[Applause]
okay so hi Jim
great to have you here can you let our
audience and our community know what you
do by day are you a superhero are you an
artist
are you well yeah what do you do that
happens to be right over there right
next door called the technology
licensing office it’s a part of it
mighty that supports the the community
it builds on all of the research the
billions of dollars of research that
goes on at MIT every year and the new
inventions that come out of that to try
to move those technologies out of the
university in into the hands of people
who will develop them to benefit the
public great so let me ask you a few
about a few case studies so quantum dots
flat-screen TVs you know they’re used
all over the place there was a
technology called quantum dots that
helped make them brighter better
I think Vlad Bulova Chand I know his
co-founder who’s now in charge of
Advanced Research at Apple I was with
him the other day can tell me a thing he
was working on what was it like working
with that team and and and how did you
help them have impact and go to scale
and really get this technology in all
the screens that they are today so so
the legwork that the licensing office
assists with is actually beef as the
technology is being developed as in that
case for example many inventions are
being created that build on top of one
another and create a whole portfolio of
technologies that are then very powerful
we work with the inventors over a number
of years to understand how they’d like
to see these technologies commercialize
what their view of the market is we do
some research and and then develop a
plan as to whether the technology it’s
spun out through a star
one or more startups whether the
technology gets spun out through a
license to an existing company maybe for
different applications it could be all
of these things the quantum dots in fact
have gone into displays most prominently
probably this one as a backlight
technology to make really good colors
it’s also gone into biological imaging
as a very pure almost laser-like
microscopic source of of light let me
give you another scenario so we know of
robots Kendall Square area is known for
you know doing innovative things with
robotics you worked on a project that
had a robot that went through pipes to
detect cracks and there’s a real safety
issue especially in the developing world
talk about that example and what did
your office do to help ensure that it
could have impact sure so the quantum
dot technology was one that’s been
around for decades and in fact is now a
mature technology and and really
penetrating markets very very broadly
and will become a state of the art this
robotic technology is an is that the
earlier stage that I mentioned where
I’ve worked with the inventors for a
couple of years there’s there been
actually two generations of very
entrepreneurial graduate students and
postdocs who’ve moved the technology
along and actually tested it in the
field in applications to find small
water leaks in water distribution
systems literally around the world in
four or five different countries it’s
it’s a relatively unknown problem that
as much as 50 percent of the water that
goes into municipal water system never
comes out the pipes at the other end
because of leaks and it’s generally
accepted that on the order of 15 to 25
percent is routine all around the world
even with relatively new infrastructures
so this is now a company that will be
spun out as we speak within weeks or
months and will then go through the
process of raising funding establish
exactly what their business model will
be we help them by licensing a portrait
again a portfolio of technologies that
will contribute to this and then will be
developed further with the know-how and
the market know-how of these young
entrepreneurs to distribute it both in
this country and around the world so
that’s a case that you handled yes and
your team handles about 800 to a
thousand cases a year yes and the top
research universities all have this kind
of office doing this type of stuff
technology transfer is a field that’s
evolved so that virtually every
University has some size office yeah so
last example and then I have a few like
quick questions so you know people have
been talking about maglev and trains
that could float and I think there’s a
team that you’ve been working with on a
case on floating magnets talk a little
bit about your role and what the
opportunity is and and how you help them
shape it I mean to me this technology
isn’t tomorrow this is technology that
is not going to be applicable for a
little bit and and how what are you
doing there
sure so so this is now talking about a
technology that is coming out of the
plasma science fusion Center at MIT
literally probably a half a billion
dollars of research over the last
several decades particularly on
superconducting magnets that have
particularly unique properties over what
has been known in the past and this
technology had reached a point in the
last few years that a project sort of a
skunkworks project was started think
about how this might be commercialized
to bring a practical green energy source
of fusion energy to the world to the
planet it’s something that was it’s a
company was spun out in march with
substantial investments from both
interestingly enough the petroleum and
the petrochemicals industry as well as
really far looking investors around the
country and around the world
that’s called how
well fusion systems and their job
they’re working still closely with MIT
but then Genesis company that’s right
speaker on this red dot in 2012 when he
was running the plasma lab so in terms
of those three you know a lot of people
who came today they were exciting about
the theme emerging technologies you know
the world is changing are you guys
changing with it given that that you
know technologies and combinations of
exponential you know technologies or we
we yes simple answer we change a lot of
different ways in the 12 years that I’ve
been working at the technology licensing
office
there have been waves that have risen
and then subsided in terms of focus of
the research which then is the focus of
our business because that’s the
expertise that we need to sort of help
move the technologies out you know when
I first came it was the beginning of the
MIT Energy Initiative which funded
probably hundreds of millions of dollars
over the last decade in research on
campus both for clean energy and even it
advances to the petroleum industry you
can see around Kendall Square and the
vibrance that we’re talking about here
all the life sciences companies and
clearly a lot of the focus on that is on
CRISPR technology and those kinds of
advances the the newest one that I
predict will be a great effort at MIT
and other universities will be
artificial intelligence the AI world is
is bringing a lot of money to fund
research at campus money on campus
creates new inventions and then we work
that with the creators of those
inventions to figure out the best way of
commercializing it so Jim my observation
other research universities make it hard
sometimes to license and I feel like MIT
makes it easier but in doing so it helps
these ideas get escape velocity and be
able to have impact and then a cut of it
comes back to the university you know I
look at Sergey and Lane
when they created Google they didn’t go
through their licensing office at
Stanford but then they’ve given back to
Stanford later is that a model that you
know is a threat to your model or it’s
different and what do you see some of
the trends with Apple and China you know
trying to commercialize things how does
that impact you guys then I can answer
any of them so certainly the back door
isn’t the preferred model as far as
we’re concerned there wouldn’t be much
of a role for us
and generally MIT is a is a pretty open
and honest place and has very clear
policies as to what technology what what
determines whether a technology is owned
by MIT and what determines whether
technology is free to go out and be
developed by the inventors or other
people without any kind of license
certainly when when technology is
licensed and revenue comes back to MIT
that revenue is shared with the
inventors first and then with the
inventors departments and with the
general MIT funds at the end of the year
we just closed our fiscal year at the
end of the year actually we have a zero
on our bottom line and we start again
dependent on how our licenses do and how
we support them and how and what new
licenses we get done for the audience
you know tell the audience what’s in it
for them so I think what’s in it for
them to understand your role and your
team’s role is if you’re an MIT student
or a faculty or starting a company with
with any combination of those if the
work is done on campus if they work with
you good things can happen it can be a
win-win and so I’m glad you know I’m
putting a face to one of the the leaders
of the technology transfer office at MIT
my last question to you so a university
like MIT gets billions maybe multiple
billions from alumni from government
from foundations from tuition are you
helping to ensure that the money that
comes into MIT is able to facilitate
innovation and impact and and you know
be
loyd across across the world at the MIT
Media Lab years ago was demo or die just
you know work for when the demo happens
but are you ensuring that you know these
innovations really can resonate and and
make the world a better place we do we
do that by working with the inventor
well before even some of these hopefully
groundbreaking technologies are created
so that they understand what resources
are available in the rich ecosystem here
in Kendall Square and at MIT that
supports entrepreneurial activities
supports them thinking about starting
companies actually starting those
companies and even after they’ve done
that something like the engine up in
Central Square which is supporting some
of the companies that have started in
the area not just from MIT but many of
them from MIT and they have like 13
startups and they’re gonna grow to like
80 but I think they want tough tech
things that can’t be you know done like
Angry Bird and and be real quick but
things that can be done that others
aren’t trying to do and really have big
impact and impact billions and so I
appreciate your work with with them and
and others ladies and gentlemen the man
behind the technology transfer office
here at MIT if you want to start
something and can people find you just
next door yeah all right great thank you [Applause]
okay so hi Jim
great to have you here can you let our
audience and our community know what you
do by day are you a superhero are you an
artist
are you well yeah what do you do that
happens to be right over there right
next door called the technology
licensing office it’s a part of it
mighty that supports the the community
it builds on all of the research the
billions of dollars of research that
goes on at MIT every year and the new
inventions that come out of that to try
to move those technologies out of the
university in into the hands of people
who will develop them to benefit the
public great so let me ask you a few
about a few case studies so quantum dots
flat-screen TVs you know they’re used
all over the place there was a
technology called quantum dots that
helped make them brighter better
I think Vlad Bulova Chand I know his
co-founder who’s now in charge of
Advanced Research at Apple I was with
him the other day can tell me a thing he
was working on what was it like working
with that team and and and how did you
help them have impact and go to scale
and really get this technology in all
the screens that they are today so so
the legwork that the licensing office
assists with is actually beef as the
technology is being developed as in that
case for example many inventions are
being created that build on top of one
another and create a whole portfolio of
technologies that are then very powerful
we work with the inventors over a number
of years to understand how they’d like
to see these technologies commercialize
what their view of the market is we do
some research and and then develop a
plan as to whether the technology it’s
spun out through a star
one or more startups whether the
technology gets spun out through a
license to an existing company maybe for
different applications it could be all
of these things the quantum dots in fact
have gone into displays most prominently
probably this one as a backlight
technology to make really good colors
it’s also gone into biological imaging
as a very pure almost laser-like
microscopic source of of light let me
give you another scenario so we know of
robots Kendall Square area is known for
you know doing innovative things with
robotics you worked on a project that
had a robot that went through pipes to
detect cracks and there’s a real safety
issue especially in the developing world
talk about that example and what did
your office do to help ensure that it
could have impact sure so the quantum
dot technology was one that’s been
around for decades and in fact is now a
mature technology and and really
penetrating markets very very broadly
and will become a state of the art this
robotic technology is an is that the
earlier stage that I mentioned where
I’ve worked with the inventors for a
couple of years there’s there been
actually two generations of very
entrepreneurial graduate students and
postdocs who’ve moved the technology
along and actually tested it in the
field in applications to find small
water leaks in water distribution
systems literally around the world in
four or five different countries it’s
it’s a relatively unknown problem that
as much as 50 percent of the water that
goes into municipal water system never
comes out the pipes at the other end
because of leaks and it’s generally
accepted that on the order of 15 to 25
percent is routine all around the world
even with relatively new infrastructures
so this is now a company that will be
spun out as we speak within weeks or
months and will then go through the
process of raising funding establish
exactly what their business model will
be we help them by licensing a portrait
again a portfolio of technologies that
will contribute to this and then will be
developed further with the know-how and
the market know-how of these young
entrepreneurs to distribute it both in
this country and around the world so
that’s a case that you handled yes and
your team handles about 800 to a
thousand cases a year yes and the top
research universities all have this kind
of office doing this type of stuff
technology transfer is a field that’s
evolved so that virtually every
University has some size office yeah so
last example and then I have a few like
quick questions so you know people have
been talking about maglev and trains
that could float and I think there’s a
team that you’ve been working with on a
case on floating magnets talk a little
bit about your role and what the
opportunity is and and how you help them
shape it I mean to me this technology
isn’t tomorrow this is technology that
is not going to be applicable for a
little bit and and how what are you
doing there
sure so so this is now talking about a
technology that is coming out of the
plasma science fusion Center at MIT
literally probably a half a billion
dollars of research over the last
several decades particularly on
superconducting magnets that have
particularly unique properties over what
has been known in the past and this
technology had reached a point in the
last few years that a project sort of a
skunkworks project was started think
about how this might be commercialized
to bring a practical green energy source
of fusion energy to the world to the
planet it’s something that was it’s a
company was spun out in march with
substantial investments from both
interestingly enough the petroleum and
the petrochemicals industry as well as
really far looking investors around the
country and around the world
that’s called how
well fusion systems and their job
they’re working still closely with MIT
but then Genesis company that’s right
speaker on this red dot in 2012 when he
was running the plasma lab so in terms
of those three you know a lot of people
who came today they were exciting about
the theme emerging technologies you know
the world is changing are you guys
changing with it given that that you
know technologies and combinations of
exponential you know technologies or we
we yes simple answer we change a lot of
different ways in the 12 years that I’ve
been working at the technology licensing
office
there have been waves that have risen
and then subsided in terms of focus of
the research which then is the focus of
our business because that’s the
expertise that we need to sort of help
move the technologies out you know when
I first came it was the beginning of the
MIT Energy Initiative which funded
probably hundreds of millions of dollars
over the last decade in research on
campus both for clean energy and even it
advances to the petroleum industry you
can see around Kendall Square and the
vibrance that we’re talking about here
all the life sciences companies and
clearly a lot of the focus on that is on
CRISPR technology and those kinds of
advances the the newest one that I
predict will be a great effort at MIT
and other universities will be
artificial intelligence the AI world is
is bringing a lot of money to fund
research at campus money on campus
creates new inventions and then we work
that with the creators of those
inventions to figure out the best way of
commercializing it so Jim my observation
other research universities make it hard
sometimes to license and I feel like MIT
makes it easier but in doing so it helps
these ideas get escape velocity and be
able to have impact and then a cut of it
comes back to the university you know I
look at Sergey and Lane
when they created Google they didn’t go
through their licensing office at
Stanford but then they’ve given back to
Stanford later is that a model that you
know is a threat to your model or it’s
different and what do you see some of
the trends with Apple and China you know
trying to commercialize things how does
that impact you guys then I can answer
any of them so certainly the back door
isn’t the preferred model as far as
we’re concerned there wouldn’t be much
of a role for us
and generally MIT is a is a pretty open
and honest place and has very clear
policies as to what technology what what
determines whether a technology is owned
by MIT and what determines whether
technology is free to go out and be
developed by the inventors or other
people without any kind of license
certainly when when technology is
licensed and revenue comes back to MIT
that revenue is shared with the
inventors first and then with the
inventors departments and with the
general MIT funds at the end of the year
we just closed our fiscal year at the
end of the year actually we have a zero
on our bottom line and we start again
dependent on how our licenses do and how
we support them and how and what new
licenses we get done for the audience
you know tell the audience what’s in it
for them so I think what’s in it for
them to understand your role and your
team’s role is if you’re an MIT student
or a faculty or starting a company with
with any combination of those if the
work is done on campus if they work with
you good things can happen it can be a
win-win and so I’m glad you know I’m
putting a face to one of the the leaders
of the technology transfer office at MIT
my last question to you so a university
like MIT gets billions maybe multiple
billions from alumni from government
from foundations from tuition are you
helping to ensure that the money that
comes into MIT is able to facilitate
innovation and impact and and you know
be
loyd across across the world at the MIT
Media Lab years ago was demo or die just
you know work for when the demo happens
but are you ensuring that you know these
innovations really can resonate and and
make the world a better place we do we
do that by working with the inventor
well before even some of these hopefully
groundbreaking technologies are created
so that they understand what resources
are available in the rich ecosystem here
in Kendall Square and at MIT that
supports entrepreneurial activities
supports them thinking about starting
companies actually starting those
companies and even after they’ve done
that something like the engine up in
Central Square which is supporting some
of the companies that have started in
the area not just from MIT but many of
them from MIT and they have like 13
startups and they’re gonna grow to like
80 but I think they want tough tech
things that can’t be you know done like
Angry Bird and and be real quick but
things that can be done that others
aren’t trying to do and really have big
impact and impact billions and so I
appreciate your work with with them and
and others ladies and gentlemen the man
behind the technology transfer office
here at MIT if you want to start
something and can people find you just
next door yeah all right great thank you [Applause]
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