The Innovations Group

1
Get Connected.
The Innovations Group
Jennifer Fraser University of Toronto, Faculty of
Medicine New Faculty Orientation Wednesday,
September 30, 2009
2
Vice President Research (VPR)
Portfolio

• Research and Oversight Compliance Office (ROCO)
• Research Services
• The Innovations Group (TIG)
• Research Agreements
• Commercialization Activity

3
Research Agreements

• Industry
• Government
• Material Transfer (MTAs)
• Confidentiality (CDAs)
• Visiting Scientist
• Data Transfer

4
Research Agreements Contact Information

• Sandra Aussem, Contracts Officer
• sandra.aussem_at_utoronto.ca
• Tammy Y. Chan, Contracts Officer
• tammy.chan_at_utoronto.ca

5
Commercialization Activity
IP Policy at the University of Toronto

• What is an invention?
• Any new and useful art, process, machine,
  manufacture or composition of matter, or any new
  and useful improvement of the same
• Also includes computer software, research data
  and research tools, and all proprietary
  information, know how and trademarks related to
  any of these items
• Disclosure
• Description of the invention
• Who are the inventors?
• Where was the work done?
• Who funded it?

6
Commercialization Activity
IP Policy at the University of Toronto

• Why Disclose?
• Allows commercial potential and patentability to
  be assessed
• Some research funding agreements require that
  inventions be disclosed within a certain time
  period
• Inventorship vs. Authorship
• An inventor has to have made a creative
  intellectual input
• Contributors that may expect to be credited on a
  scientific paper are not necessarily inventors

7
Revenue Sharing
8
Why use The Innovations Group (TIG) to Help you
Commercialize your Invention?

• TIG uses a team approach to commercialization, so
  more than one commercialization manager is active
  in your project
• Projects are reviewed regularly in team meetings,
  so you get the benefit of the expertise of all
  team members, including cross-disciplinary teams
  and external experts, where appropriate

9
Assessment

• Commercialization by TIG
• TIG performs an assessment of the
  commercialization potential for the invention,
  including patentability, market opportunity and
  state of development of the technology
• Commercialization by Inventors
• Inventors make all decisions on their own

10
Intellectual Property

• Commercialization by TIG
• TIG develops an IP strategy, selects an agent
  with expertise in the area, pays initial fees up
  front, and is repaid only from revenues, if any
• Commercialization by Inventors
• Inventors select a patent agent and are
  responsible for paying all costs

11
Commercialization Plan

• Commercialization by TIG
• TIG develops a commercialization plan, including
  options to license or to start a new company,
  contacts for licensees and/or partners and a
  product plan to develop product and scale up
  production
• Commercialization by Inventors
• Inventors develop their own plans

12
Access to Funds

• Commercialization by TIG
• Inventors are eligible for NSERC-I2I and ORCP-POP
• TIG has good networks with OCE, OCIF, CIHR, angel
  investors and others, and can help secure funding
• Commercialization by Inventors
• Inventors are not eligible for NSERC-I2I or
  ORCP-POP
• Inventors may access OCE, OCIF, CIHR or other
  funding sources on their own

13
Marketing

• Commercialization by TIG
• TIG develops a marketing strategy to identify
  investors (if a start-up) or potential licensees
  from its extensive network of contacts in
  business and finance, assists with preparation of
  a preliminary business plan, creates marketing
  material, arranges meetings with prospects, makes
  presentations
• Commercialization by Inventors
• Inventors market the technology using their own
  resources and connections

14
Deal Making and Follow-up

• Commercialization by TIG
• TIG selects strategic partners, negotiates terms,
  prepares and executes agreements using in-house
  legal counsel, and follows up to ensure
  milestones are met and payments are received
• No further approval is required
• Commercialization by Inventors
• Inventors negotiate terms and make deals on their
  own, and have to pay for legal advice
• Inventors need university consent before any deal
  is made

15
Net Revenue to Inventors

• Commercialization by TIG
• 60 with no additional costs
• Commercialization by Inventors
• 75 less commercialization costs

16
MaRS Innovation PartnersMember Institutions
17
Contact Information

• Jennifer Fraser, MSc., MBA
• Director, Commercialization and Business
  Development, Life Sciences
• 416-946-5515
• jen.fraser_at_utoronto.ca

18
Thank-you!