The Technology Transfer Office at MSU has collaborated with faculty, researchers, and universities, and partnered with industry to achieve the following:

  • 600+ technologies managed;
  • 400+ patents, PVP's, trademarks, and copyrights issued;
  • 700+ IP agreements completed; and
  • 50+ company start ups and spin-outs.

The Technology Transfer Office pursues three primary goals:

  • Establishing collaborations and working relationships between industry and each of the research and creative areas of MSU. This includes pursuing industry sponsored research and collaborating on commercial opportunities.
  • Licensing the inventions of MSU faculty and researchers to industry and managing the relationship between the University and its licensee partners.
  • Serving the economic development arm of the University and working with Montana companies and entrepreneurs to leverage the resources of MSU to the benefit of Montana's economy.

Industry sponsored research funding successes through MSU TTO

While the primary goal of the MSU Technology Transfer Office (TTO) is to protect and license the intellectual property generated by the faculty, often the inventions disclosed by faculty to the TTO are too early in development to attract licensing interest. One of the best alternatives in this case is to generate interest from a company in collaborating with the investigator on further development of the research. Additionally, industry funding can fill a need when government funding is no longer a good fit as is the case when efforts are shifted away from research towards development.

The TTO has been instrumental in facilitating research collaboration and sponsored research agreements between MSU faculty and leading companies.  Recent activities include:

  • Kevin McPhee, Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology
  • Blake Wiedenheft, Immunology & Microbiology
  • Joe Shaw, Electrical & Computer Engineering
  • David Sands, Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology
  • Stephen Sofie, Mechanical Engineering
  • Frances Lefcort, Cell Biology and Neuroscience
  • Garrett Moraski, Chemistry and Biochemistry
  • Bob Peterson, Land Resources & Environmental Sciences
  • Ryan Anderson, Chemical & Biological Engineering
  • Randy Babbitt, Physics

 

The TTO welcomes the opportunity to talk to all faculty about the possibility of seeking industry support for MSU research initiatives. Contact Daniel Juliano at x7483 daniel.juliano@montana.edu.