Department
INNOVATION AND COMMERCIALIZATI (UA-ICO-IUINA)
Department Information
The Innovation and Commercialization Office (ICO) is responsible for fostering connections between Indiana University (IU) inventors and external collaborators and facilitating the transfer of university discoveries to the market. ICO works to establish partnerships between research and industry, provide connections to resources, commercialization guidance, and business engagement.
Job Summary
Department-Specific Responsibilities
- Supports technology transfer and commercialization processes by evaluating invention disclosures for technical merit, novelty, patentability, commercial potential, and market alignment.
- Serves various stakeholders in developing and commercializing transformational life science discoveries.
- Establishes and maintains relationships with researchers and faculty; provides ongoing guidance throughout the invention, protection, and commercialization process.
- Manages an assigned intellectual property (IP) portfolio; collaborates with internal team on patent strategy, prosecution, and maintenance decisions.
- Reviews and edits non-confidential summaries, technology briefs, and marketing materials for assigned technologies.
- Works collaboratively with licensing and marketing teams to identify potential licensees, research sponsors, and startup opportunities.
- Supports and contributes to outreach programs, workshops, and training sessions to promote innovation and increase invention disclosures.
- Collaborates cross-functionally across ICO teams (licensing, operations, contracts, compliance) and with campus units, research centers, and shared services.
- Facilitates understanding of intellectual property, technology development, and commercialization pathways among faculty, students, and staff.
General Responsibilities
- Solicits, evaluates, and manages invention/technology disclosures; interprets research results, helps guide experimental protocol, participates in and utilizes internal procedures to justify action plan; maintains communication and rapport with faculty, and document progress in database as per procedures.
- Identifies potential licensees and market technologies; develops marketing strategies to implement, build, and maintain a network of potential collaborative partners/licensees and facilitate their relationships with faculty; drafts and circulates non-confidential summaries; secures external partners and funding to perform prototype development; executes Confidential Disclosure Agreements (CDAs) to exchange further information with interested parties (CDA signatory authority per Indiana University Research and Technology Corporation (IURTC) policy); may have responsibility for drafting, completing, overseeing, and reviewing the structuring and negotiation of successful licenses of intellectual property rights, completion of option agreements, and successful development of joint projects, ventures, and/or startup companies.
- Secures intellectual property protection for technologies; researches and identifies appropriate law firms with relevant content expertise, generates filing and claims strategies, responds to and develops prosecution strategies with outside counsel, and manages patent prosecution with internal Patent Counsel and outside counsel; works with Intellectual Property and Compliance Leaders to ensure compliance with state and federal laws (Bayh-Dole Act, etc.) and other regulations and policies applicable to technology transfer.
- Drafts, negotiates, and reviews commercialization and IP-related agreements; creates term sheets, negotiates financial and contract terms, recognizing which terms require supervisory/leadership overview; oversees execution process and collaborates with licensing staff to monitor and manage all post-license compliance.
- Establishes and maintains a network of working relationships with IU research faculty (such as Innovate Indiana Fund, Spin Up, and other areas like Research Administration, Research Compliance, Solution Center, etc.), established and startup companies, and external law firms; cultivates all relationships to grow future collaboration opportunities; may work with IU communications in preparation of new press releases, blog posts, etc.
- May provide guidance and support to less experienced colleagues, including managing student interns and/or law externs in the evaluation, handling, commercialization, and disposition of inventions.
- Develops initiatives, attends seminars, and makes independent presentations to educate IU faculty and researchers about technology commercialization procedures and coach them on strategies; interacts with stakeholders for university technology commercialization (Research Administration, Purchasing, Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI), etc.) and advises such offices on IP clauses in their agreements; participates and advises on relevant university and/or industry committees; actively participates in Conflict of Interest committee as a non-voting member; advise on project development teams; be active on nationwide professional development organization(s) committee.
- Assists and supports inventors with the university's business creation program (SpinUp); manages the companies in assigned portfolio and explains the program to interested inventors; provides independent guidance with supervisory oversight as needed on small business development to faculty looking to start their own company; coaches and supports faculty proposals for internal and external grant opportunities.
Qualifications
Combinations of related education and experience may be considered. Education beyond the minimum required may be substituted for work experience. Work experience beyond the minimum required may be substituted for education.
EDUCATION
Required
- Bachelor's degree (preferably in life sciences, engineering, biomedical science, or a related technical field)
Preferred
- Advanced degree in life sciences, chemistry, medical, engineering, business administration, or a related field
WORK EXPERIENCE
Required
- 5 years of relevant experience in academia or industry
Preferred
- Experience evaluating early-stage technologies and familiarity with federal funding, IP compliance, and university innovation ecosystems
- Experience with market analysis, start-up formation, or Research and Development (R and D) partnerships
LICENSES AND CERTIFICATES
Preferred
- Certified Licensing Professional, Patent Agent, and/or related additional continuing education
SKILLS
Required
- Strong verbal communication and listening skills
- Maintains a high degree of professionalism
- Demonstrated time management and priority setting skills
- Demonstrates a high commitment to quality
- Experience in a regulated environment
- Possesses flexibility to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
- Seeks to acquire knowledge in area of specialty
- Highly thorough and dependable
- Demonstrates a high level of accuracy, even under pressure
- Possesses a high degree of initiative
- Ability to influence internal and/or external constituents
- Familiarity with IP protection methods, contract law, and government laws and regulations related to technology commercialization (Conflict of Interest, Bayh-Dole, Export Control)
- Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with academic faculty, administrators, and/or members of industry
- Ability to access technology that may be subject to export control requirements therefore incumbent must be qualified for such access without an export control license
Preferred
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build collaborative relationships across various stakeholder groups
- Proven ability to learn quickly and adapt to evolving technologies, processes, and strategic priorities
- Stays up to date and current in technology commercialization and related fields by attending and participating in local, regional, and/or national seminars, meetings, and events; maintains significant involvement with 1 local, regional, or national group; develops market-area expertise in a relevant technology area (patent landscape, market players, typical deal terms, regulatory pathways, etc.); develops expertise in a subset of IP law (derivative works of copyright, infringement, obviousness, written description, patentable subject matter, inventorship, etc.)