#TTO

Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) at leading research institutions face a perpetual dilemma when evaluating physical instruments: should we license this technology to an established industry player, or should we encourage the research team to build a spin-off company around it? The answer is rarely straightforward, especially when hardware is involved …

In the realm of deep tech and hardware innovation, a university bench prototype is rarely an immaculate conception. It is almost always built upon a foundation of existing materials, components, and prior research. For Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs), this reality presents a significant challenge: untangling the web of Background Intellectual …

For Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs), managing the complex web of intellectual property and maximizing its commercial potential often requires strategic asset carve-outs. When extracting specific hardware assets from larger university portfolios, structuring the accompanying royalty agreements is a delicate balancing act. TTOs must ensure fair compensation for the institution and …

The Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale, originally developed by NASA, is a ubiquitous framework in university tech transfer. While the scale runs from 1 to 9, any experienced Technology Transfer Office (TTO) knows that the journey is not linear. There is a specific, treacherous segment of this path where most …

The Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale is a standard heuristic in deep tech, but for Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs), TRL 4 represents a critical inflection point. At TRL 4, a technology is typically a "component and/or breadboard validation in a laboratory environment." It works on the bench, but it …