TLA, University Libraries Partner to Support Commercialization of UA Inventions

May 19, 2014

The Business Intelligence Unit Team: Jason Dewland, Joann MacMaster, Jennifer Martin, Jen Watson, John Jackson and Cindy Elliott (Photo credit: Tech Launch Arizona)

Collaboration Represents a New Model for Gathering Business Intelligence

Tucson, AZ – With a focus on creating economic impact and bringing the inventions of the UA to the world, Tech Launch Arizona has teamed up with the University of Arizona’s University Libraries to gather information to help researchers and faculty members make smart, well-informed business decisions. The new Business Intelligence Unit (BIU) brings together high-quality market and commercialization decision support for UA individuals and teams working toward protecting and patenting inventions, developing effective commercialization plans and starting companies.

The BIU directly supports the Never Settle Strategic Plan through its focus on facilitating the process of creating and commercializing UA intellectual property (IP). It is in the midst of developing training modules and creating a best practices model for collaboration between TLA staff and UA librarians.

Why does the UA need a Business Intelligence Unit? It’s all about making smart commercialization decisions in support of the University’s Strategic Plan, which includes increasing the impact of University research through bringing innovations to the public in the form of useful, research-based products.

As the world of information changes, business intelligence represents a sweet spot where the University Libraries can add value to these processes.

It’s also a very unique approach to leveraging the capabilities of a research-focused library, according to Assistant Librarian Cindy Elliott.

“From our conversations with other libraries, we believe we are the only library that is partnering with their campus commercialization unit on proof of concept work for their institutions,” she says. “Librarians are likely providing some research assistance in the commercialization process, but we aren’t aware of any other partnerships at this level, which makes this role new for librarians.”

When asked about the BIU, Dean of University Libraries Karen Williams strongly supports the collaboration.

"Libraries are in the information business,” she says. “With our rich and extensive content resources and savvy search skills, librarians are perfectly positioned to assess information needs and fill those needs with timely, reputable and reliable information on products, companies, markets and more.”

To ensure that UA teams of researchers have all the essential information they need as they move to protect and commercialize their inventions, TLA Licensing Managers – supported by graduate students, most often from the James E. Rogers College of Law – perform early market assessments for newly disclosed UA technologies.

But following these assessments, the commercial pathway for a given invention isn’t always clear. In these cases, inventions move into TLA’s Wheelhouse Arizona unit where domain experts evaluate them, and they go through additional proof points, such as Proof of Concept and Commercial Feasibility Study Programs.

“Each phase we work through is really about leveraging solid commercial and market research,” says Wheelhouse Arizona Director Sherry Hoskinson. “Good research is absolutely essential for good outcomes.”

Today, the cross-disciplinary BIU team consists of professionals from both Tech Launch Arizona and the Libraries, including:

Bringing together such a team under this mission creates many opportunities and advantages, according to TLA Vice President David Allen.

“A focus on building this unit and creating this new model will not only increase how fast we can bring UA inventions to market,” he says, “but it will boost the quality of our IP outcomes as well.”

Contacts
Paul Tumarkin
pault@tla.arizona.edu