University technology transfer begins with an idea and is successful when the resulting research enters the marketplaces as a service or product. (Photo/Casey A. Cass)

Located in the CU Research Park, the University of Colorado Technology Transfer Office (TTO) works to convert the discoveries and inventions of university researchers into marketable business technology.

To promote the financial interests of the university and its inventors—and meet disclosure obligations under the federal Bayh-Dole Act—TTO collaborates with university faculty and the business community to commercialize CU technologies, either through licensing to an existing entity or creating a start-up company.

"Our office helps faculty understand when they have an invention to disclose," said Ken Porter, director of the CU-Boulder TTO team. "From there we go about seeing how the invention fits into the marketplace. The process goes from conception, to marketing, to patenting, to pursuing licensing agreements."

The process involves actively supporting faculty researchers and inventors, protecting university intellectual property and pursuing relationships with early adopters of commercial technology. Since 2002, TTO has achieved significant growth in technology-based revenues from the Boulder campus—from $1.2 million in 2002 to a projected $12 million in fiscal year 2005.

"For 2005 we're projecting $12 million in technology royalties generated by the Boulder campus," said David Allen, associate vice president for technology transfer. "About three-fourths of those funds will go back into campus laboratories and research."

Most inventions require significant time and funding to become practical for commercial use. To achieve the necessary funding to make the transition, TTO works closely with the business community to match inventions with existing businesses or to collaborate with entrepreneurs and venture capitalists in the creation of start-ups.

A number of Boulder start-ups are powered by CU-Boulder technology, including Xenopur Systems—a metal removal start-up that was the first recipient of a $100,000 investment through the TTO's Proof of Concept (POC) investment program—and CDM Optics, an optical imaging company recently acquired by OmniVision Technologies, Inc.

For more information about CU Technology Transfer, including orientation programs, funding opportunities and detailed information on the technology transfer process, visit University of Colorado Technology Transfer or e-mail techtransfer@cu.edu to sign up for the monthly e-newsletter.