Campus & Community

Office of Research and College of Law Partner to Advance Technology Transfer; College of Law Appoints New Professor of Practice

Friday, May 12, 2023, By Robert Conrad

The Office of Research and the College of Law have entered a partnership to combine the Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) and the Innovation Law Center (ILC) to advance the University’s goals in invention, innovation and industry partnerships. This joint venture assumes responsibility for technology transfers and all aspects of the commercialization of research generated by faculty, researchers, students and staff across 鶹ƵUniversity’s schools and colleges.

“By incorporating the University’s Office of Technology Transfer within the College of Law’s Innovation Law Center, we leverage the expertise, resources and infrastructure of our renowned program whose faculty, staff and students specialize in intellectual property (IP) protection, licensing and moving new technologies and innovations from lab to market,” says College of Law Dean Craig M. Boise.

Boise also announced that Executive Director of the ILC Brian Gerling L’99, has been appointed a professor of practice on the 鶹ƵLaw faculty. Gerling will provide operational oversight and strategic direction to the OTT as special advisor on Technology Transfer to 鶹ƵUniversity’s Vice President of Research, Duncan Brown.

“Bringing the ILC and the OTT together will directly benefit the University by accelerating our technology transfer and commercialization processes and enabling law students to work with technologies and clients from within our campus,” says Brown. “With Executive Director Gerling at the helm, we will embark on an extensive strategic planning process to elevate the OTT as a gold standard for tech transfer offices among our peer research institutions.”

“The functions of a tech transfer office are perfectly suited for the ILC,” says Gerling. “Our core competencies in law and IP help to surface important legal issues and challenges early in the commercialization process which benefits clients enormously. We look forward to working with the University’s vast network of innovators and entrepreneurs, while also augmenting opportunities for our students to gain practical skills and prepare them for careers as IP and business lawyers.”