Unlocking Potential: Accelerating innovation through university tech transfer
The Speakers:
Kevin Leslie is the associate vice president for Innovation and Commercialization at Old Dominion University, transforming ODU’s technology transfer operation to better identify, develop, and market faculty, staff, and student intellectual property and startups. He recently served as the inaugural executive director of the Hampton Roads Biomedical Research Consortium (HRBRC), a partnership between ODU, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk State University, and Sentara Healthcare that aims to reduce health disparities and strengthen the region's biohealth innovation pipeline. Prior to his role at the HRBRC, Leslie was the associate director of VCU Ventures and provided scientific leadership for Richmond’s Health Innovation Consortium. He earned his doctorate from Virginia Commonwealth University and his bachelor’s and master degrees from William & Mary.
Magdalena K. Morgan is director of Licensing in Virginia Commonwealth University’s Tech Transfer and Ventures office. She has held that position since June 2021. She started at VCU in 2007 as a predoctoral research fellow.
Morgan filled in for Ivelina Metcheva (who couldn’t attend because of a last minute emergency). Metcheva is assistant vice president for innovation at Virginia Commonwealth University. She has more than 20 years of experience in technology transfer and commercialization.
Jason McDevitt is the director of the Technology Transfer Office at William & Mary, president of its related IP Foundation, and a research professor in the William & Mary Research Institute. McDevitt received a doctorate. in biochemistry from MIT, and a BA in chemistry from Yale University. He also is a registered patent agent. After receiving his doctorate, McDevitt held various positions in central research and business development in the chemical, biotech, and consumer products industries. He subsequently worked in the technology licensing offices of the University of Georgia and Emory University prior to joining W&M in July 2004. He is an inventor on over 30 issued United States patents (in addition to numerous pending applications) covering a wide range of fields including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, polymers, catalysts, textiles, ammunition, and consumer products.
Tune in on Wednesday March 6 at noon to learn about how research and discoveries made at universities in the I-64 Innovation Corridor have been licensed to businesses and entrepreneurs who turn them into commercial products.
Technology transfer offices at Old Dominion University, William & Mary, and Virginia Commonwealth University serve as a vital bridge between academic research and practical application in the commercial world., transferring knowledge, innovations, and intellectual properties developed within the university to businesses, startups, or other institutions.
In some cases, the discoveries unlocked in the laboratories at universities are licensed to businesses that are turned into important and even life-saving commercial products.
Technology transfer offices manage the protection and licensing of patents, copyrights, and other intellectual properties, and also provide valuable resources and support to researchers and entrepreneurs, helping them navigate the complexities of intellectual property rights, market analysis, funding opportunities, and business development strategies.