June 28, that will provide the strategies necessary to successfully commercialize university research. Launching a successful business based on research helps more than just those who benefit from the technology. High-tech startups also boost the local economy by creating new jobs and by giving a city the competitive edge it needs to grow as a tech hub.

In addition to a keynote presentation by Ross DeVol, former chief research officer for the Milken Institute, the workshop will cover building an entrepreneurial ecosystem, policies that support commercialization, the relationship between research and entrepreneurship, an engineering entrepreneurship curriculum, managing conflicts of interest, dangers and pitfalls of commercialization, and examples of successful commercialization ventures.  We warmly welcome your participation.