Along with an ongoing trend to seek more investment and licensing dollars from overseas companies, American tech transfer offices are increasing seeking -- and establishing -- ties with TTOs around the globe in an effort to stimulate more global opportunities for their research commercialization efforts. One case in point is taking place in the Research Triangle area, where the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and North Carolina State University (NCSU), based in Raleigh, have long been magnets for international technology companies looking for a tech-savvy workforce, as well as overseas universities that are looking to license their technologies to U.S. companies.

Now the two North Carolina universities are looking to capitalize on those ties through a new partnership between the schools, the North Carolina Department of Commerce, and Nagoya University. Under this agreement, Nagoya is using space, initially provided by the Department of Commerce, to open a TTO in the state, which all parties are hoping will serve as a two-way street between technology developers and potential licensees in both Asia and the U.S. “The best commercial partner for us may be one in Asia that we don’t have introduction to or that we may not even be aware of, so by having a partnership with a university in Japan, we’re getting into a network we just ordinarily wouldn’t be in,” explains Cathy Innes, director of the office of technology development at UNC. Billy Houghteling, TTO director at NCSU, also has high hopes that the partnership with Nagoya will enhance his school’s efforts to commercialize technologies overseas. “It is often difficult for us to even get technology opportunities in front of international companies that may be interested in commercialization of early-stage technology,” he says. “I think we can gain a lot of insight from Nagoya’s expertise in terms of what their industry partners are looking for.” The arrangement is detailed, along with globalization strategies being pursued at VCU-affiliated Virginia BioTechnology Research Park and Oklahoma State University, in the May issue of Technology Transfer Tactics newsletter.

http://www.technologytransfertactics.com/content/subscribe/