It’s all about us
Last week the Director of KTI, Alison Campbell opened AUTM’s annual meeting in the US. Held this year in Austin, Texas and welcoming over 2000 delegates, it was the largest gathering of technology transfer professionals and industry at such an event in 10 years and the third largest the organisation has on record.
In her role as outgoing Chair of AUTM – the US based international tech transfer association - Alison touched on some of what people could look forward to during the upcoming few days. But her real message was that it – technology and knowledge transfer – is all about us. You and me. It is about the people.
By its very nature, AUTM as a membership association is all about its people and Alison called out just some of the groups in their various guises that make the association so successful - the membership base working in an ever expanding field including IP management, licensing, collaborations, business development, start-up creation, economic development, entrepreneurship and more; the volunteer committees that shape the future and vision of the association; the people from industry without whom commercialisation of research could not happen and whose insights are vital in helping to drive thinking in the space; the administrative professionals across the field of technology and knowledge transfer who are becoming even more important in a world where compliance requirements constantly grow - something that has been recognised by AUTM through the introduction of a new membership category specifically for those in administrative roles in KTT. And of course the Association’s staff.
Alison also spoke of how innovative opportunities are at the heart of great licenses and an important reason for companies to engage with researchers. Good technology, strong intellectual property and access to cutting-edge knowledge can really provide a terrific commercial advantage. And people are at the heart of such successful knowledge transfer endeavours. She reflected on her on experience and what a great feeling it is to play a role in making these successes happen.
“Combining people with purpose and passion yields the perfect recipe for success. It is what motivates me,” said Alison. Something she has seen not just in the Board of AUTM but across the wider membership community of professionals in the field. She continued that “People fuel innovation and they make the ideas of today into the opportunities for tomorrow. As such we are constantly looking for ways to learn, collaborate and grow. And that means the future looks bright for technology transfer.”
AUTM is an international association based in the US representing a community of over 3000 members in 61 different countries.
21/02/2019