Thomas Schmidt is the head of technology transfer at University of Southern Denmark, or SDU, and he joins us on Talking Tech Transfer to discuss the importance of time management skills, the challenges – and opportunities! – of being a regional university, and why senior leaders are the ones who really ought to consider becoming RTTP certified.

He also tells us how, with an MA in Marketing and Communication, he ended up in tech transfer, and how the Nordic Innovation Fair has grown from a national pitch event to one also encompassing other Scandinavian countries. Registration for the next event, on September 21, is open until September 17.

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“Funk Game Loop” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) • Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Jay Schrankler is the associate vice-president and head of the Polsky Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at University of Chicago, having spent the first part of his career in industry. He’s here to tell us about the transformative experience that convinced him to join the world of university tech transfer, what makes the Polsky Center such a unique organisation and why earlier this year it launched the US’s first ever accelerator focused exclusively on quantum technologies.

He also talks about his experience of chairing PraxisAuril, the importance of SETsquared for Exeter’s ecosystem and his views of the European ecosystem. This interview was recorded before Sean moved into his new job, which is still with Exeter: he has joined the senior executive to implement programmes linked to its 2030 strategy.

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“Funk Game Loop” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) • Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Helen McBreen is a partner at Atlantic Bridge, overseeing the spinout-focused University Bridge Fund – backed by Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin and University College Cork. She talks about the importance of diversity on both sides of the table and give us an insight into how the fund works with researchers for as long as 18 months before a spinout is formed. She also tells about the strengths of the Irish ecosystem and why, even though she’s just closed Fund II, it’s actually not too early to start thinking about Fund III.

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“Funk Game Loop” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) • Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Sean Fielding was, until a couple of weeks ago, the director of innovation, impact and business at University of Exeter, where he built the tech transfer office from scratch in the mid-90s. He joins us on Talking Tech Transfer to discuss how the requirement to generate impact has changed the way universities think about research and his dream of having tech transfer professionals be as celebrated as rockstars.

He also talks about his experience of chairing PraxisAuril, the importance of SETsquared for Exeter’s ecosystem and his views of the European ecosystem. This interview was recorded before Sean moved into his new job, which is still with Exeter: he has joined the senior executive to implement programmes linked to its 2030 strategy.

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“Funk Game Loop” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) • Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Paul Van Dun is the general manager of Leuven Research and Development, the tech transfer office of KU Leuven that has a unique framework which allows faculty to generate income for their labs without incorporating spinouts. He is here to tell us more about this as well as his vision of having universities ranked based on impact, what changes he has seen during his 20-year-long career and how one of his favourite spinouts helped revitalise the region’s historical strengths in bicycle production.

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“Funk Game Loop” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) • Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Brijesh Roy, seed investment manager at Imperial College London, started out in hedge fund management before joining Oxford University Innovation and then Mercia. On this episode, he talks about his storied career, why Imperial decided to bring spinout funding back in-house following the Touchstone acquisition and what his vision for a tech transfer operation fit for the 21st century looks like.

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“Funk Game Loop” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) • Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Michael Kearney is a principal at The Engine, the tough tech incubator and patient capital fund backed by MIT and Harvard, and he joins us to talk not only about the importance of hiring diverse teams (in spinouts and in funds), but also about the highly unique ecosystem in Cambridge, MA and the reasons why the journey of a deep tech founder is fundamentally different. He also tells us why his own experience working for a tough tech spinout prompted him to return to academia to gain a PhD from MIT looking at barriers to commercialisation and ultimately become an investor at The Engine (which he had never planned to be).

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“Funk Game Loop” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) • Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Jason Whitney, vice-president of venture development at IU Ventures and executive director of the IU Angel Network, joins us to talk about the Angel Network, why it takes care of due diligence for investors and why it emphasises educating angels. He also discusses the origins and purpose of the Sports Innovation Initiative, which focuses on startups in areas as broad as apparel and esports, and reveals how an opera singer proved to him you should never go into a meeting with a preconceived notion about a founder’s idea.

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“Funk Game Loop” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) • Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0