News and Events > AUTM Western Regional Meeting

AUTM Western Regional Meeting

July 16 -18, 2006
Boulder Colorado

Tentative Program

Theme: Mission: Impossible?

The focus will be on how do tech transfer offices stay on track, do the things they are chartered to do, avoid pointless or counterproductive activities and fulfill the mission of the office even as the mission undergoes constant metamorphosis.

Sunday July 16

Registration - 1:00 - 5:00pm

Sunday Afternoon Session - 1:30 - 4:40

AUTM Legal Session Planning Group 2/8/06
David Huizenga, DHuizenga@needlerosenberg.com, 678-420-9300
Bernadette Manning, manningb@usc.edu, 213-743-2282
Steven Prewitt, SPrewitt@SCHWABE.com, 503-796-2844
Jeffrey Bojar, jab@rogerstheobald.com, 602-852-5568

Summary: The three-hour, Sunday afternoon program will focus on the dynamic of the relationship between the technology transfer office ("TTO") and its legal counsel and discuss and address strategies to develop this mutually beneficial relationship. The program will be divided into three parts including a (i) panel discussing pre-patent filing and patent filing related matters, (ii) panel discussing post-patent filing related matters including commercialization activities, and (iii) workshop during which the audience will participate by addressing specific issues presented by the moderator and panelists. Each panel will include two attorneys representing TTOs, two TTO professionals, and a moderator. The moderator will be the same for both panels. Examples of topics to be discussed in each session are set forth below. Additional topic ideas are welcome. The group is also developing a written document which captures many of the ideas discussed during the program.

Program; Begins at 1:30; ends at 4:40

1) Panel Session: Pre-filing and filing-related matters. (1:20)
Proposed topics: Engagement; triage; pre-drafting issues; prosecution; billing rates; value for product; managing file process/product; provisional filing.

Confirmed panelists: Prewitt, Manning.
Moderator: Bojar

Break: (10 minutes)

2) Panel Session: Post-filing and corporate-related matters. (1:20)
Proposed topics: Maintenance of patents; commercialization; licenses; engagement of corporate counsel; in-house counsel; startup counsel; managing the process/product; office actions, intermediate claims, European filing; do you engage corp counsel attorneys as founder of start up, connections to finance/matchmaker, IP attorneys functioning as corp counsel, sponsorships of events, Patent annuities (liability therewith).

Confirmed panelists: Huizenga.
Moderator: Bojar

3) Workshop. (20 minutes)

Welcome Reception - 6 -7 pm

Dinner - 7 - 8:30 pm

Monday July 17

Continental Breakfast - 7:30 - 8:30

Registration - 8:00 - noon

Morning Session 1 - 8:30 - 10:00

Coordinator: Dana Bostrom

"A day in the life of a tech transfer office"
A panel of four tech transfer professionals will share the activities of their various offices

Refreshment Break - 10:00 - 10:30

Morning Session 2 - 10:30 - noon

Coordinator: Mike White

Metrics - how do we measure what we do?
A panel will present various metrics used to evaluate tech transfer office performance including the AUTM survey. Focus will be on how to best use these metrics and how they can be abused or misleading.

Lunch - noon - 1:00pm

Afternoon Session 1 - 1:00 - 2:30pm

Coordinator: Chris Moulding

What do Universities call on us to do (i.e. what is the mission?). How does the daily flow of business knock us off our mission? Which activities ancillary to the mission actually support the overall mission, which ones do not stand up to a cost benefit analysis, and which ones are tar babies.

Refreshment Break - 2:30 - 3:00pm

Afternoon Session 2 - 3;00 - 4:00pm

Coordinator: Mary Watanabe

Now that we know about things that take us off mission, what do we do about it?

Evening Activities - 4:30 - 8:00

Herb Walk, Hiking & Rock Climbing - 4:30 - 6:30

Reception - 6:30 - 7:00

Dinner - 7:00 - 8:00

Tuesday July 18

Networking Breakfast - 7:45 - 9:00am

Morning Session - 9:00 - noon

Coordinators: Jennifer Dyer and Nina Ossanna

The initial session will involve role playing among the various constituencies of a tech transfer office - faculty, administration, local chamber of commerce etc. - how do they all view the mission of the tech transfer office and why do their various view not always mesh with reality.

The next session will be an interactive session with the audience where a number of questions handed out in advance will serve a framework for discussing best practices

The last session will be a wrap up of the meeting. What went right and what did not and where do we go from here. It would be ideal to get a consensus on the site for the 2007 meeting and some suggestions for sessions and themes.