NAU Ventures: Moving Technology from the University Research Lab to the Market

Research at Northern Arizona University encompasses an impressive array of projects over an incredibly diverse range of topics. In fiscal year 2006, research activities spanned over 50 departments and research centers, and generated over $58 million in external grants and contracts. The goal of NAU’s technology transfer program is to seek opportunities to collaborate with the corporate sector, as well as to more fully develop the technology transfer enterprise.

NACET, under the supervision of Dr. Al Poskanzer, now manages NAU’s technology transfer office. We use our expertise to evaluate submissions from faculty, staff, and students to assess their commercial viability and potential for licensing and patenting. NAU benefits from our experience, expertise, and depth of resources to support patent and license applications.

NACET helps NAU through the common stages of the technology transfer process:

1. Disclosure, the official declaration that an inventor has created an invention.

2. Evaluation, which determines whether the invention is commercially viable.

3. Patenting to protect the property.

4. Licensing to develop the intellectual property into a commercial product.