SUMMER EDITION 2013
C HA N GI N G OF THE GU ARD
“ “Great and scary at the same time” - Sara Matt-Leubner, new ASTP President
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any things happened in Vienna, Austria last spring. Apart from the 14th ASTP Annual Conference, the ASTP presidency was also passed on from Anders Haugland of Bergen Teknologioverføring (Bergen, Norway) to Sara MattLeubner of Transidee (Innsbruck, Austria). Sara was officially welcomed as new ASTP President during the conference dinner held at the elegant dining hall of Palais Niederösterreich. “It’s great and scary at the same time. Under the presidency of Anders, we started so many things to improve the services and activities of ASTP. It might be hard to do all the follow up and fulfill expectations. But the board members are great and Anders is still around. He will help us wherever he can -- so I am lucky to have him as immediate past president!” says Sara during an interview. continued on page 2
“h o nBoeui rn,geps rpeesciidael lnyt aosf IArSeTaPl liys lao bv ei gd, AbSi TgP from the first time I attended an ASTP meeting many years ago. - Sara
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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Fielding and Thompson join ASTP board Laigaard heads ASTP Programming Committee Upcoming ASTP events FY2011 survey on TT activities now available Special membership offers New items on the ASTP webshop Want to be RTTP? Next deadline: 24 October News from the HQ ENTENTE launches 2nd call for Staff Exchange programme Technology transfer news Contribute to the ASTP newsletter Connect with ASTP
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: It has been said many times and in many ways that change is the only thing that is constant. Change is also something that ASTP has been undergoing at the moment. We currently experience changes in the board, at the headquarters and even with our services as the premier Europe-wide association for professionals involved in knowledge transfer between universities and industry. In the last few months, people have come and gone. We hated saying goodbye to the ones who left but welcoming new colleagues was also quite refreshing.
Sara assured ASTP that she will build from the plans and programs developed during Anders’ tenure. “But I really want to stress the point that it is not so much Anders and me who are important here, but much more the board, the committees and our headquarters. All activities are designed in a joint effort. We decide together when and how these efforts will be implemented,” she added. The ASTP-Proton Europe merger got a go-signal from ASTP members during the general assembly held on 23 May at the Imperial Riding School Renaissance Hotel in Vienna, also the site of the 14th ASTP Annual Conference.
We have also come up with new services for members. Some of these are the first-ever Salary Survey Report published by ASTP and new partnerships which offer new opportunities for our members. On top of that, ASTP has been busy with the merger with Proton Europe. This will mean transition, adjustment and development -- words that are associated with innovation -- the core of ASTP’s business. If I may say something about change, it would be that it is a wonderful thing. It keeps us on our toes, reminds us why we are here and shows us new adventures. In the area of communicating ASTP, we currently joined Vimeo as our new network. Watch our first video below and connect with us!
ASTP members approved the ASTP-Proton Europe merger on 23 May 2013 at the general assembly held in Vienna.
Sara is convinced that the merger is the way forward. “Hopefully (through the merger), ASTP or ASTP-Proton will grow and become THE association for knowledge and technology transfer in Europe and every KT/ TT professional who knows about us will become a member,”she said.
More ASTP updates are in the following pages. Enjoy your copy of the ASTP newsletter and the rest of the summer! Kind regards, Chared
ASTP Newsletter | Summer 2013
She added that the satisfaction of ASTP members is on top of her to do list. “ASTP is known for providing excellent education and training but too often, people leave ASTP as soon as they feel that they are experienced enough. So our major goal is to enhance the services for our more experienced members, to keep them interested. Senior members are very important for experience sharing. We really want them to stay engaged. But they should not stay only because we need them, but because we offer something interesting for them too,”she explained.
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It is with this thought in mind that the Directors’ Forum will be held for the first time at the joint conference of ASTP and Proton Europe. The Directors’ Forum is a conference add-on that technology transfer directors can choose when they register for the conference. It costs € 50 and includes a dinner on Wednesday, 16 October.
Take part in the Directors’ Forum “Being president of ASTP is a big honour especially as I really loved the organisation from the first time I attended an ASTP meeting many years ago. It was so great to meet colleagues, who know how difficult it is to be a TT professional, how often one fails and how much hours you spend until a licence contract is signed. The nicest thing was, and still is, is that all participants talk about their challenges in an open and honest way -- no showing off of successes, more on sharing of experiences on difficult cases. These are the major characteristics of ASTP events: honest discussions amongst colleagues who very often become friends. I am very grateful that the ASTP friends, whom I appreciate a lot, asked me to become the new ASTP President. That makes me really happy and proud!
Sara Matt-Leubner will lead the ASTP from 2013 to 2015.
Message from former ASTP President Anders Haugland: Ever since I personally got to know the ASTP community when BTO hosted the Annual Conference in 2008, I have been impressed by the spirit of the organisation. The members, the enthusiastic volunteers and the effective and friendly HQ are taking on important challenges for our profession. The last four years on the board has been very busy and rewarding! Many things have happened: the 10th year anniversary, the launch of ATTP, N3 concept, new courses and introduction of On-Site Training, the first pan-European Impact Report, our first EU project grant and the process of merging with Proton. ASTP has given me new friends, insight and knowledge, I will forever be grateful for this gift and will continue to be active in our community in the years to come. We all face challenging times and I believe that we, as individual professionals and jointly as a profession, can play important roles in how to deal with the challenges. Looking forward to meet you at the next ASTP event or over a project discussion!
ASTP Newsletter | Summer2013
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Straight from the boardroom Fielding and Thompson join ASTP board As Anders Haugland stepped down and Maria Tavares left the ASTP board in May, Sean Fielding and Heather Thompson joined the board. Below are their profiles: Sean is the Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer at the Exeter University in the United Kingdom. He has been at Exeter for 16 years, having previously worked for national university bodies where he set up and led joint-ventures for commercialising and marketing national and international HE services. He has been Managing Director and Director of several companies. Sean will focus on External Relations while Vice President of ASTP.
Sean Fielding Vice President, ASTP
Heather is the Director of IP Development and Partnering at the University of Manchester Intellectual Property in the United Kingdom. Heather has 11 years of experience in technology transfer and IP commercialisation at research intensive universities. As Heather was member of the Professional Development Committee for many years before becoming a board member, her focus as ASTP Vice President is on Professional Development.
Heather Thompson Vice President, ASTP
Changes in the board With Maria Tavares’s leaving, Koen Verhoef took on the job of Vice President Communications along with his commitments in taking care of Finance. Sean Fielding will focus on External Relations and Heather Thompson on Professional Development.
Visit the ASTP website for more information.
ASTP Newsletter | Summer 2013
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Committee updates Laigaard now head of Programming Committee Karen is currently TTO Director of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. She is also member of the board of NTNU Technology Transfer AS, Trondheim, Norway. Karen has ample experience in public administration and intellectual property management. From 2007 to 2011 Karen was a member of the board of ASTP and was the President of ASTP from May 2009 until May 2011.
Karen Laigaard Chair, Programming Committee
Catarino and Scanlan join Programming Committee Marta is the Director of the Technology Transfer Office of University of Minho - TecMinho, where she manages a team of 10 experienced professionals in 3 business units: Industrial Property Management, Technology Commercialization and Entrepreneurship. Since September 2011, Marta is a Member of the Board of Directors of Proton Europe.
Marta Catarino Member, Programming Committee
John is the director of Commercialisation, having set up the office at National University of Ireland Maynooth in 2005. He has overall responsibility for business development, metrics, budgets, operations and marketing. Under John’s guidance the Commercialisation Executives devote time to business development and networking with industry and business partners. John Scanlan Member, Programming Committee
ASTP Newsletter | Summer2013
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upcomin
The upcoming ASTP training courses features Fundamentals of technology transfer and Research and development collaborations. Both carry 20 continuing education credits towards the 60 needed to apply for RTTP status. General appreciation levels are over 80% and both courses are led by experienced practitioners: The FTT course is designed for recent entrants to the profession. This course provides the tools and insights you need to perform the role with confidence and competence. Many Technology Transfer Offices regard the course as an essential induction into technology transfer and routinely send all new recruits.
Meet some of the trainers:
Meet some of the trainers:
The RDC course is designed specifically for those responsible for structuring and negotiating research collaborations with industry. We identify and address the problematic issues – drawing on the experience of experts and (through case discussion) each other. You won’t find so focused a forum anywhere else.
Sign up for the ASTP training courses. ASTP Newsletter | Summer 2013
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g ev ents
ASTP and Proton’s first joint conference features a robust programme and never-before-tried conference elements such as: the Directors’ Forum on the Wednesday evening and the Knowledge Stock Exchange on Friday morning. Wednesday, 16 Oct 16.00 Guided tour Meeting point: to be confirmed 18.00 Welcome cocktails Venue: to be confirmed 19.30 Director’s Forum, cost: € 50 Venue: Restaurant Krokodyl, Rynek Starego Miasta 21, 00-272 Warszaw
Thursday, 17 Oct
Friday, 18 Oct
8.15 Conference registration desk opens
9.00 Conference proper day 2 begins
9.00 Conference proper day 1 begins
11.00 - 12.30 Knowledge Stock Exchange
15.45 - 17.00 Last parallel session for the day
14.45 - 15.45 Final plenary
18.30 Conference dinner Venue: to be confirmed
16.00 Closing
EVENT FAST FACTS What: The ASTP-Proton Fall Conference (first joint meeting by ASTP and Proton Europe) When: 16 - 18 October 2013 Where: Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Anielewicza 6, 00-157 Warsaw, Poland What to bring: light jacket for the cool weather, running shoes for the ASTP Run and lots of convivial mood for networking
Register to the ASTP-Proton Fall Conference. ASTP Newsletter | Summer2013
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FY2011 survey on TT activities now available The joint ASTP/AUTM STATT for survey on TT activities FY2011 now available! As members, you can access both ASTP and AUTM STATT for free and compare data collected in Europe with those of the US and Canada. Log in to the restricted membership area to access the STATT and full report of the survey.
Special membership offers! ASTP members can avail of the following offers at the moment: q € 300 discount in BIO-EUROPE. Make sure to use the code “ASTP discount” upon registration to avail of the discount on top of the early bird fee or the standard registration rate. q 25% discount on INTIPSA Fellow, Members and Associate membership fees q 10% discount on IAM subscription q 20% reduction on enrolment fee for all IE Business School International Executive Open Enrolment Programs Want to become an ASTP partner as well? Contact our Business Developer Ms. Arlyta Wibowo.
Be an ASTP partner
is also a partner of ASTP.
ASTP Newsletter | Summer 2013
Log in to the restricted membership area to read the report
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New items on the webshop Impact Report for Europe, from € 19.95 The Association of European Science and Technology Transfer Professionals has published the Impact Report for Europe for the first time this summer. Impact Report for Europe celebrates the complex but very rewarding profession that is technology transfer. In this hardcover book, you will read how excellent research is put to use to lengthen lives, thoroughly alter them or just make them a bit better. The preface is written by no less than Robert-Jan Smits, General Director of Research and Innovation for the European Commission. You can order your copy from € 19.95. For more than 10 copies, we offer a € 1 discount/copy. Interested? Send us an email at secretary@astp.net or click on the copy to order from the ASTP webshop. ASTP members can download their free copies from the restricted membership area.
ASTP Salary Survey Report, from € 50 Underpaid, overpaid or just right? However anyone loves his/her job, the question of getting paid enough always comes up. The ASTP Salary Survey Report 2012, the second publication of ASTP for this year, intends to answer this question. The ASTP Salary Survey Report 2012 provides a crossEuropean comparison of remuneration levels of knowledge and technology transfer professionals. The analysis of survey results as presented in this report reveal a number of interesting trends. When looking at absolute pay levels of KTT professionals across Europe, even after correction for purchase power, significant differences remain between various European countries featured in this report. The report costs € 50 for ASTP members and € 150 for non-members and will soon be available on the webshop. Interested? Send an email to secretary@astp.net. Those who have submitted their salary details have received the report for free.
Visit the ASTP webshop
ASTP Newsletter | Summer2013
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Want to be RTTP? Next deadline: 24 October The next deadline for those who want to become Registered Technology Transfer Professionals (RTTP) is 24 October. All technology transfer professionals are invited to send in their application to the Association of Technology Transfer Professionals (ATTP). The RTTP programme educates and challenges candidates to develop their knowledge and skills, thus increasing credibility and ensuring excellence in the field of technology transfer. There are three routes to becoming RTTP. If you think that you still lack the required 60 continuing education (CE) points, why not sign up for the upcoming ASTP Training Courses (20 CE points) or the ASTP-Proton Fall Conference (10 CE points) to gain more points? Want to know more about the process of becoming RTTP and why you should be one? Here are some information. Click the image above to read the latest issue of the ATTP newsletter
Send in your application!
News from the HQ New additions to the team We would like to welcome John Kruining and Esther van Meer who joined the ASTP HQ team in June. John replaced Patrick de Jonge as Financial Administrator. Esther is currently the Event Manager since Arlyta Wibowo took over the Business Developer position left by Jeffrey Blair.
John Kruining Financial Administrator
ASTP Newsletter | Summer 2013
Esther van Meer Event Manager
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ENTENTE launches 2nd call for Professional Staff Exchange The ENTENTE Professional Exchange Programme is designed to develop the experience and expertise of technology transfer professionals while building stronger professional networks and relationships amongst TTOs themselves and between TTOs and industry. Within the framework of the Entente TTO Exchange Programme, European technology transfer officers will have the opportunity to live a unique experience in renowned investment firms, venture capitalists and technology transfer offices across the world. Benefits for the candidates: • work alongside seasoned TTOs or investment firms • learn by direct experience but also by cross stakeholder relationship building in order to develop a clearer understanding of the processes, priorities, overall business culture and approach of their key counterparts • build stronger relationships between the seconding TTO and their host organisations contributing to a greater potential for successful future collaborations, deals, licensing and other forms of technology transfer The 1st call of the ENTENTE Professional Exchange Programme launched in February 2013 was a real success with the participation of TTOs such as Ascenion, Bergen Technology Transfer Office, Inserm Transfert, MRCT and Interface Entreprises-Université de Liège training candidates from all over Europe. For this 2nd call of the ENTENTE Professional Exchange Programme, the hosting organisations prepared to welcome candidates are DRI Capital (Canada), Inserm Transfert Initiative (France), NIH Office of Technology Transfer (USA), Novartis Venture Funds (Switzerland) and Syncona Partners (UK). Get your candidacy ready by 20 September 2013 to be one of the selected candidates (5 exchange opportunities for this call) and benefit from the ENTENTE Professional Exchange Programme!
About ENTENTE: The ENTENTE project aims at strengthening knowledge transfer offices in universities, public research organisations, hospitals and at promoting transnational collaborations between industry and the academia in the health sector, through networking activities among all the key stakeholders within knowledge transfer in the health sector in Europe. The ENTENTE project was officially launched on 12 September 2012 in Paris, France. ENTENTE is a coordinated action funded by the European Commission under the Health Work Programme of the 7th Framework Programme. This consortium brings together seven partners specialized in knowledge transfer from France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and the Netherlands. This consortium is willing to be the European think tank on knowledge transfer for the health sector assembling some key stakeholders to screen the present situation. ENTENTE is supported by some of the more accomplished technology transfer offices, worldwide pharmaceutical companies and investment banking actors. The objectives are to review the best practices, the notable achievements as well as the issues that knowledge transfer is facing in the health sector in Europe. The following are the partners of the ENTENTE Consortium: Inserm Transfert: http://www.inserm-transfert.fr/en/ ASTP: http://www.astp.net/ TTS Ltd: http://www.techtransfersummit.com/ Proton Europe / Liège University: http://www. Protoneurope.org/, http://www.interface.ulg.ac.be/ KU Leuven RD: http://lrd.kuleuven.be/ VIB: http://www.vib.be/en Youris.com: http://www.youris.com/
Participate in the ENTENTE Professional Staff Exchange ASTP Newsletter | Summer2013
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Technology transfer news Nominate your favorite inventor! The European Inventor Award 2014 is now open for entries. Whether you work in industry, at a university or research institute or for a professional association, are an individual inventor, or even just someone with an interest in the work inventors do, this is your chance to join in by entering your favourite inventor or invention for the award. Besides the general public, the European Patent Office (EPO) also calls on its 4 000 examiners to enter groundbreaking inventions from their technological area. Examiners at the national patent offices are likewise invited to join in and put forward outstanding inventors.
The categories Industry: for outstanding and successful technologies patented by large European companies SMEs: for exceptional inventions at small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) Research: for pioneering inventors working at universities or research institutes Lifetime achievement: honouring the long-term contribution of an individual European inventor Non-European countries: for all inventors who are not European nationals but have been granted a European patent Seize this opportunity and enter an inventor by 30 September 2013. For more information, visit the EPO website.
Take part in the European Deal Terms survey TAKE PART IN THIS ONLINE ANONYMOUS SURVEY for technology transfer professionals on license agreements between academic/non-profit TTOs and industry in the field of life sciences and pharmaceutical technologies. Your participation will help maintain and expand the deal terms database and update it on a regular basis. It will also help you get comparables to negotiate and finalise your future deals the best possible way. Your participation is completely anonymous so you will not have to worry about divulging confidential information about your licensees. The survey only tabulates the data without identifying the source.
We value your contributions. The ASTP Newsletter is published on a quarterly basis and is received by more than 600 ASTP members. If you have anything to contribute -- technology transfer stories, events -- you may contact our Communications Manager Mrs. Chared Verschuur-Ballo.
We do not make mistakes.
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We wish! If you find anything here that needs to be amended, drop us a line at secretary@astp.net.
This news l etter is pro duced o n a qua r ter l y basi s by the Associ ati on of European S ci ence and Technology Transfer Pro fe ssio n als ( AS T P ) . A S TP is a n o t-fo r -pr o fit in itia tiv e borne of the d esi re of a multi nati onal group of prof essi onals to have a plat f o r m wh e r e to m eet a n d s h a r e exper ien c es o n a r egul a r basi s. Its mi ssi on i s to prof essi onali se and promote technology and kn o wle d g e t r an sf er b etw een th e E ur o pea n s c ien c e ba s e a n d i nd ustry. ASTP i s located at Stati onsweg 28a, 2312 AV Lei d en, t he Nethe r lan d s. U R L: w w w.astp.net | Emai l: secretary@astp.net | T: 0031 (0) 71 7113511 | F: 0031 (0 ) 7 1 7 1 1 3 5 1 2