SPOTLIGHT
Compiled by Shawn Lawrence
TORONTO TO HOST INAUGURAL tech transfer summit
T
he inaugural Tech Transfer Summit North America is set to take place in Toronto November 22-23, marking the first time the event held previously in Europe and Russia, has come to North America. The brainchild of the Tech Transfer Summit organization (TTS Ltd.), the summit is being co-organized by Life Sciences Ontario, MaRS Innovation and others to foster talks and give attendees a venue to learn from some of the foremost practitioners of tech transfer worldwide. TTS Ltd. originally founded the Summit initiative on four core principals: Attract the most important representatives of technology transfer from across the entire region including technology transfer officers (TTOs), innovators and early stage entities alike, university and institute directors and chairmen, bioregion directors and local investors; actively involve senior industry licensing and business development executives, biotech CEO’s, leading IP lawyers and specialists, serial entrepreneurs and investors; limit total participation to ensure an exclusive, qualitative high-level meeting and provide an incredibly interactive, engaging atmosphere conducive to real networking, relationship building, and licensing; and the instigation of business development. For these reasons, former BIOTECanada president and current LSO consultant Janet Lambert believes the summit is a boon to Ontario. “The summit will bring together international experts and executives from industry, finance and IP in sourcing the best technology from across the globe making this a great opportunity to see what can be done to improve Ontario’s track record as a key region in tech transfer, to talk about where our priorities and innovation opportunities are,” says Lambert. She adds that having the opportunity to work on an event like this with TTS Ltd., an organization that has built its own strong relationships and expertise in the area of tech transfer, should prove beneficial to all involved. Likewise, LSO president and CEO Lorne Meikle believes it is a must-attend event for all early stage SME, biotech, pharma and related sector licensing and technology executives and managers. “We’ve been trying to get a world type tech transfer event here in Toronto for a number of years now. There is no technology summit like this in North America. Events like these are needed in the industry, they’re typically well attended and they’re good for the companies.This event is good for Life Sciences Ontario, good for the industry in Toronto and good for Canada,” he said. In addition to tech transfer officers, senior innovation and research directors from leading research universities, institutes, science parks and bioregions will also be in attendance. “Industry participants are provided direct access to senior technology managers and tech transfer officers. It’s a chance for collaboration, partnering and licensing, particularly a welcome opportunity in light of the current economic climate. Companies today are already
looking for options to survive, such as licensing and raising money. With this event we’re putting them face to face with the people making the licensing decisions, people making the financial decisions, and most importantly people who are doing international deals. It’s about giving attendees an opportunity to see what the world perspective is on the industry on top of the Canadian perspective.” The event is also designed to allow the participants and speakers a chance to network and have discussions. “Good business develops first and foremost through building a good relationship. The summit brings together a high-class field of both speakers and delegates alike, placing them in surroundings that allow for relaxed discourse. Many of the speakers are in most cases people who would never speak here. We’re fortunate to have these world class speakers here. What develops from the networking will depend on the people who are attending the event,” Lorne explains. The event has generated a lot of positive feedback already with confirmed attendance by top industry executives, financial experts, as well as leading academic research universities and institutes. Topics for the two-day even include: best practices in world-class technology transfer, a discussion on the main challenges and opportunities in technology transfer, licensing and IP protocols across international borders, IP strategy and defining proof-of-concept, how to work with industry and licensing projects from big pharma. The keynote speaker is Mark Rohrbaugh, NIH director, office of Technology Transfer. Participation in the Summit is strictly limited to 250 attendees and requires registration through the online registration site. Visit http// www.techtransfersummit.com for more information.
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NOVEMBER 2010 BIOTECHNOLOGY FOCUS 27
