1. © David Secher
MENA Technology Transfer
Seminar
David Secher
Chairman, PraxisUnico
Principal, Cambridge
Knowledge Transfer
University of Cambridge
Amman April 2010
Lita Nelsen
PraxisUnico
Director TLO, MIT

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This Seminar will give you …
• Introduction to technology transfer as
practised in UK and USA
• Experience of thinking in groups about
real-life problems and scenarios
• Opportunities to discuss issues around
emerging technology transfer in MENA
• Ideas on how to get further training and
networking

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Our qualifications - Lita
Background in chemical engineering, medical
devices, including startup companies
At MIT Technology Licensing Office since 1986;
director 1993
Former President of AUTM
Board member of MIHR, Mass. Technology
Development Corp (VC funding) and others
In 2002 co-founded Praxis (now PraxisUnico) with
David Secher, for which she was awarded an MBE –
Membership of the British Empire - by Queen
Elizabeth II)

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Our qualifications - David
Background in academic medical research,
biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry
Life Fellow, Gonville and Caius College, University of
Cambridge
Set up and ran Cambridge Enterprise (TTO)
Former NED of Cambridge Network
NED of CellCentric
In 2002 co-founded Praxis with Lita Nelsen
(for which awarded a Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion)

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Introductions
• What is your name?
• What is your job?
• What do you hope to get out of this
seminar?

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Group Exercise
Workshop on Perceived Barriers
to successful tech transfer

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Group Questions
• What are the barriers to successful technology
transfer in your university / company / institution
/ country?
• Working in your group, make a list of barriers
and then put them in order of priority
• Think about solutions to overcome the main
barriers
• Appoint a rapporteur to present the results of
your in the plenary session

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Homework!
Develop two-minute “elevator pitch” of
why industry should want to do
collaborative research work with your
university or center

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Elevator Pitch
• Why industry should want to do
collaborative research work with your
university or center
• Presenter: 2 minutes plus 2 comments
from audience (1 minute each; one
positive, one with improvement
suggestions)

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Training and Development of
Technology Transfer staff

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Who do you need for
commercialisation?
Scientist?

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Who do you need for
commercialisation?
Scientist?

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Who do you need for
commercialisation?
Scientist?
Ahmed Hassan Zewail
Nobel Prize
Chemistry 1999

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or Businessman?

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Scientist or Businessman??

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Why important?
• Speak the “language”
• Credibility with business and
entrepreneurs
• “Interpret” between two communities
• Add value to academic offering
• Catalyse cultural change
• NOT “get in the way”
• “Technology push” or “market pull”?

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Bridging the Gap

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What else do you need?
• Money for:
– Networks and training
– Travel
– Patents
• Support of your organisation
• Clear mission
• Realistic expectations
• Time!!

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Training - Praxis
• 2002 Cambridge-MIT project with Lita Nelsen
• 2007 Not-for-profit company
• 2009 merged with Unico
• UK market leader
• >2000 delegates
• 1-3 day courses in UK, Ireland, Mainland
Europe, Australia, India
• Taught by practitioners on volunteer basis

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Networking - Unico
• Membership organisation
• Supported by fees and sponsorship
• Annual conference and other networking
• Publications
• Represent profession to Government
• International links with AUTM, KCA,
ASTP, FORTEC, ACCT, …

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About PraxisUnico
• a not-for-profit educational organisation set up to
support innovation and commercialisation of
public sector and charity-funded research for
social and economic impact
• provides a forum for best practice exchange,
underpinned by first-class training and
development programmes and conferences

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PraxisUnico Members
• 121 universities and public sector research
establishments,
• 60 firms of lawyers, patent agents, venture capitalists
and other professionals
• 3800 individuals who are responsible for promoting and
licensing the intellectual property arising from academic
research
• More than 97% of UK university research funding is
spent in PraxisUnico member institutions

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PraxisUnico Training
• More than 170 expert volunteer speakers have
contributed to PraxisUnico training programmes
• Since its inception in 2002, more than 2000 UK and
overseas commercialisation professionals have
benefited from PraxisUnico training

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The Rewards
• For inventor?
• For colleagues?
• For institution?
• For TTO
So common model is:
1/3 - inventor
1/3 - department
1/3 – university
10-15% for TTO

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Culture Change
• Brought about through:
– Role models
– Institutional strategy
– Government support
– Funding
– Legislation
– Training and networks
– Technology transfer offices
– Teaching of entrepreneurship

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Role of Angel and Venture
Capital Investors

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Where do you get money for
start-ups?
• Banks?
• Family and Friends?
• “Doctors and dentists”?
• Angels?
• Venture Capitalists?
• Government funds?
• Customers?
• Other sources?

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Angel Investors
• Some places have them
• You may need to cultivate them
• Angels have money AND experience
• May supply interim management
• They may hunt in packs

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Venture Capital
• Managers of big funds
• Like to make $m+ investments
• Need to see a financial return
• More likely to want to see management team in
place
• Want big slice of equity (shares), but not majority
• Can help access further funding
• Reject >99% of business plans submitted
• See BVCA EVCA NVCA

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Sources of information
• OECD www.oecd.org
• EC europa.eu
• AUTM www.autm.org
• PraxisUnico www.praxisunico.org.uk
• Lambert www.ipo.gov.uk
• IP Handbook www.iphandbook.org
• WIPO www.wipo.int

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How to build a successful
Cluster

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“Clusters of knowledge-intensive
firms tend to form around large
research universities.”
Lord Sainsbury, “The Race to the Top” 2007

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Silicon Fen

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Silicon Roundabout
Silicon Gorge
Silicon Glen
Silicon Fen
Silicon Corridor
Silicon Beach
Silicon Alley
Cwm Silicon
Silicon Welly
Silicon Saxony
Silicon Cape
Silicon Wadi
Silicon Oasis
Silicon Gulf
Silicon Peninsula
Silicon Sandbar
Silicon Slopes
Silicon Prairie
Silicon Prairie
Silicon Hills
Silicon Valley
Silicon Forest
Silicon Desert
Silicon Alley

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Silicon Fen
Adapted from David Gill

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A Successful Cluster?
In 2004 24% of all UK venture capital
(9% of EU) was received by Silicon
Fen companies.
Cambridge Cluster Report (2004) Library House and Grant Thornton.

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World University Rankings -
2008
Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
http://www.arwu.org/rank2008/en2008.htm

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Documentation
• Headline facts and figures:
– The Cambridge Phenomenon, SQW (1985):
• 350 high-tech firms, emerging cluster
– The Cambridge Phenomenon Revisited, SQW (2000):
• 2001: 1,350 high-tech firms employing 50,000 – GCP area
– Cambridge Technopole Report:
• 2006: Number of high-tech firms: 1,500, employing 45,000
• 2008: Number of high-tech firms: 1,400, employment: 43,000
• BUT: no comprehensive, reliable statistical annual survey of
investment, growth, longitudinal trends
• Cambridge County Council database is employment only
– Even years. Survey based
Adapted from David Gill

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Some Key Dates
1859: Charles Darwin, Origin of the Species
Diversity, selection, amplification
1953: Watson and Crick DNA
1958: Sanger gets first Nobel Prize
1970: Cambridge Science Park
Beginnings of physical cluster infrastructure
1980: Sanger gets second Nobel Prize
1985: SQW, The Cambridge Phenomenon
Cluster self-awareness, marketing
2008: Worst financial crisis since 1929

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The First Spin-outs
1878: Cavendish Laboratory sets up workshop manufacturing
apparatus
Robert Fulcher, mechanic employed by Cavendish workshop, left
to set up firm supplying scientific equipment to University
Horace Darwin (son of Charles) assists Fulcher with design
1881: Darwin purchases Cambridge Scientific Instrument
Company from Fulcher
1896: PYE Ltd spin-out from Cavendish workshop
William George Pye apprenticed at Cambridge Scientific Instrument
Co
1966: 60% of PYE sold to Philips Electronic Industries
CSIC also sold to Philips, intellectual property passes to Leica
Beginnings of repeat patterns:
Inter-related spin-outs, indirect role of University
Capital realisation often through overseas trade sale

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Mott Report
• Published by Cambridge University
1969, long consultation
• Response to refusal to house IBM
Europe lab in Cambridge
• Reversal of 20+ years of planning
• Led to creation of Science Park
(1970), SJIC (1987)
• New, not smoke-stack industries;
University’s permissive approach
Not imposing central planning but:
BOTH removing central planning restrictions
AND providing a sense of vision and
direction

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Cambridge Science Park
• Owned and funded by Trinity College,
– NO public funding
• 61.5 Hectares; 145,540 sq m R&D space
(150 acres, 1.5m sq ft)
• 2 miles from City Centre
• 100 companies, 5000 people
• Early-stage start units also
• Limited social facilities (restaurant, gym,
ATM)

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Role of University
• Teaching, research and “Third Mission”
• Long-standing for Land Grant universities
• New focus for many UK universities in
2000
• Universities play a key (but often
intangible) role in clusters

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University provides:
• People (staff, students)
• Expertise (consulting)
• Knowledge
• Resources (equipment, facilities,
incubation)
• Public spaces (conferences, networking)
• New firms (spin-outs, start-ups)
Adapted from Tim Minshall

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University provides:
• People (staff, students)
• Expertise (consulting)
• Knowledge
• Resources (equipment, facilities, incubation)
• Public spaces (conferences, networking)
• New firms (spin-outs, start-ups)
AND a working and living environment that is
attractive to entrepreneurs
Adapted from Tim Minshall

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Clusters and Open Innovation
• OI supports cluster development
• OI benefits from strong clusters
• OI may help to address big challenges
with clusters
• Bottom-up approaches may be better than
Top-down
• Promote intermingling of people
• Support simple projects – competitions,
lectures, placements, networking

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Cambridge Enterprise Ltd – 2008/09
117 new innovation disclosures received
124 patent applications filed
83 IP transactions signed (50 for commercial purposes and
33 research licences)
18 proof of concept projects supported: 12 projects
awarded funds totalling £430k
124 consultancy agreements signed
£349k seed investment in 8 companies
72 companies in which Cambridge Enterprise holds equity
£8 million income of which 82% was returned to
academics and departments

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Some Consultancies …
• Cambridge Consultants 1960: spin-outs
– Domino, Xaar, Prelude Trust, CSR, Vivid (IPOs)
– Alphamosaic, Inca (trade sales)
• Scientific Generics, formed 1986 by Gordon
Edge
– Spun-out Chord Capital, venture investment arm
• TTP Group set-up 1988
– Includes TTP Ventures
• ALSO: PA Consulting (1943)

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A Biocluster?
ARM (mobile phone chip design) 1990 $3bn
Autonomy (search engine) 1996 $6bn
CSR (Bluetooth) 1998 $0.9bn
CAT 1990 (sold to AZ for £702m)
Abcam (monoclonal reagents) 1998 £400m cap
CellCentric (Epigenetics) 2004 Private

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Bridging the Gap

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