Russ Metler

1
Russ Metler Patent Advisor Technology Transfer
Office Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention Southeast FLC Awards Committee Member
2

• Follow directions
• Address specific criteria
• Cut and paste with caution
• Duplication wastes time and irritates judges
• Write in simple language
• Judges from different technical backgrounds
• Graphics can be helpful

3

• Patents and licenses not necessary
• Alternative tech transfer methods recognized
• Tell judges why method used
• Lab policy not to seek patents and/or licenses
• Other mechanism more appropriate
• Plant Variety Protection Certificate
• Trademark
• Encourage free distribution

4

• Difficulties overcome
• Often most inspiring part of nomination
• Shows persistence, ingenuity, toil
• Foreign travel
• Harsh climatic conditions
• Time constraints
• Forging relationships outside of lab

5

• Describe impact
• Economic
• Not just revenues generated by license
• Jobs created
• Enabling future work on promising technology
• Research
• Publications
• Citations in literature
• Number of material transfers

6

• Describe impact (continued)
• Harm avoided
• Loss of crops
• Decrease in human disease
• Drop in occupational injury or death rates
• Other recognition
• Awards by other organizations
• Wide spread adoption of technology

7

• Volunteer for Awards Committee
• Assure your perspective is heard
• Need diversity
• More than just gender or race
• Life sciences vs. physical sciences
• Military vs. health
• Agriculture vs. information technology

8

• Volunteer for Awards Committee (continued)
• Learn by evaluating winning nominations
• Only short time investment
• Nominations are interesting to read

9

• Volunteer for Awards Committee (continued)
• Learn how to better promote your labs
  technologies and award nominations
• Use SE FLC nominations as stepping stone for
  National FLC nominations
• Awards from one organization enhance award
  nominations to other organizations

10

• Random thoughts on nominations and awards
• Inventors are very flattered, even to be
  nominated
• Often willing to help write the nomination
• Treat coinventors equally
• Inventorship is different than authorship
• Avoids jealousy and resentment
• Provide document for inventors
• Letter or certificate for personnel file
• Frame and hang on wall
• Certificate vs. bowl

11

• Random thoughts on nominations and awards
• Throughout the year, keep an eye out for
• Potential nominees
• Technologies that have won other awards
• Licenses executed
• Technologies with wide spread use
• Press releases
• Oral or poster presentations at conferences

12

• Be in the game -- you cant win if you dont play
• Submit nominations to regional and national
  levels

GOOD LUCK!